Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
The Tiger-Cats finally got a real home opener.
There was hardly a cloud in the sky Saturday, fitting weather for a night that the Ticats returned to Alumni Stadium and notched their first victory of the 2013 season, a 25–20 win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
And on the night where the Ticats joined the other three East Division teams at 1–2 with their first victory, it was the team’s defence which shone.
“I’m really proud of the way our defence played tonight,” said Head Coach Kent Austin. “They’ve taken some heat, and they stepped up and played really well.”
After bearing much of the criticism for the team’s 0–2 start, the Ticats defence stepped up in a big way on Saturday. Though they did once again fall victim to what Austin calls a “home-run” in the first half – this time a 75-yard scamper by Bombers running back Chad Simpson – they shut the door in the second half, giving up only seven points to Buck Pierce and the Bombers.
“We made some good adjustments at halftime and (Coach Steinauer) did a great job,” Austin continued. “They answered when they needed to.”
The Ticats defence were finally successful in getting pressure on the opposing quarterback, and were rewarded with a season high six sacks, four of which came from defensive linemen. Hamilton’s front four overwhelmed the Bomber offensive line, and laid some huge hits on Pierce, often on second down, forcing the Bombers to punt.
“We had a lot of people on our backs this week so we did our best to drown out that noise,” said Terrence Moore, a second-year defensive tackle. “We all knew we had to step up and we knew we had to get that first win. We came out and played hard tonight.”
Moore recorded a sack in the victory, and talked about the progress that this young Ticats defence has been making since the first week of the season.
“It’s about getting better each and every week whether you win or lose,” he said. “It’s about improving on the things that you were bad at the week before. That’s what we’ve continued week to week and that’s what we’ll continue to do.”
In addition to pressuring the quarterback, the Ticats defence also did a much better job of stopping the run this week. Aside from the 75 yard touchdown by Simpson, the Tiger-Cats held the Bombers to just 4.3 yards per carry, which is less than half the 9.0 YPC that the Ticat defence allowed in weeks one and two.
“We have to step it up in that area, you don’t want to give up those big plays” said Moore. “But this is football, those things happens, and when they do, you have to move on to the next play.”
Moving on is exactly what the Ticats did on Saturday, notching their first ‘home’ victory away from the familiar confines of Ivor Wynne Stadium. It is the first win in a new era of Tiger-Cats history, from this season in Guelph to the team’s inaugural season at Tim Horton’s Field next year.
But the Tiger-Cats are not focused on 2014, or Tim Horton’s Field, or even Alumni Stadium.
“The thing that our guys need to focus on is (finding) the process for them individually and as a team to improve,” said Austin. “Eliminating mistakes, getting sound at playing faster, playing harder, playing more aggressively, and not worrying about the outcome, but worrying about their preparation and effort.”
The Tiger-Cats will need all the effort they can muster in the coming weeks, as they’ll face a 3 – 0 Sasketchewan Roughriders team who have looked dominant thus far in the season. But Hamilton proved this week that they are more than capable of winning, and the defence which some scoffed at after weeks one and two is finally rounding into form.
Tied for first place in the East Division, Hamilton enters week four with a win under their belts and renewed sense of confidence. They’ll now work to continue their newfound success next week in Sasketchewan, and attempt to grab their first road victory of the season.
