Shiltz and Ticats Prepare for Matchup with Ottawa

Saturday night, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will return to Tim Hortons Field for their first matchup of the year with the Ottawa Redblacks.

In 2022, Hamilton finished the season 3-0 vs. Ottawa with a 25-23 win on 7/16/22, a 30-27 win on 10/21/22 and a 23-16 win on 10/29/22. All tightly contested, competitive matchups.

The Redblacks are coming off a 26-7 win over the Edmonton Elks last Friday night. Quarterback Tyrie Adams got his first start of the season and answered the bell—completing 14 of 20 (70.0%) passes for 185 yards (9.3 YPA), one touchdown and zero interceptions. The former CIF Rookie of the Year also carried the ball three times for 31 yards (10.3 YPC).

Despite a solid outing from Adams, the Redblacks announced today that their QB1, Jeremiah Masoli, will get the starting nod Saturday night to face his former team.

Against the Alouettes in Week 3, Ticats quarterback Matthew Shiltz showed both signs of hope and signs of a quarterback adapting to his system. He threw two picks, but he also moved the ball through the air—throwing for 345 yards and averaging 13.8 yards per-completion.

A big part of the offence’s success came courtesy of the one-two punch of Duke Williams and Tim White—the CFL’s Top-2 leading receivers through Week 3.

Williams caught five passes for 102 yards. White caught seven passes for 143 yards. They’ll test an Ottawa secondary that picked off the Elks three times last week.

Through three games: the Ticats have averaged 19 points per-game to the Redblacks 17.7. The Ticats defence has held opponents to 37.3 points per-game to the Redblacks 17.3.

With home field advantage, Hamilton will look to bounce back in a big way Saturday night and reset their trajectory for the 2023 season.