The Tiger-Cats face the Argonauts at Tim Hortons Field on Friday evening. The Tiger-Cats are coming off a road preseason loss to the defending Grey Cup champion Redblacks.
The Argos pulled ahead of the Alouettes in their home preseason contest on the strength of two pick-six plays by Argo DBs. A strong defensive showing allowed the Argos to hold off the Als’ late surge and secure the victory.
The Tiger-Cats looked good at a number of positions in the first preseason game, but will boast a different depth chart this week.
The Tiger-Cats signed International QB Logan Kilgore, who has a brief time frame to familiarize himself with the Cats’ complex offense. If he sees game action at Tim Hortons Field on Friday, it will likely be limited. Zach Collaros will start. Jeremiah Masoli will pick up the backup reps, and Cody Keith will likely slot into the number three spot.
The Toronto Argonauts deployed a revolving door of talent at QB in their preseason opener. Expect more of the same in Hamilton.
The Tiger-Cats will look to build on some stand out performances from last week’s tilt.
Second year Tiger-Cat Kevin Elliot looked focused on cementing a starting spot in the Ticats’ receiving corps last week in Ottawa. After being suddenly cut by the Argonauts midway through the 2016 season, Elliot was swiftly picked up by the Cats. Elliot showed flashes of brilliance throughout the previous two seasons.
Elliot had a strong showing at TD Place, compiling 94 yards through the air on a handful of receptions. His first touch was on a broken play in which Masoli, pressured out of the pocket, tossed a prayer downfield. The ball bounced off Ottawa fingers and into the waiting hands of Elliot, who turned downfield and burned up some yards with his feet.
Late in the game he factored heavily into the offense on a scoring drive, including a play where he plucked a low-thrown ball off his shoelaces and out of the hands of an Ottawa DB.
Elliot’s play was a convincing argument for a starting spot when the season kicks off against his old team, the Argos, on June 25th. In the meantime, he’ll have to settle for exacting his revenge on former teammates in Friday’s preseason contest.
Both Mike Jones and Felix Faubert-Lussier, National wideouts, had strong performances last Thursday.
Jones, the Ticats fourth Round draft pick in 2016, saw action in eight regular season games last season and started in one. He hopes to earn a permanent starting spot with the team this season, and his National status provides a convenient ratio cushion.
Faubert-Lussier remodeled his game and his body during the off-season, shedding pounds and transitioning from fullback to wide receiver. Regardless, his fullback heritage was evident against the Redblacks, as he bucked tacklers and amassed yards after the catch.
Following Thursday’s performance, a strong case could be made for starting a Canadian receiver during the regular season.
Another key position to watch for the Tiger-Cats is the continued battle at kicker, now waged between Sergio Castillo and the recent signing, Anthony Fera. The former Montreal Alouette Fera, steps in to replace the released Ryan Hawkins. Since the start of camp, kicker has been one of the most heavily contested positions for the Ticats.
In Friday’s preseason tilt, the Tiger-Cats will evaluate their talent and make inroads on finalizing the depth charts for the first game of the regular season. Friday’s dry-run at Tim Hortons Field will help determine which Tiger-Cats earn a starting spot in next week’s regular season rematch in Toronto.
