Now commencing the second leg of a home-and-home series with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats gear up for post-bye week action against a familiar opponent. Falling to the Roughriders 18-13 July 5, Hamilton is champing at the bit to get another crack at Chris Jones and his Roughriders. Returning to their home locker room and field this week, the Ticats have gotten right back to work as we lay out this week’s three keys to the game.
1.Embrace the back-to-back
More often than not, there are pros and cons when playing the same team in back-to-back games. Pro: you already know your opponent’s tendencies. Con: the other team already knows your tendencies. For the Tiger-Cats, Thursday night’s game marks the second matchup they will have with the Roughriders in 14 days as they look to use their previous knowledge to duke it out with the green and white at home.
Coming off a nail-biting loss at the hands of Chris Jones’ squad July 5, Hamilton head coach June Jones noted there has to be some change implemented when facing a team again.
“We have had a week to think it through,” said coach June Jones. “The bottom line is that you can’t change a tonne of things, but you have to tweak it a little.
“They’re not going to do 100 per cent of what they did on defence to us and they’re not going to do 100 per cent of what they did on offence to us.”
2.Get in the end zone
There’s no secret to the game of football. The team that scores the most points wins the game. As touchdowns serve at the most fruitful way to score points, getting to the end zone is something coach June Jones noted as a must this time around with the Roughriders.
“We didn’t put it in the end zone,” the Tiger-Cats coach said. “If we put it in the end zone, it allows you to play differently everywhere both defensively and offensively if you’re ahead by 14 points.
“We just have to make plays when we get down there and score touchdowns.”
When asked if he saw any issues with his offence last week, coach June Jones added: “There were a couple little things. We had a chance two times, but we didn’t hit the guy and there were just little minute technique things that you have got to execute down there faster and quicker.”
3.Continue to block well
“I thought we blocked them better than anyone has in two years,” coach June Jones said of his offensive line’s play against the Roughriders.
“At the end of the game, we had maybe two mental errors that you’d like to not have,” coach June Jones said. “We blocked a lot of things and a lot of looks. Jeremiah had time in there and we just have to make plays to get it in the end zone and we just didn’t do that.”
“Saskatchewan does a lot of things outside of the box. (Roughriders head coach Chris Jones) seems to be that way defensively. He does a lot of things outside of the box with the D-lineman with the flop stuff with the ends and he is not afraid to do things.”
