Ticats.ca
Justin Dunk
The luck of the yellow pants ran out in Cowtown.
Hamilton had won three straight games wearing their alternate pants, but a win was not in the cards for the Steeltown crew at McMahon Stadium.
The Tiger-Cats held a 20-13 lead on the road in Calgary and it looked like their losing streak in stampede country was on its way to being over – the Tabbies have not won a game at McMahon Stadium since 2004.
However, Hamilton would be held scoreless the entire second half and watch the Stampeders race past them, scoring 19 unanswered points in the second half to snatch a victory, 32-20 on Saturday night.
Offensively, veterans Dave Stala, who had three catches for 31 yards and Avon Cobourne, who contributed 15 rushes for 67 hard-earned yards, each provided a major score for Hamilton in the first half of play.
Stala’s first-half major extended his personal touchdown streak to three straight games, and the six-point grab was his sixth of the regular season – a total which has the Polish Prince atop the league in touchdowns scored.
Starting quarterback Kevin Glenn had a solid day at the office hitting on 20 of 34 passes for 211 yards, with one touchdown strike and one interception. Also, for the second straight game the Hamilton offensive line kept their franchise pivot clean and upright. The big men in front of Glenn were able to keep the Calgary blitz packages at bay all evening.
Meanwhile, Jason Medlock would hit on both of his field goal attempts, including a 52-yarder, to round out the Hamilton scoring. Staying with the Tiger-Cats offence, once again it was another rookie pass catcher that stood out and was the best player on the Tiger-Cats offence in Calgary.
Aaron Kelly, who was back in the lineup after suffering a concussion in week one against Winnipeg, made several impressive catches and led the team with five receptions for 92 yards in the loss. The Clemson product made two eyebrow-raising grabs on corner patterns during the contest.
The heart the defence showed could not be faulted, but it was the inability of the front seven to disrupt Stampeder quarterback Henry Burris in the second half that led to the veteran pivot finding his rhythm.
First-year Ticat Daniel Francis led the defence recording seven tackles. Fellow defensive back Bo Smith had six tackles of his own, while talented linebackers Jamall Johnson and Markeith Knowlton managed five tackles apiece.
Hamilton will be back on their home field next Saturday on August 13 when they square off with the hated Argonauts in Toronto’s only trip to Ivor Wynne in 2011.
Toronto has looked very vulnerable in losing five straight games, after squeaking out a week one victory over Calgary. The match-up against the double blue will be a chance for Hamilton to get back in the win column and further distance themselves from the boatmen in the Eastern division.
