Ticats.ca Staff
After a long, old winter, the Tiger-Cats finally return to action Sunday night at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium to take on the defending Grey Cup championss. Sunday’s tilt against the Roughriders will open a three-game road trip for the Ticats, before they return home to Hamilton for the Inaugural Game at Tim Horton’s Field on July 26.
Sunday’s 101st Grey Cup rematch will open the second tenure of the Kent Austin era. In 2013, Austin led his Ticats squad to a 10-8 regular season finish and the club’s first Grey Cup berth since 1999. In a season that was plagued with injuries for the Ticats, Austin managed to use a CFL record 88 different players for at least one game, exceeding the previous record set back in 1994 by Shreveport and Las Vegas (79). The 59 starters used by the Ticats in 2013 were also a CFL record.
As a head coach for the first time with two different teams, Austin has now taken that club to the Grey Cup twice in his CFL career. Austin joins Hugh Campbell as the only CFL head coaches (in modern day CFL since 1945) to take their team to the Grey Cup in at least his first two years. Austin is the only man to do that with two different clubs.
TIGER-CATS HISTORY vs. SASKATCHEWAN
The Tiger-Cats head into Regina on Sunday night looking to get their first season-opener win since 2004 vs. B.C. and first win in Regina since July 28, 2012. The last time these teams met to open the season was June 29, 2012 in Hamilton, where the Riders overcame the Tiger-Cats 43-16. Here is a look at the Tiger-Cats history versus the Riders…
| WINS | LOSSES | TIES | PTS FOR | PTS AGAINST | |
| ALL-TIME | 38 | 42 | 4 | 2,136 | 2,142 |
| LAST 10 (TOTAL) | 3 | 7 | 0 | 203 | 276 |
| LAST 10 (vs. SSK on the road) | 1 | 9 | 0 | 182 | 339 |
| IN 2013: | 0 | 2 | 0 | 20 | 69 |
HEAD-TO-HEAD
| TIGER-CATS SECONDARY |
DARIAN DURANT ROUGHRIDERS QUARTERBACK |
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The Tiger-Cats secondary features a new look in 2014. New additions Craig Butler and Brandon Stewart join familiar faces of Delvin Breaux, Emanuel Davis and James Rogers to form the Black and Gold’s opening day defensive back corps. Stewart, known for his physicality, arrives in Hamilton after five seasons with Winnipeg where he compiled a career-high 47 tackles last season. At safety, Craig Butler adds versatility to defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauers defence. Butler, who played linebacker for the Saskatchewan in 2013, will make the transition back to safety where he was a staple for the Riders in his first two CFL seasons. Butler has recorded 11 interceptions in his career. Together, returning Ticats defensive backs Breaux, Davis and Rogers share a combined total of 21 games played in 2013. |
After leading the Saskatchewan Roughriders to an 11-7 regular season record and winning his first Grey Cup, quarterback Darian Durant is back for more. In 2013, Durant ranked third in the CFL with 4,125 yards while completing 325-of-531 pass attempts and a league leading 31 touchdowns against just 12 interceptions. In his 16 starts last season, he averaged 259.6 yard per game. Durant, who missed the Riders second regular season meeting with the Tiger-Cats last season due to an ankle injury, had a season-high 347 yards and four touchdowns on 20 of 32 passing in his only regular season appearance against the Tiger-Cats. In the 101st Grey Cup, Durant posted 245 yards and three touchdowns on 70.8% passing.
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GABLE ENTERS YEAR TWO
After a breakout campaign in 2013, Tiger-Cats running back C.J. Gable has mentioned that he hopes to hit the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving. Here’s a look back at his incredible rookie season…
PLAYERS TO WATCH
QB Zach Collaros – Arguably, the Tiger-Cats biggest transaction this off-season was the acquisition of quarterback Zach Collaros through free agency. Collaros arrives in Hamilton after spending two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts and Sunday night in Saskatchewan will mark the first time that Collaros will open a CFL season as a team’s starting quarterback. The last time Collaros was under centre in hostile Riderville, he went 18-of-29 passing (69.2%) for 225 yards and a touchdown while leading a 19-6 fourth quarter push to overcome the Riders.
WR Cary Koch – Cary Koch, another notable free agent signing, will make his Ticats debut on Sunday night in Regina. Koch, who previously spent two season (2010-11) in Riderville, had 42 receptions for 561 yards and four touchdowns with Edmonton in 2013.
WR Luke Tasker – Receiver Luke Tasker was a sure-handed target for Ticats quarterbacks in the pre-season, ranking third in the league with seven receptions for 106 yards (15.8 YPC) and two touchdowns. Tasker, entering his first full CFL season, had three catches for 52 yards in the 101st Grey Cup vs. Saskatchewan.
LB Frederic Plesius – On Sunday night, Canadian linebacker Frederic Plesius will be the man in the middle of the Tiger-Cats defence. Plesius got his first taste of action as a starter last season vs. Winnipeg in week 19, recording four defensive tackles.
DE Brandon Boudreaux – East Division All-Star Brandon Boudreaux led the Ticats and had a career-high seven qua
rterback sacks in 2013. The third-year Tiger-Cats heads back to Mosaic Stadium, where he had a career-high six defensive tackles and a quarterback sack in the 101st Grey Cup in November.
LB Rico Murray – Linebacker Rico Murray finished second on the team in tackles last season with 53. In the Ticats three games vs. Saskatchewan last year, Murray registered 17 defensive tackles,
GAME NOTES
- Bakari Grant had a career year in 2013 as he led the Ticats in receptions (69) and receiving yards (947). In the Ticats three games vs. Saskatchewan last season, Grant averaged 4.6 catches and 75 yards per game.
- Receiver Greg Ellingson led all CFL rookies in receptions (52) and receiving yards (800) in 2013. Before missing the final six games of the season due to injury, he was on pace to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark as a rookie.
- Beau Landry, the Tiger-Cats eight overall pick in the 2014 CFL Draft, is set to make his CFL debut vs. Saskatchewan. The former Western Mustang had three defensive tackles and two special teams tackles in the pre-season.
- The 2014 Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the CFL’s ‘youngest’ team with an average of 1.9 seasons among their 61 players, 34 of whom are either rookies or in their second year in the league
