Ticats.ca
Justin Dunk
Empire Field, the temporary home stadium of the B.C. Lions, will close later this fall with the Ticats posting a perfect winning percentage in two games there. After an entertaining 39-31 win on Friday night, Hamilton’s second in a row, the Ticats climb back to the .500 mark on the season.
Chris Williams got the offence clicking early in the first quarter, making a spectacular individual effort on a 71-yard catch and run play where he bounced off would-be tacklers, setting up Avon Cobourne’s first touchdown as a Tiger-Cat, a 2-yard run.
After cracking the lineup in week three against Saskatchewan, catching two touchdowns in sparking the Ticats to their first win of the season because of a freak accident suffered by Maurice Mann, the diminutive receiver has shown the ability to possibly become the next star pass catcher in the CFL.
Williams finished the night with eight receptions for 189 yards and one 15-yard score of his own early in the second quarter. Number 80 made key catches throughout the ball game, moving the chains on second down situations and setting up the offence in the red zone on different occasions.
On the other side of the football, the Ticats defence played well despite giving up 24 points, the other touchdown was a fumble return for a score by the Leos, the most the Hamilton defence has given up all season.
The front seven managed one sack, Jamall Johnson’s third of the season, but they were in the face of Lions pivot Travis Lulay all night long.
They forced him to get rid of the football before routes down field had fully developed and other times Lulay had no choice but to fire the ball out of bounds to avoid tacking a sack.
Middle linebacker Renauld Williams led all Ticats tacklers with five on the evening.
In the secondary, Bo Smith made a key play late in the fourth quarter when he knocked the football out of Geroy Simon’s hands to save a touchdown and he would intercept Lulay with time winding down to seal the victory for the Tabbies.
The kicking game was again a strong point for the Ticats with Medlock nailing a career high 55-yard field goal just before halftime.
Though it was the way Medlock directionally punted the football that was even more impressive against the Lions. Time after time Medlock would pin Leos return man Tim Brown, who led the league in return yards coming into the game, against the sidelines leaving him little field to work with. Brown had just 23 punt return yards on the night.
Though the defence was solid, it was really the offence who stole the show for Hamilton, rolling up 482 total yards on the night.
Kevin Glenn, 21-31 for 319 yards and three touchdowns, is officially back. The past two weeks Glenn has five scoring tosses against zero interceptions, while completing 64.5 per cent of his throws, putting to bed any doubts about his starting position.
A couple of veteran Ticats put up impressive showings in support of Glenn and co.
Dave Stala made two beautiful catches for touchdowns, living up to his nickname ‘sticky’. Stala’s majors had even more meaning because the Ticats were focused on converting their red zone chances into six points as opposed to Just Medlock field goal attempts.
Rounding into form with his former team next up on the docket, Cobourne struck for the first and last touchdowns of the contest for Hamilton. The veteran runner hit the 100-yard mark on the nose with 14 carries on the night, the last of which was a 46-yard scamper to seal the win for Hamilton.
It looks like the Ticats are playing at a high level and have most of their cylinders firing just in time for the rival Montreal Alouettes who come to Ivor Wynne Stadium next Friday night.
