Do you think you know everything there is to about your Hamilton Tiger-Cats? Well here is your chance to prove it with this season’s Game Day Predictor Challenge. Hours before every kickoff, Ticats All Access members can log in to their accounts and make picks as part of our weekly Game Day Predictor contest (Presented by Sports Interaction). This contest allows you to flaunt your Ticats knowledge and predict the outcome to situational questions about your favourite Ticats players. The more questions you answer correctly, the more Ticats All Access yards you can win. Along with the weekly series of questions, there will be a weekly prize with the first-place winner scoring four club level tickets for an upcoming Tiger-Cats home game!
Returning home for the first time this season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will welcome the Winnipeg Blue Bombers into Tim Hortons Field for their 2018 home opener. Here are five of this weeks predictor challenge questions.
To make your picks, visit allaccess.ticats.ca/gameday!
1. How many receptions will Terrence Toliver record? Over or under five?
To the untrained eye, Terrence Toliver looked no different from the rest of the Tiger-Cat receivers last Saturday night. Coming off a near 365-day sabbatical due to an ACL injury, he got his first taste of the season against the Edmonton Eskimos.
Netting 76-yards on four receptions on the night, Toliver provided the Tiger-Cats with yet another offensive weapon. Matching up this week against a Blue Bombers, a team that has given up a combined 637 yards through two games, Toliver may be in a good position to record his first touchdown since Oct. 28, 2016.
Toliver’s 6-5, 211-pound frame gives him an immediate edge over the Bombers’ secondary from a matchup perspective. Winnipeg’s tallest defensive player is Taylor Loffler who measures in at 6-4, 225-pounds. Though the third-year safety from the University of British Columbia initially matches up well against Toliver, how he will perform against him is another.
My prediction: Over
2. How many yards will Jeremiah Masoli throw for? Over or under 300?
Jeremiah Masoli has been one of the best players in the Canadian Football League the past two weeks. Getting a well-deserved nod from the league, Masoli was named on Tuesday one of the CFL’s top performers of Week Two. Against the Eskimos, Masoli went 19/29 for 332 yards and three touchdowns, while adding seven carries for 59 yards.
His signature ability to complete off-balance passes on the run has allowed the Tiger-Cat receivers to elongate plays leading to more completions per game. Facing off this week against the Blue Bombers, Masoli is staring down a secondary that has not fared well against a good quarterback. Sacrificing over 400 yards to Edmonton’s Mike Rilley in week one, this game screams feeding time for Masoli and the Tiger-Cats.
My prediction: Over
3. What passing percentage will Jeremiah Masoli post? Under or over 60 per cent?
The career-long above 60% passing rate of Jeremiah Masoli has continued to play a factor in his game. Carrying over from last season with a passing percentage average of 63.7%, Masoli is sitting near the same number just two games into the season. Recording a near passing rate of a near 70% vs the Stampeders in week one and 65% against the Eskimos, completing over half of his passes has now become automatic for him.
My prediction: Over
4. How many tackles will Mike Daly record? Over or under three?
Defensive back Daly sat out the 2017 season with an injury but after securing the starting safety position this season, he’s been making waves in the secondary. Recording seven tackles this season, Daly now sits just 15 tackles back of his high of 22.
Seemingly buckled in for a statement season with the Tiger-Cats this year, Daly has held down his end performing against two of the top offences in the CFL. Making three tackles against the Stampeders and four against the Eskimos, Daly and his teammates seem to have the talent to bring this Tiger-Cats defence to new heights.
My prediction: Over
5. How many total yards will Hamilton hold Winnipeg too? Over or under 450?
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost a nail-biter at the hands of the Eskimos but subsequently blew the Alouettes out of the water in a 56-10 shootout in Montreal leaving them with a 1-1 record. Recording a combined 903 total yards two weeks into the season, the Bombers will have their hands full with the Tiger-Cats defence.
Holding two Alberta powerhouses to under 30 points in back-to-back games while only sacrificing 777 yards, Hamilton’s defence has a 200-plus yard advantage on the season. Though Winnipeg quarterback Chris Streveler sits atop the CFL with six passing touchdowns, on Friday, he will have to cope with a pack of Tiger-Cats swarming and knocking down every ball he puts in play.
My prediction: Under