Head To Head: Tiger-Cats vs Lions

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-2) vs. B.C. Lions  (0-3)
Game 4 | Friday, July 22 @ 10:00 p.m., EST
Empire Field – Vancouver, British Columbia

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV BROADCAST:  TSN featuring Chris Cuthburt (play-by-play) and Glen Suitor (analyst)
RADIO BROADCAST:  AM 900 CHML featuring Rick Zamperin (play-by-play) and John Salavantis (analyst)

THE MATCH-UP

Friday’s game will be the first of two regular season meetings between the Tiger-Cats and Lions in 2011. The match-up will be the 80th meeting between the two teams since 1950. B.C. holds the advantage in the all-time series, 46-30-3. In 2010, the Ticats and Lions met twice, splitting the season series, with the road teams prevailing both times. Hamilton has won their last two contests in the province of British Columbia and has a 1-0 record at Empire Field.

The Tiger-Cats are coming off their first win of the season, beating the Roughriders 33-3 at home last Saturday. The Ticats offence, which looked out of sync during the first two weeks of the season, feasted on Saskatchewan’s porous defence, racking up 361 yards with three touchdowns.

The Lions on the other hand are still searching for their first win of the 2011 campaign. B.C. found themselves on the short end of two close games to start the season, losing by four points to Montreal in Week 1 and dropping 34-32 heartbreaker to Calgary in Week 2. After losing 33-17 to the Eskimos last week, the pressure is on for a win in British Columbia for a team that is ranked dead last in total defence and total rushing yards per game.

This will be the sixth regular season meeting between head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille and Wally Buono. Bellefeuille has a record of 20-27 as the bench boss of Hamilton and Buono has an all-time head coaching record of 243-145-3. Bellefeuille has a 3-2 edge over Buono in their head-to-head series.

2011 STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Total Offence Per Game	302.0 (6th)	365.0 (3rd)
Rushing Offence Per Game	86.7 (5th)	52.7 (8th)
Passing Offence Per Game	229.3 (7th)	319.3 (3rd)
Total Defence Per Game	336.0 (3rd)	428.0 (8th)
Rushing Defence Per Game	107.0 (6th)	130.3 (8th)
Passing Defence Per Game	249.7 (3rd)	310.0 (7th)
Points Per Game	19.7 (6th)	25.0 (4th)
Opponents Points Per Game	18.3 (2nd)	32.3 (7th)

2011 INDIVIDUAL STATISTIC LEADERS

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Avon Cobourne #22 / RB / Hamilton
Cobourne, who signed with Hamilton in the off-season, has played as advertised for the Tiger-Cats so far in 2011. The elusive 32-year-old tail back comes into Friday’s contest sixth in the league in yards from scrimmage with 246 and leads all Hamilton rushers with 164 yards on 34 carries. With that being said, ‘Deuces’ has yet to post a 100 yard-game or rush for a touchdown over the course of the first three weeks of the season, two objectives Cobourne will be on a mission to achieve this week in B.C. The Lions have the worst rushing defence in the CFL, allowing an average of 130.3 yards per game and if the Ticats can get the ball into Avon’s hands, he could have a big night.

Jamall Johnson #28 / LB / Hamilton
Johnson has arguably been the Tiger-Cats best defender and one of the CFL’s premier linebackers so far this season. The Ticats weak side backer is leading the league in tackles (22), has two sacks and is one of the reasons Hamilton’s defence is ranked third in the league. The Tiger-Cats ‘D’ is going up against the Lions nimble quarterback Travis Lulay this week, who leads the Orange and White in rushing with 58 yards. Johnson, who has been punishing quarterbacks all season, will be used to counteract Lulay’s legs and knock the pivot off of his game.

Travis Lulay #14 / QB / B.C.
Lulay has attempted more passes than any quarterback in the CFL through the first three games of the season, throwing the ball 125 times in 2011. He’s only completed 52% of his attempts though, the lowest percentage in the CFL by any starting quarterback. Regardless, Lulay is a threat with his arm and his legs as he proved last year against Hamilton, burning the Ticats secondary for 424 yards through the air — a career high for the three-year veteran and added two touchdowns. It is Lulay’s ability to keep seemingly broken plays alive that makes him a dangerous player.   

Solomon Elimimian #56 / MLB / B.C.
Elimimian, who won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie of the Year award in 2010, comes into Friday’s contest second in the CFL in tackles (21). The 24-year-old native of Nigeria has picked up where he left off last season, anchoring the Lions defence from his middle linebacker position. Elimimian’s closing speed, open-field tackling ability and raw strength allows him to plug running lanes inside, while still being effective in zone coverage and getting after the opposing quarterback. The Tiger-Cats run game will have to pass through Elimimian to get to the end zone on Friday and you can bet the hard-hitting Nigerian will be up to the task of stopping the Cats in their tracks.

KEY MATCH-UP

Ben Archibald vs. Stevie Baggs and Justin Hickman
Archibald, the B.C. Lions All-Star offensive tackle, protects Travis Lulay’s blind side on the left side of the line. The league’s reigning Most Outstanding Lineman signed with the Lions in the off-season, coming from Calgary, where he was a CFL All-Star in 2009 and 2010. The 6.04, 322 lbs Archibald and the rest of the Lions offensive line has only allowed four sacks so far this season, third in the CFL in that category. Archibald, who is entrusted with k
eeping opposing rushers and blitzers at bay, will have his hands full squaring off against the Tiger-Cats defensive ends; Stevie Baggs and Justin Hickman. They have combined for three sacks and two forced fumbles so far this season, contributing to the success of the Tiger-Cats third-ranked defence. The 6.02, 240 lbs Baggs is a quick and aggressive end who prefers attacking opposing offensive lines from the two-point stance, using his speed and deadly spin move to his advantage. Hickman, who is 20 lbs heavier than Baggs, combines his raw strength and technique to overpower opposing linemen and get to quarterbacks. Together, Baggs and Hickman complement each other perfectly and Archibald will have his work cut out for him in this week’s key matchup.