Kyle Myers
Ticats.ca
After three games in a row against West Division opponents, the Tiger-Cats are now turning their attention to the East – all the way to the Maritimes, in fact.
Hamilton heads to Moncton this weekend for the second time in three years as a part of the CFL’s Touchdown Atlantic promotion. They’ll face the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday for the first time in 2013, and at a critical juncture in the season for both teams.
“These are big games,” said linebacker Brandon Isaac about the Ticats final stretch of the season in which they face East Division opponents in six of seven. “It’s all about placing ourselves in the division at this point. Down the stretch these games mean a lot.”
Just two points divides the two teams in the East Division standings. At 5–6 the Ticats currently stand alone at second in the East, but a loss to the Alouettes would move them down to third. To avoid that scenario, quarterback Henry Burris believes that his offence needs to get into a groove early.
“We have to get to a consistent level on offence,” said Burris. “It’s all about executing consistently, putting points on the board, and trying to put pressure on the opposing team’s offence.”
The Alouettes’ defence has been one of the stingiest in the CFL this year, allowing just 321 net yards of offence per game and tallying 36 quarterback sacks on the season.
“They’ve made life complete hell for quarterbacks, because they get after you and don’t let up,” said Burris. “We know we’re going up against a great defence, so we’ve got to be able to make the adjustments, and do it consistently. That’s the biggest thing.”
Making his regular season debut for the Ticats this weekend is rookie kicker Brett Lauther, whose family home sits just a two hour drive from Moncton Stadium. To play in the CFL is an honour in itself, but to make your pro debut in front of your family is another experience altogether.
“I am pretty excited,” said Lauther. “It’s kind of like it was meant to be.”
Getting the job done is certainly what the Ticats did the last time they took the field in Moncton, defeating the Calgary Stampeders 55–36 in 2011 – a squad that included six current Ticats, including Isaac.
“We had a tremendous time out there, though we lost to the Ticats,” he said. “I got to play on grass again, it reminded me of playing back home.”
The grass will be an adjustment for the Ticats who play all of their games on turf, though for Isaac that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“It’s all dependent on the weather, but it feels better when you land on it,” he said. “I don’t remember getting any burns.”
Playing surface aside, the Ticats’ focus this weekend will be firmly fixated on the Alouettes. A victory in Moncton would bring Hamilton back to .500 and two games ahead of the Als in second place; firmly in the driver’s seat for a home berth in the playoffs.
“It’s just another trip,” said Lauther of the Ticats voyage to take on the Alouettes in the Maritimes. “It’s all business. Gotta get the job done.”
