The Hamilton Tiger-Cats look to continue their winning ways on the road when they visit the reigning Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos in Week 5 action at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Ticats (2-2) have yet to lose an away game while the Esks (2-1) look to keep pace with the BC Lions at the top of the West Division.
After dropping two straight games at Tim Hortons Field, the Ticats found their footing in Montreal and picked up a big win against their East Division opponents. Strong performances from both defensive units led to a low scoring affair through the first two quarters and the Ticats led 5-4 heading into the half. An 86-yard punt return touchdown by Brandon Banks early in the third quarter opened the scoring floodgates and the Ticats went on to a convincing 31-7 win. C.J. Gable rushed 9 yards for another major while Brett Maher notched five field goals in the victory.
The Ticats new look defence has established a reputation early into the 2016 season as a unit that can wreak havoc on any opposing offence. Through four weeks of play, the Shaw CFL Performer of the Week honours has been awarded to Ticat defenders twice. Simoni Lawrence won the accolade in Week 1 while defensive lineman Adrian Tracy was named the league’s top player last week for his performance against the Als. Tracy finished the night with an impressive stat line of 11 tackles, two forced fumbles, two sacks, and a pass deflection.
“I just think as a whole we were relentless,” said Tracy. “They couldn’t just key in on one guy. When they were doubling on Chick or Drake [Nevis] or Teddy [Laurent], I was able to win my one-on-ones. Coverage was great. Linebackers and secondary were playing together as a whole.”
The Ticats lead the league in sacks through four weeks but will be up against a strong offence in the Eskimos. Grey Cup 2015 MVP Mike Reilly currently ranks second in passing touchdowns and third in passing yards despite having an early bye week.
Head coach Kent Austin knows that the Esks will be a good test for his team.
“If would be a shorter conversation if you asked what doesn’t worry me,” Austin replied when asked what concerns him about the Eskimos. “Everything. They’re a good football team. They’re good in all three phases. They play hard. They’re well coached. They’ve got a good quarterback. They can score points. They’re really good up front on defence. They’ve got good playmakers.
“That’s just for starters.”
The Esks will look for their third win in a row when they face the Ticats on Saturday night.
Edmonton dropped their season opener to the Ottawa Redblacks in a rematch of the 2015 Grey Cup and had a Week 2 bye. The early break appeared to pay off as the Esks have yet to drop a game since the bye week and are winners of their last two contests.
Reilly tore apart the Winnipeg Blue Bombers secondary last week throwing for 465 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 20-16 win. The duo of Adarius Bowman and Derel Walker were relentless, finishing the night with 185 and 154 receiving yards respectively.
Despite the high total yards on offence, the Esks managed just 20 points on the board; their lowest total of the season. Reilly realizes that not finishing drives against the Ticats and punting the ball to Banks could be detrimental.
“They’re a good football team,” said Reilly. “They’ve got a very dynamic returner in their special teams game. The less we punt, the less we give him the opportunity to have a ball in his hands.”
It’s not just special teams that makes Hamilton dangerous according to Eskimos head coach Jason Maas.
Mass has also taken notes on the Ticats strong defensive play in 2016, specifically the performance of Tracy in Week 4.
“He flies around,” said Maas. “He’s been making a lot of plays. They move him around quite a bit. He’s a good athlete. We’ll definitely have our eye on him. He’s definitely an integral part of what they do… We’ve got our hands full this week and we understand that.”
Quick Facts:
- Hamilton and Edmonton have split each of the last four season series and neither side has swept since 2011when Edmonton took both games. In each other’s stadium, they have also split with two wins apiece at Commonwealth since 2012. Hamilton won in Edmonton in 2015 and 2013.
- This game will be the sixth that Edmonton’s Mike Reilly will start against Hamilton and he is 3-2 to date. His passer rating of 81.4 vs the Ti-Cats is among the lowest against any opponent and he has 6 TD passes and 4 interceptions.
- Edmonton is one of just three clubs to win at home this year and they face a Hamilton team that is among four clubs that are at least 2-0 on the road thus far.
