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Uncategorized August 16, 2013

Pre-Game Breakdown: Ticats at Blue Bombers

Ticats.ca Staff

The Tiger-Cats will look to secure their second consecutive victory on Friday when they take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Investors Group Field. The last time these two teams met, the Ticats emerged victorious by a score of 25–20, earning their first win at Alumni Stadium in Guelph on July 13.

The Ticats are fresh off the bye-week and will see some key players return from injury. This week, the Cats welcome back both Andy Fantuz and Simoni Lawrence, who are active for the first time since week one.  Meanwhile, the Bombers will start their third different quarterback in the last four games as Max Hall makes his first CFL start.

TIGER-CATS HISTORY vs. WINNIPEG

  WINS LOSSES TIES PTS FOR PTS AGAINST
ALL-TIME  46 59  0 2,436 2,691
LAST 10 (TOTAL) 4 6 0  250 277
LAST 10 (in Winnipeg 2 8 0  262 328
IN 2012: 1 2 0  65 84
IN 2013 0 1 0  25 20

 
HEAD-TO-HEAD

TIGER-CATS DEFENCE
   MAX HALL
BLUE BOMBERS QUARTERBACK

The last time the Ticats and Bombers faced off, Hamilton’s ‘D’ shut down  Winnipeg’s offence attack in the second half, holding QB Buck Pierce and the Bombers to just 90 yards and created six two-and-outs in the final 30 minutes.

Hamilton’s rookie-laden secondary has been steadily improving over the course of the season as they have limited to opposing quarterbacks to the league’s second lowest completion percentage (62.3).  Simoni Lawrence’s return to the lineup should provide a fresh dose of enthusiasm to the linebacker corps.

The return of veteran DT Torrey Davis in Edmonton immediately improved the Ticats defensive pressure, which will be an asset on Friday night in Winnipeg. 

  

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers named first-year pivot Max Hall their starter on Monday, making him the third pivot to start for the Bombers this season.

Hall, who made his last professional football start in 2010 with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals, has yet to see any action in the Bombers six regular season games this season.

In the preseason, Hall went 9 for 20 passing for 83 yards and two interceptions.

In his time with the Cardinals, Hall completed 39 of 78 passing attempts for 370 yards, a touchdown and six interceptions in six games, three of which he started.

HOW ARE THEY PERFORMING

Check out how the Tiger-Cats and Blue Bombers measure up heading into tonight’s game…

burris

PLAYERS TO WATCH

WR Andy Fantuz
After being sidelined with a hamstring injury suffered during practice in week two, receiver Andy Fantuz will return to action this week. Fantuz started the season on fire, hauling in 10 receptions for 155 yards and a score in the season opener at Toronto — his most productive game as a Ticat and the third-highest single-game total in his career.

LB Simoni Lawrence
The 2013 season has been somewhat of a roller coaster ride for linebacker Simoni Lawrence. After showcasing himself in training camp and appearing in the Ticats season opener in Toronto, he has been sidelined for five games due to a quad injury. When the Ticats travel to Winnipeg on Friday, Lawrence will not only be making his return to action, but he will also start his first game in Black and Gold.

WR Greg Ellingson 
Rookie receiver Greg Ellingson has been a consistent contributor to the Ticats offence this season. In the last two games, Ellingson has recorded three touchdowns along with 158 yards receiving.

WR Sam Giguere
As the season progresses Sam Giguere’s involvement in the Ticats offence continues to grow. Looking closely at the statistics, his receptions have steadily increased throughout the season.  Against Edmonton in week six, Giguere led the Ticats in receiving, recording six catches for 90 yards. In week three against the Bombers, Giguere set a career-high in receiving yards with 94, and also scored his first touchdown of the season.

RB C.J. Gable 
In week six vs. Edmonton, C.J. Gable had arguably his best game as a Ticat. Gable showcased his ability to be a multi-purpose back in the Ticats high-powered offence as he had 26 touches, including 18 carries for 88 yards and 8 receptions for another 57 yards.  Gable also currently leads all Ticats with a total of four touchdowns on the season. 


GAME NOTES

  •  Friday night marks LB Marc Beswick’s 75th career game.

  • In 2012, Jamall Johnson had a total of 16 defensive tackles in the Ticats two games in Winnipeg.

  • Quarterback Henry Burris will be starting his 175th career regular season game and has led his team to a 92-79-3 record as a starter.

  • Punter Josh Bartel set a career high in punting with an average of 50.1 yard per punt in week 3 vs. Winnipeg.

  • The Tiger-Cats defence held the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to 186 yards passing when they met in week 3.

  • Henry Burris had a completion percentage of 81.2 percent the last time the Ticats played the Bombers.

  • In week 3, Burris accounted for 409 yards of offence (362 passing, 47 rushing) vs. Winnipeg.  

  • The Tiger-Cats rank #2 in the CFL with an average of 7.2 yards per first down play trailing only Saskatchewan’s 7.7 yard average.

  • Since Week 2, Bakari Grant is the CFL’s leading receiver with 397 yards on 27 receptions. Of Grant’s 27 catches over last five games, 10 of them have been for clutch first downs

  • In his last seven games vs. Winnipeg, Henry Burris has not thrown an interception. His last interception vs. Winnipeg was on August 8, 2009. 

                

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