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Ticats Confidenial: July 26
By: Justin Boone
I believe the saying is…so close and yet so far. Once again Hamilton was ahead on the fourth quarter, and once again they leave the game feeling like they should have been the victors. That’s the life of a team trying to turn the corner and find a way to win the tight contests when every bounce can mean the difference between jubilation and heartbreak.
The Tabbies don’t carry with them the same hopelessness that they had when they were 0-5 at this time last year, but the bottom line is that they need to find ways to win the close ones, or they won’t be playing meaningful football after Halloween.
– Two weeks ago in Sideline-2-Sideline, DB Ryan Glasper assured me that a big hit was coming over the middle. He delivered against Edmonton, on their second play from scrimmage as he leveled Esks receiver Jason Tucker, who was running a route over the centre of the field just as Glasper had described. Tucker showed his toughness by jumping up on the play. Unfortunately, later in the game Tucker took another shot from DB Jykine Bradley, which he was unable to bounce back from, and had to leave the field by ambulance. Let’s wish him a speedy recovery.
– Heck of a defensive performance from the Tabbies in the first half, holding Ricky Ray to a mere six points, with tight coverage and pressure from the D-line. The only downfall was that the Cats offence sputtered during that time and only managed three points of their own. Spending so much time on the field had to have taken it’s toll on the defence, as they just didn’t seem the same late in the game. They were also missing Bradley, who left after his hit on Tucker, with an injury of his own. Jykine was having an outstanding night and losing him definitely opened up space for Edmonton’s passing attack. On a positive note, Jykine was back to himself after the game. He even stepped in front of the camera for Ticats TV Live’s Post-Game Reactions.
– The coaching staff sure knew what they were doing by bringing WR Prechae Rodriguez along slowly. His 10-catch, 155-yard performance Friday night is the best by a Ticats receiver this season. It seems like the ball can just be tossed up in his area and he’ll find a way to come down with it. He’s added a new dimension to the Ticats offence and silenced critics, who complained the team had no deep threats.
– It wasn’t one of the most memorable plays of the game, but DE Dominic Lewis can play for my team any day after he chased down Ricky Ray on what looked like a sure first down. Never giving up on the play, Lewis was able to dive and make a shoestring tackle on the Esks QB, who isn’t known for his running ability, but had plenty of room to scamper.
– The streak of strong debuts from receivers continues, as WR Jo Jo Walker came up with three catches for 51 yards, including a 27-yarder that saw him deke two defenders.
– Offensive Coordinator Marcel Bellefeuille is doing something right at halftime. For the second week in a row, the team has responded after the break by putting points on the board. This time it was a K/P Nick Setta field goal, which may have been a touchdown, but the drive stalled when QB Casey Printers injured his hand and was forced to leave the game.
– One has to feel for Setta
. Each time the All-Star kicker lines for a long field goal, which has enough pressure associated with it already, he has to hear a reminder from stadium announcer Jason Farr that he’s kicking for Nick’s Kicks for Kids. In Friday’s game a penalty turned a 42-yard attempt into a 47-yard kick, which Farr stated would add another $500 dollars to Nick’s attempt. Thankfully for the team and for the kids, he connected on the kick. Nick joked after the game that his father thinks the announcement is a good thing, so that when he misses he knows he “cheated the children.”
