Milt Stegall and Charles Roberts proved to be too much for the Black and Gold on Friday night, as the talented offensive duo combined for four touchdowns in a 36-18 defeat of the Tiger-Cats. Jason Maas threw for 341 yards and Nick Setta made six field goals in a losing effort.
First overall selection Chris Bauman made a great first impression with six receptions for 81 yards in his Ticats debut.
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The Bombers scored first thanks to running back Charles Roberts’ seventh touchdown of the season from four yards out. That major wound stand as the only score in the first quarter as the Ticats trailed 7-0 after the opening frame.
Hamilton cut into the home side’s lead with two quick field goals before the 29,533 on hand witnessed a milestone take place at Canad Inns Stadium. A little under four minutes into the second quarter, Milt Stegall scored his 138th career touchdown making him the CFL’s all-time touchdown leader. Down 14-6, the Ticats took another bite out of the Bombers advantage thanks to Nick Setta’s third field goal. The Notre Dame product wasn’t finished there, however, as he connected on a 52-yard boot on the final play of the half to make the count 14-12 in favour of the Bombers at halftime.
Jason Maas had an impressive first half, completing 16 of 24 pass attempts for 188 yards. Nate Curry was the Black and Gold’s leading receiver with 42 yards, followed closely by Kori Dickerson with 40 and rookie Chris Bauman with 37 in his first career appearance.
After the defence opened the half with a big third down stop, Setta made no mistake on his fifth field goal to give the Cats their first lead of the game, 15-14. That advantage would be short-lived however, as 29-yard Troy Westwood field goal put the Bombers up by two. At the end of the third quarter, the Blue and Gold held a narrow 17-15 lead.
Jason Maas began the fourth by moving the ball well downfield despite some ill-timed penalties. The biggest play of the drive saw the pivot connect with Bauman for a 28-yard gain to put the Black and Gold at the 10. Following a pair of unsuccessful attempts to put the ball in the end zone, Setta nailed his sixth triple of the game to give the Ticats a one point lead with 9:23 seconds to go.
The Bombers fought back immediately though thanks to a strong drive pieced together by Kevin Glenn. With Winnipeg at the one-yard line, Charles Roberts scored his second touchdown of the game. The Bombers would convert a two-point conversion to go ahead by seven, then follow that up with a single off of a huge Troy Westwood kickoff to give the home squad a 26-18 lead.
Winnipeg put the game away after Barrin Simpson grabbed a Maas pass that glanced off an offensive lineman’s helmet, leading to Milt Stegall’s second touchdown of the tilt. The 38-16 score at the final gun was no indication of how the game played out, but in the end, the Ticats walked off the field with their fifth loss of the season
Jason Maas finished a strong outing by completing 29 of 44 passes for 341 yards while Chris Bauman made a sensational CFL debut with six catches for 81 yards.
Setta’s six field goals were the third-highest single-game total in Ticats history; a feat accomplished seven times before Saturday. The athletic import also gained 12 rushing yards on a failed fake punt attempt.
