The Ticats look to complete the sweep of the Argos on Sunday afternoon when they travel to BMO Field for a rematch of the Labour Day Classic.
The Ticats trailed by 20 points in the second quarter of last week’s game, but executed an exceptional comeback to win 49-36; the highest scoring Labour Day game in history between the two clubs. The offensive shootout showcased two of the leagues best quarterbacks as Ricky Ray and Zach Collaros combined for 744 yards and seven touchdown passes.
The Argos capitalized on Ticats turnovers early in the game, including a fumble recovery by Thomas Gordon that was returned to the house for a touchdown. Hamilton proved there resilience in the second half, clawing from behind and outscoring the Argos 32-6 in the final two quarters. Collaros connected with Terrence Tolive on the Tabbies first series of the half. On the ensuing Ticats drive, Collaros found Luke Tasker on the run for a long 39-yard major to trail by six heading into the final 15 minutes.
Chad Owens scored a major on Collaros’s fourth touchdown pass of the night to tie up the game. Andy Fantuz caught the two-point convert for the go-ahead score while Emmanuel Davis solidified the win by intercepting a pass from Ray and running it back 55 yards for the pick six
C.J. Cable was a force all game, picking up crucial yards on the ground and finishing with 135 yards on 12 carries. His longest run of the night was a 53-yard sprint to the Toronto two-yard line in the second quarter that resulted in a short touchdown pass to Brandon Banks on the next play.
Luke Tasker led all receivers with 122 yards and one touchdowns while Collaros finished 28-of-35 passing for 359 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.
The opportunity to sweep the Argos would be big, according to Fantuz.
“We locked up the series with two games, but we have a chance to really separate ourselves from them with this game,” said the Ticats wide reciver. “We know how much this game means to them also, so we expect it to be a dogfight and we’re going to have to play clean football and execute at a high level to beat them.”
Fantuz, Tasker, Toliver, and Owens are all on pace to reach the 1000 yard mark. A big reason behind their success can be attributed to the chemistry among the receiving corps as well as the connection with Collaros since his return.
Collaros has thrown 14 touchdown passes to just two interceptions since coming back injury in Week 8, including two 400-plus yard games.
Ticats head coach Kent Austin has been impressed with Collaros’ game but thinks he is capable of even more.
“He’s been playing well,” said Austin. “He’s had a lot of guys around him playing well also. Zach cares a lot, so he’s very diligent with his preparation, which helps him make better decisions… He can make some better decisions in some cases but he’s playing pretty well.”
Argos head coach Scott Milanovich announced Friday at practice that Ray will miss four-to-six weeks with a fractured rib. Dan LeFevour will start under centre for the Argos in Week 12.
“He’s got some gamer in him,” Milanovich told Argonauts.com. “He has the ability to run better than you would think for a guy that’s as big as he is. He throws well on the run he seems to be a bit of a playmaker. So that’s what we’re looking for.”
LeFevour played as a backup for the Ticats from 2012-2014 and suffered a season ending shoulder injury with the Alouettes last year in the season opener. Sunday will be his first start since August 2014.
“Obviously the coaching staff has enough trust in me, otherwise they wouldn’t put me in this position,” LeFevour told Argonauts.com. “I’m confident with the game plan they’ve given me. They’re confident in me, I think, so at this point let’s just go out and play.”
Quick Facts:
- Collaros has thrown 14 TD passes in 4 games since coming off the IL on Aug 13/16. That is the most by any CFL QB in a 4-game span since Henry Burris threw 15 TD passes in a 4-game run in July 2012.
- The Hamilton foursome of Owens, Fantuz, Tasker, and Toliver have combined for over 2,600 yards receiving this season and all are on pace to exceed 1,000 yards. Hamilton has never had three 1000-yard receivers in one year let alone four which has only been done by Montreal in 2004 and 2005, and by Ottawa in 2015.
- The Ti-Cats made just two interceptions in their first 7 games – but have 7 in the last 3 contests
- The Argos have not lost 4 straight home games since the end of 2010 and look to avoid that this week. Overall, they have not lost 5 consecutive games since a 6-game skid early in 2011.
