Justin Dunk
Ticats.ca
The Tiger-Cats will travel to Toronto on Saturday with a chance to put the double blue out of their misery.
At 3-9 the Argos sit in the basement of the CFL’s East division, three games behind Hamilton, with just six games left in the regular season. A win would give the Tabbies the season series and push Toronto four games behind with just five to play.
“We want to take them out of the game early, we don’t want to give them any hope that they can even play with us,” linebacker Renauld Williams said, after the Ticats final day of preparation at Ivor Wynne stadium.
Williams has recorded 64 tackles, fourth in the CFL after 12 games, which includes a nine tackle effort in the Ticats week seven victory, 37-32, over Toronto. One of his mates in the linebacking corps, Jamall Johnson is holding down the fifth spot on the CFL tackle list, one take down behind Williams, with 63. Both backers will need to play a big role in shutting down a Toronto rushing attack, which averages a league best 115 yards per game.
“We don’t want to give them any life and let them think that they can run the ball on us,” Williams said.
Of course the leader of the Argos ground attack is second-year runner Cory Boyd, who rushed for 73 yards and a score on 16 carries in the teams’ first meeting.
“He just has great effort, he’s a big back, good speed, he’s strong, he has good vision and he makes good cuts,” Williams said. “Usually one guy doesn’t take him down.”
Boyd sits fifth among all CFL rushers, with 578 yards and four touchdowns, despite missing a handful of games earlier this season due to injuries. But number 28 in Black and Gold has a plan to limit his production.
“We’re going to come down hill hard and stop him before he gets started,” Johnson said.
Toronto likes to get started with the rushing game often on first down. The Argos run the football 40 per cent of the time on first down and more impressively, have the second best yards per carry average on first down at 6.4.
“First down is very important,” Williams said. “If you’re good on first down and you can hold them to two, three yards, and force them into second and long, then that is going to make our job a lot easier.”
Toronto is the worst team in the CFL in terms of converting second downs. They convert just 39.6 of all second down situations. Furthermore, force them into second and long and it’s a good bet they will be punting the next play. The Argos convert, again a league low, just 25 per cent of second down situations with seven or more yards to gain.
“You want to win first down to create second and long so you can do some different things on defence. Whether it’s blitzing or dropping a few more men in coverage,” Johnson said. “We have to go out and get them in second and long situations so coach Chamblin can call whatever he wants to call in the game plan.”
Regardless of down and distance the Ticats will be ready for any gadget plays the desperate Argos might pull out.
“They’re going to try anything they can do to win the game, they’re backed into a corner and we’re going to see all the tricks and everything they have,” Williams said. “We’re going to go in there and shut all that down and take them out early and give them no life.”
