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The Ticats have their sights set on first place in the East Division when the Edmonton Eskimos stopover at Tim Hortons Field to kickoff Week 19.
Hamilton sits just one point behind the Redblacks with two games remaining in the regular season.
Ticats quarterback Zach Collaros will start under centre for the Black and Gold after missing the past two games with a concussion. Collaros has officially passed the concussion protocol and is excited to get back on the field.
“We’ve had a good week of practice,” said Collaros. “We have a good opportunity. We’re really looking forward to Friday. We know it’s going to be a great crowd, great atmosphere, and a ton of fun. We have to play at a high level. Edmonton is a good football team, a well coached football team, but we’re confident if we execute, things will go our way.”
Last week, the Ticats defeated the Ottawa Redblacks on the road in a thrilling 39-36 double overtime victory. Receiver Kevin Elliott recorded the first 100-yard game of his career in his Ticats debut, amassing 102 yards and a touchdown in the win. Andy Fantuz led the team with eight catches, becoming the first Ticat in franchise history to record 100 receptions in a single season.
The Ticats trailed by 15 points heading into the half but overcame the deficit by outscoring their opponents 21-6 in the final two quarters and forcing overtime. After exchanging field goals in the first frame, John Chick stripped the ball from Redblacks pivot Henry Burris, forcing a fumble and leading to a Ticats game-winning field goal.
The win put the Ticats back on track to finishing at the top of the East, snapping a three-game losing skid.
“It’s certainly easier, I think, to play better after a win than it is after three losses,” said Ticats head coach Kent Austin. “It takes a lot of grit and determination to go on the road and put together a decent game after a couple of tough losses. Momentum is a funny thing. It ebbs and flows out of each individual game.”
The Eskimos three-game win streak came to an end in Week 18 after a 32-25 loss to the BC Lions on the road. Eskimos pivot Mike Riley completed 24-of-32 passes for 261 yards, throwing one touchdown while also finding the end zone on a one-yard run. Adarius Bowman led all Eskimos receivers with 89 yards and a touchdown.
There is a high possibility that the Eskimos could crossover into the East Division for the playoffs. Edmonton currently sits fourth in the West with two games remaining, four points behind the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions.
“It’s a team that we could potentially see down the road in the playoffs,” Eskimos quarterback Mike Riley told Esks.com. “We would like to set a tone with them and I’m sure they’d like to do the same with us. It’s an important game for us to get back to playing good football and it’s an important game for them in their division. I expect both teams to be ready to play.“
The Ticats staged one of the biggest comebacks in CFL history when the two teams last met on July 23, 2016, overcoming a 25-point deficit to pull off a thrilling 37-31 victory. Jeremiah Masoli threw a CFL-record 23 straight completions in the win, totaling 391 yards and three touchdown passes.
“We’re aware of the fact that they’re a team that you have to play a full 60 minutes to beat them,” Eskimos head coach Jason Maas told Esks.com. “They’ve proved it all year. We were the first but definitely not the last that they did that against. They are a very resilient group, well coached, got a lot of talented players over there. If you slip up at all with a lead, they’re more than capable of making you pay for that. We know that first hand. “
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