It was the biggest comeback in Hamilton Tiger-Cats history and the biggest takeaway may have been the lead the Tiger-Cats took away from Edmonton. Trailing the reining Grey Cup champion Edmonton Eskimos 31-6 following an Adarius Bowman touchdown early in the third quarter, Ticats’ quarterback Jeremiah Masoli would begin to piece together the historical comeback. The Ticats’ win in Edmonton would make for a record setting night for Masoli as well as the Ticats crashed the excitement built up by Edmonton following halftime.
Holy Moly Jeremiah Masoli
The Ticats’ slinger may have taken Flo-Rida’s halftime entertainment to heart, coming out in the third quarter and claiming The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium as HIS house. Masoli was nothing but efficient in the second half making completion after completion on a mix of both high percentage passes and tightly covered receivers. The Hamilton quarterback would tally 23 consecutive pass completions, passing Eskimo’s QB turned Head Coach, Jason Maas, for a new CFL record. Masoli would rally Hamilton back from a 31-6 deficit against the Eskimos and piece together the biggest comeback in Tiger-Cats history. The Ticats’ offensive line also played a large part, as no Edmonton defender was able to record a sack on the Hamilton quarterback. Masoli would finish the game going 31 of 38 passing, with 391 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Defensive Spin Right Round
Just when it looked liked the game was out of reach for the Tiger-Cats, the team quickly turned around their play in the second half. Eskimos’ quarterback, Mike Reilly threw for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the first two quarter. He also put up a quick major in the third quarter before the Hamilton defence buckled down. In unison with the offence, Hamilton’s Defensive Coordinator Orlondo Steinauer orchestrated a hard-nosed defensive scheme in the second half that knocked Reilly off of his game, only throwing for 131 yards in the second half. The defence finished with three sacks against the Eskimos. It would be back-to-back sacks that would erase any hope of the Eskimos staging a comeback against the Ticats.
Receivers Have Good Feeling
The steady hands of the veterans answered when needed as Luke Tasker and Andy Fantuz combined for 17 catches and 226 yards. Fantuz tacked two more touchdowns to his season totals, bringing it to four on the year. The receiving duo continuously found the holes in the Edmonton defence which led to Hamilton stringing together strong offensive drives. Terrance Toliver sparked the Ticats offensive second half dominance by hauling in a 26-yard touchdown reception in response to Edmonton’s second half early score. Tasker and Fantuz took over from there. Fantuz would snag his first touchdown of the game less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Masoli would hit the open receiver streaking through the right side of the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown. Nine plays later, the Canadian receiver would find himself in pay dirt yet again, making a spectacular over the shoulder catch while tightly covered by an Edmonton’s Marcell Young. Chad Owens would also put his stamp on the Ticats’ comeback as he would win a jump ball, tipping the ball from one hand to another as the Flying Hawaiian would add the two point conversion following the Fantuz touchdown.
