Pre-Game Breakdown: Tiger-Cats vs. Eskimos

Simon de Boer

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Ticats.ca Staff

The Tiger-Cats return to Tim Hortons Field on Saturday night to host their first ever night game in their new digs. After a 28-3 rout of the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home last week, the Ticats look to extended their winning streak in the new home to three games.

Hamilton will face a tough and stingy Edmonton team that bounced back from a two-game losing streak with a 33-16 win over Montreal last Friday. 21 of Edmonton’s 33 points came in the fourth quarter.

TIGER-CATS HISTORY vs. EDMONTON ESKIMOS

Eight of the last 13 games between the Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Eskimos have been decided by less than 10 points. Here is a look at the matchup history between the two clubs:

	WINS	LOSSES	TIES	PTS FOR	PTS AGAINST
ALL-TIME	30	55	1	1,930	2,233
LAST 10 (TOTAL)	3	7	0	279	275
LAST 10 (at Home vs. Edmonton)	7	3	0	247	208
IN 2013:	1	1	0	50	59
IN 2014:	0	1	0	24	28

HEAD-TO-HEAD

DELVIN BREAUX
TIGER-CATS DEENSIVE BACK

ADARIUS BOWMAN
ESKIMOS RECEIVER

Second-year Ticat Delvin Breaux will be returning to the Ticats secondary missing last week’s contest due to injury.

Ticats head coach Kent Austin has gone on the record a number of times this season to state that he believes Breaux is one of the best corners in the game, and surely the most physical.

In nine games this season, Breaux has contributed a total of 19 defensive tackles. He may not fill the stat sheet but he has held his own on the corner as a lockdown defensive back.

Breaux, along with the Ticats secondary held the CFL’s leading receiver, Edmonton’s Adarius Bowman, to one of his lowest outings of the season in week 2 – three receptions for 39 yards.

Eskimos receiver Adarius Bowman is currently on pace to set a career-high in every receiving category this season.

Bowman, who has showcased his ability to be a sure-handed target for quarterback Mike Reilly, currently leads the CFL with 75 receptions for 997 yards and six touchdowns.

The fourth-year Eskimos currently stands clear of all CFL pass catches as he has not only hauled in 19 more passes but 315 more yards than Winnipeg’s Clarence Denmark.

This season, Bowman has recorded 100+ receiving yards in four games and 5+ receptions in nine games.

PREVIEWING SATURDAY’S CLASH

PLAYERS TO WATCH

WR/KR Brandon Banks: On Saturday night, the Tiger-Cats will welcome back receiver/kick returner Brandon Banks to the lineup. Despite missing the last three games with a lower body injury, he still ranks fifth in the CFL with 999 combined yards.

RB C.J Gable: In the Ticats week two loss to the Esks, Gable had a total of 12 touches for 96 combined yards and two touchdowns. After sitting out the last four contests with a foot injury, Gable will return to the Ticats backfield on Saturday.

WR Andy Fantuz: In the last three weeks, Ticats receiver Andy Fantuz has shown that his ability to be a sure-handed target for quarterback Zach Collaros by hauling in 22 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Last week vs. Saskatchewan, he recorded a season-high 11 receptions for 108 yards.

GAME NOTES

Three Tiger-Cats (Brandon Banks, Quincy McDuffie and Terrell Sinkfield) have returned punts for touchdowns this season, making Hamilton only the sixth team in CFL history to feature three players that returned a punt for a touchdown in the same season. The 1986 and 1996 Edmonton Eskimos, 1995 Ottawa Rough Riders, 1994 Calgary Stampeders, 1980 B.C. Lions are the other five clubs.
The Tiger-Cats defence currently leads the CFL with in rushing yards allowed (890), average yards allowed per rush (4.8) and ranks second in average rushing yards per game (89.0).

Hamilton only allowed three points last week vs. Saskatchewan. It was their lowest point total allowed since July 16, 2011.

Last week’s 28-3 victory over Saskatchewan was the first time since July 18, 2013 that the Tiger-Cats have beat an opponent by more than 20+ points and held an opponent to fewer than 10 points in the same game.

The Ticats offence is currently ranked second in CFL on first down as they average 6.7 yards on first down – 7.2 average yards per pass, 6.1 average yards per carry.

The Tiger-Cats punt return unit leads the CFL in the average yards per return (10) and punt return touchdowns (3).

Following last week’s performance, Ticats kicker Justin Medlock has now hit field goals from 50, 51 and 52 yards out this season.

Second-year Ticat Luke Tasker leads all receivers in the East Division with 15 catches for second down conversions.

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