CANDADIAN PRESS
It has been a roller-coaster season for Luke Tasker and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The defending East Division champions lost their first three games and seven of their opening nine. But a 6-2 record since Labour Day — buoyed by a perfect 5-0 mark at new Tim Hortons Field — has the Ticats in control of their own destiny heading into their regular-season finale against the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.
A win against the surging Alouettes (9-8) will secure the Ticats (8-9) a playoff spot. Should Hamilton win by eight or more points, it would finish atop the division standings and host the East Final on Nov. 23.
Montreal beat Hamilton 38-31 in the first meeting between the teams on Sept. 7.
“There’s been a few games we’ve let slip away but we’re where we want to be right now,” Tasker said. “We control our own destiny to a certain extent.
“If we win that will be good enough to get into the playoffs.”
That’s assuming Toronto beats Ottawa on Friday night. A win by the expansion Redblacks would eliminate the Argonauts from playoff contention and secure Hamilton a post-season berth and leave the Ticats and Alouettes to play for first Saturday.
Montreal has already clinched a playoff berth. It would cement first place with a win over Hamilton or a loss by seven points or less.
Now, should both Toronto and Montreal win this weekend, the Als would finish first and Argos second based on having won the season series with Hamilton. The Ticats would miss the playoffs the result of the West Division crossover.
The Alouettes are the CFL’s hottest team, having won six straight and eight of their last nine games after a miserable 1-7 start.
Quarterback Jonathan Crompton is an outstanding 8-1 since becoming Montreal’s starter despite completing just 59 per cent of his passes. He has yet to record a 300-yard passing game and has thrown almost as many interceptions (eight) as TDs (10).
The only blemish on Crompton’s record is a 33-16 road loss to Edmonton on Sept. 12.
Despite the presence of big-play receivers Duron Carter (71 catches, 987 yards, six TDs) and S.J. Green (49 receptions, 732 yards, four TDs), Montreal is ranked last in passing percentage and second-last in passing and scoring. But the Als are second overall in time of possession (31 minutes 10 seconds), meaning they do a good job of controlling the ball when they have it.
“The only thing that matters is he’s 8-1 and knows how to win,” Ticats defensive back Craig Butler said. “Before he came in they were kind of trying to find an identity.
“He manages the game well and knows who to get the ball to. Those guys (Carter and Green) are his playmakers … when it comes down to crunch time they’re the guys they go to.”
