The Hamilton Tiger-Cats regular season will end on Saturday afternoon with a divisional clash against the Montreal Alouettes at Tim Hortons Field.
The Ticats will finish second in their division and host the Eastern Semi-Final on Oct. 13 regardless of the game’s outcome. Despite the standings being predetermined heading into the matchup, head coach Kent Austin says there is no such thing as a meaningless game.
“As a team, we’ve talked a lot about playing well going into the playoffs and what that looks like,” said Austin. “We’re going to do some lineup changes, but the approach hasn’t changed. The prerequisite of preparing well and playing to win and making sure that you’re prepared to win is still there.”
Many of the Ticats starters will get a deserved night or limited playing time in preparation for the playoffs. Zach Collaros will get the start but will likely not stay in the whole game as Austin says all three quarterbacks are prepared to play.
“Zach’s been out a lot this year so we need to make sure that he gets some reps and feels comfortable.” Austin said earlier in the week. “We’ll just see how it goes, but you could possibly see all three guys.”
The Ticats fell just short of what appeared to be another insurmountable comeback in Week 19, falling 29-26 to the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 19. Hamilton trailed Edmonton by 17-points in the fourth quarter, but orchestrated two touchdown drives in the final 15 minutes to narrow the deficit to just three points. CJ Gable had a standout performance for the Ticats with nine receptions and six carries for a combined 153 yards and a touchdown in the loss. Kevin Elliott was also impressive in the follow up to his Tictas debut with 72 receiving yards.
The Montreal Alouettes currently sit third in the East Division with a 6-11 record but are officially eliminated from playoff contention heading into Week 20. Slotback Nik Lewis says that the team is still motivated to end the year strong.
“It’s always great to end the season on a high note because it gives you hope,” Lewis told MontrealAlouettes.com. “It gives you something to look forward to. You want as many guys to come back as possible, so winning is important, even when most people don’t think there’s a lot on the line. You want that continuity. You want to start building something now for next year.”
The Als are looking to end their season with a third straight win after defeating the Calgary Stampeders 17-8, handing them their first loss since Week 1. Lewis lead all receivers with 94 yards while former Ticat Tiquan Underwood had 77 yards and a touchdown in the Alouettes win.
Vernon Adams Jr. will get the start under centre for the Als this Saturday.
Montreal could finish with the same record as the Ticats (7-11) with a win on Saturday, but the Black and Gold have the tiebreaker since they have won the previous two meetings.
Hamilton edged out a 20-17 win over the Als with a walk off field goal the last time the two teams faced each other in Week 13. Collaros completed 25-of-36 passes for 291 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the win. Larry Dean was an unstoppable force on defence, leading the team with eight tackles, two forced fumbles, and a quarterback sack. The Ticats kept Als quarterback Rakeem Cato in check, limiting him to 19-of-27 passing with no touchdowns and one interception. Linebacker Bear Woods notched a game high 11 tackles and also added an interception.
Quick Facts:
- The Ticats lead the CFL with 33 TD passes, the first time they have led since 2012 and just the second time in the last 52 years.
- John Chick is two off the CFL sacks lead and has at least one in five of the last six games.
- The Montreal defence has allowed only one touchdown over the last two games
- The Als have trailed after the 3rd quarter 11 times this season and have yet to come back to win.