The curtain raised on the 2018 CFL regular season Saturday night as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats took on the 2017 Western Conference Champion, Calgary Stampeders.
Momentum Masoli
Jeremiah Masoli looked as if the 2017 season never ended. Going 25/36 and throwing for over 300 yards on the night, Masoli showed that last season was no anomaly. Utilizing what seemed like every receiver through the game connecting with Mike Jones for 120-yards, Jalen Saunders for 118-yards, and Luke Tasker for 71-yards Hamilton’s offence seemed to be in midseason form with Masoli at the helm.
Stretching sideline to sideline
With 118 receiving yards on the night, it seemed as if no one could contain wide receiver, Jalen Saunders. Coming off an 1170-yard receiving season, Saunders proved he has the speed and the hands to be one of the main threats for Hamilton. Starting on one side of the field, receiving the ball and ending up on the opposite side, Saunders confused and attacked the Calgary secondary with precision & speed. Saunders’ speed off the line and quick hands during the game made him an easy target for Masoli who found his groove early in the game. Flashing moments of excellence in all four quarters of play, the Saunders-Masoli connection will most definitely be an entertaining sight to watch all year long.
The Dean-Lawrence Duo
Anchoring down the defensive side of the ball was wrecking ball-like duo Larry Dean and Simoni Lawrence. Combining for an average of 8.8 tackles per game last season, Dean and Lawrence picked up right where they left off sharing 11 tackles on the night. Stopping the Calgary run game started and ended with the linebacker duo, holding Calgary (a team that averaged 1 rushing touchdown a game) to just that.
the Tiger-Cats regular season continues on June 22nd as they take on the Edmonton Eskimoes for game two of their Alberta road trip.
