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Uncategorized November 2, 2013

Pre-Game Breakdown: Tiger-Cats at Blue Bombers

Ticats.ca Staff

After locking up second place in the East Division with a victory over the Montreal Alouettes last week, the Tiger-Cats head to Winnipeg to finish the regular season against the 3-14 Blue Bombers.

Several prominent Ticats starters will get some much-needed rest this week, giving way for others on the roster to showcase their abilities in a starting role. Conversely, starting tackle Brian Simmons will return to the roster after missing the last four weeks, as he looks to get back in game shape in time for the playoffs.

Quarterback Henry Burris will start and play as long as Coach Austin feels is necessary. A win in the final week against the Bombers would also bring their Tiger-Cats 10th victory of the season, something they haven’t done since they won 11 in 2001.

 

TIGER-CATS HISTORY vs. WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

  WINS LOSSES TIES PTS FOR PTS AGAINST
ALL-TIME  49 59 0 2,535 2,743
LAST 10 (TOTAL) 5 5 0 263 251
LAST 10 (in Winnipeg) 3 7 0 281 310
IN 2012: 1 2 0 65 84
IN 2013: 3 0 0 99 52

 HEAD-TO-HEAD:

BURRIS, LeFEVOUR & MASOLI
TIGER-CATS QUARTERBACKS		   BLUE BOMBERS PASS DEFENCE
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2013 has been a season of changes in the CFL, especially at the quarterback position. Only the Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Eskimos have played their starter in each game this season.

That said, Hamilton’s quarterback situation has been anything but predictable. While starting pivot Henry Burris has taken the vast majority of the snaps this season, he has been spelled at times by backups Dan LeFevour and Jeremiah Masoli, both of whom have added an extra dimension to the Ticats offence.

Burris, Masoli and LeFevour have completed 388 passes in 2013, combining for over 5,000 yards of aerial offence and 24 passing touchdowns. Kent Austin has said that there is no three quarterback system in Hamilton with Burris the unquestioned starter, but there’s no doubt that the integration of LeFevour and Masoli into the Ticats offence has paid dividends this season. 

  

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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are currently allowing a league-high 32 points per game while surrendering a total of 48 touchdowns – 32 of which have come through the air.

In three meetings thus far this season, the Bombers have failed to hold the Tiger-Cats under 300 yards passing in each, giving up an average of 357 yards per game through the air. And those gaudy yardage numbers have translated into scores, with the Ticats throwing two passing touchdowns in each matchup and averaging 30 points per game in three straight victories.

Saturday’s game may mean nothing to either team, but the Bombers defence that has recorded 50 sacks, 12 of which recorded against Hamilton, won’t be falling over too easily as they are playing for pride. 


MOST OUTSTANDING

A look at the Tiger-Cats deemed worthy of the team’s Most Outstanding Player awards:

BES

PLAYERS TO WATCH

OL Brian Simmons
Slated as the starting left tackle at the beginning of the season, Simmons has missed the last four games with a lower-body injury, but appears ready to make his return to the line-up this weekend. Trusted with the responsibility of protecting the quarterback’s blindside, Simmons has a very important job on offence, and his ability to get back to game speed in time for the playoffs will be critical for the Ticats success.

LB Marcellus Bowman
After recovering from an injury in the offseason, Bowman has contributed to the Tiger-Cats on special teams thus far in 2013. When the ‘Cats travel to Winnipeg on Saturday, it’ll mark his return to Winnipeg, where he spent three season before signing in Hamilton as a free agent in February, and his first start in Black and Gold.

WR/KR Brandon Banks
Banks was the man of the hour during last week’s victory against the Alouettes, scoring two touchdowns to help the Tiger-Cats clinch second place in the East. Banks took a handoff 45 yards to the house in the third quarter and added a 107 yard missed field goal return to put the Ticats ahead for the first time in the game. Banks has gotten more involved in the offence with each week of practice under his belt, and Saturday is another opportunity to continue his upward trajectory.

 

OTHER NEWS AND NOTES:

  • The last time the Hamilton Tiger-Cats swept the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a season series was during the 2004 season, winning the series 2-0.

  • The last time Hamilton won all three season series vs. East Division opponents was in 1998 with a division record of 7-2-1, winning the season series against Winnipeg 3-0, Montreal 2-1-1 and To
    ronto 2-1.

  •  Henry Burris has completed 71-of-103 attempts (68.9%) for 1,013 yards and five touchdowns in three games vs. Winnipeg this season.

  • A Ticats win on Saturday vs. Winnipeg will mark the first time the team has won four games versus a single opponent in one season since winning the season series 4-0 against Toronto in 1989.

  • A Ticats win would give the Black and Gold their 10th victory of the season. The Ticats last had double-digit wins in 2001 (11-7).

  • In three games vs. Winnipeg, the Ticats offence posted an average for 426.6 net yards per game, while the defence has allowed an average 265.3 yards and forced a total of nine turnovers.

  • Second-year quarterback Dan LeFevour has scored eight touchdowns (7 rushing, 1 receiving) this season. He needs one touchdown to tie Quinton Porter (9) for the most TDs scored by a Ticats quarterback in one season.

  • Brian Bulcke was named the Tiger-Cats Most Outstanding Defensive Player and Most Outstanding Canadian on Wednesday, the first Ticats player to earn both of those awards in the same season since Rob Hitchcock in 2002. 

  • Tiger-Cats quarterback Henry Burris currently leads the CFL in passing with 4,792 yards. Burris needs 208 yards on Saturday to eclipse the 5,000-yard passing mark for the second consecutive season and the third time in his career. He would become the first QB in Ticats history to throw for 5,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
  • Burris’ 65.6% completion percentage currently stands as the top single-season mark in Ticats history, ahead of Tom Clements’ 65.2% in 1982.
  • The Ticats need 12 first downs to break the team record for most all-time in team history (290 in 2010)

  • The Ticats combined pass completion percentage of 65.2% currently stands as the highest in team history (64.6 in 2012) 

 

 GETTING SOCIAL: