By: Justin Boone
On a strange day that saw O.J. Simpson found guilty in a courtroom and Kimbo Slice get knocked out in a cage, the Ticats pulled off an unlikely upset of the East’s top team thanks to some unexpected performances. The fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium were stunned for all the right reasons, as the Black and Gold came out with one of their best efforts of the year, in a 44-36 victory over the first place Montreal Alouettes.
– Head coach Marcel Bellfeuille has continued to implement his plan since taking over the team. After hard-fought losses in his first two games at the helm, things looked promising, but a weak outing son the West Coast seemed to be a setback. Apparently not, as Bellefeuille and his soldiers defended their turf and are now feeling good about where they are headed, and are poised to go on the attack next week in Montreal.
– Momentum played a key role in the game, as the Cats came out strong, forcing a turnover on defence when DB Geoff Tisdale caused a Ben Cahoon fumble. The ball made it’s way back into Tisdale hands, by way of DB Lawrence Gordon, and Tisdale made no mistake following his blockers 87 yards into Als territory. Tisdale said what surprised him the most was the forced fumble, because he didn’t even know he could hit that hard.
– On behalf of everyone who covers the team, I apologized to DB Chris Thompson after the game. Against the Als, Thompson added another pick to his vault, but for someone who leads the East in interceptions, you don’t hear his name nearly enough. Thompson is a great teammate, a solid cover guy and a playmaker for the Cats and let’s hope the fans, writers, and coaches all realize that when filling out their All-Star ballots.
– Sticking with defence, LB Cameron Siskowic did a good job bringing his enthusiasm to the middle of the linebacking corps, and as a starter he led the team in tackles with six, adding a sack as well. If you’ve noticed his tendency to celebrate after a play, you’re not the only one. If you tuned in to Ticats TV Live after the game you would have found out that on his first celebration, he was simulating cutting a steak. It was an interesting post-game interview with Host Candace Devai as Siskowic went on to joke about his self proclaimed status as the Protein Champion of the World. If he continues to lead the defence in tackles, the fans will call him whatever he wants.
– K/P Nick Setta hurt his back trying to prevent a runback early in the game. The pain, as he described it, made him feel like he was getting shot every time he tried to kick. It was obviously hampering his kicking strength as his punts and kickoffs didn’t have the distance we’re accustomed to seeing. Had he been forced to leave the game, WR Chris Bauman is the team’s emergency punter, but thanks to Nick’s toughness he stayed in there and fought through it. His league-leading punting average might suffer the most.
– If catching touchdowns was measured like a baseball hitting average, the Ticats would have a couple big-time sluggers. TE Robert Pavlovic has now caught three balls on the year, two of them for scores. He finds a way to blend in at the end of the offensive line, then sneaks out into open field, giving the quarterback an easy target. WR Ernie Jackson, who fans have been waiting to see since training camp, made as good of a first impression as you can catching a touchdown on his first reception in the CFL. He had one other grab in the game making his touchdown batting average .500, while Pavlovic leads the way with .666.
– Let the debate begin as to who deserves the offensive player of the week nod more, QB Quinton Porter or WR Prechae Rodriguez. Their stat lines look like this: Porter, 27/32, 429 yards, 5 TDs and 42 yards rushing;
Rodriguez, 12 catches, 198 yards, 3 TDs. I’m not sure who gets my vote, but figuring out who deserves it more is a nice problem to have. (Sidenote: Prechae might have a slight edge thanks to that highlight reel one-handed grab on the sidelines that he turned into a 86 yard gain.)
– While their best first quarter of the season, helped them knock Montreal on their heels, the Als still had a chance to comeback in the final minutes. Writer Steve Milton of the Hamilton Spectator stayed in the press box till the final whistle, joking that he had seen too many close games end in Ticats losses to assume anything. He prefers to see it as a final before making his way down for his post-game interviews. Can’t blame him, or the fans, who remained in their seats until the players were shaking hands. Bellefeuille has stressed the importance of playing smart at the end of the fourth quarter and said he feels the team began doing that Saturday night.
– Did anyone notice the video that was played during the Montreal’s challenge in the first half? It starred RB Jesse Lumsden and QB Richie Williams, making their own version of Hollywood High Five, entitled Hamilton High Five. The call wasn’t a tough one for the officiating crew and therefore the whole video didn’t get a chance to air, but expect to see it at the October 24th game against Calgary, or up on Ticats.ca in the coming weeks.
