THE CANADIAN PRESS
It’s incredible to think after a disastrous 1-6 start that Hamilton turned their season around and finished atop the East Division.
In what feels like eons ago, Hamilton opened their campaign getting throttled 31-10 by the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders. New franchise quarterback Zach Collaros was sacked 10 times and somehow made it out of the prairies alive on Sunday, June 29. And the Ticats managed just 42 yards rushing in a game the offensive line would likely want to soon forget.
Then just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for the Ticats, disaster struck, and it hit hard. Eskimos defensive lineman Odell Willis delivered a bone-rattling shot on Collaros in the second quarter of Hamilton’s Week 2 matchup against Edmonton. The blow caused Collaros to be put on the six-game injured list with a concussion.
Hamilton’s offensive line was porous and largely a work in progress early in the season and it caused a lot of problems. With Hamilton unable to sustain protection, an issue that led to Collaros’ injury, or provide running lanes it was a rough go for the big men up front.
Meanwhile the quarterback carousel spun in Hamilton for a couple weeks. Jeremiah Masoli started in Week 4 against Calgary, but he couldn’t get the offence moving. So Dan LeFevour came on in relief and put the team in a position to tie the game with a field goal, but holder Luke Tasker bobbled the snap and Hamilton lost 10-7.
A week later LeFevour got the start at quarterback and put on a show with his right arm and his legs. He threw for 361 yards and rushed for 109 yards with two combined touchdowns in a 33-23 victory against Ottawa at McMaster’s Ron Joyce Stadium.
LeFevour continued as the No. 1 quarterback with Collaros sidelined. The success of his first start did not last though as Hamilton suffered a last-play loss to Winnipeg in Week 6 and dropped a tight 36-29 decision out on the left coast eight days later.
It only got worse for the Ticats from there. Just when it appeared the team had found an answer at quarterback until Collaros recovered, LeFevour suffered a torn ACL on a harmless looking play in a 30-20 defeat versus Calgary.
A well-timed off week for Hamilton helped them lick their wounds and get ready to begin the proverbial second half of the season on Labour Day. And it just so happened the extra time afforded allowed Collaros, the man brought to Hamilton to be the face of the team, to get healthy and be activated off the six-game injured list.
On Monday, September 1 Hamilton opened their brand new stadium – Tim Hortons Field against their most hated rival, with Collaros at the controls. It wasn’t pretty, but the Ticats ground out a 13-12 victory on Labour Day and it seemed to be an energizing win.
Hamilton’s defence held Ricky Ray to just 142 yards passing in a standout performance from Orlondo Steinauer’s group. From that day forward the Ticats “D” played at a high level and was arguably the best unit league-wide in the final 11 games of the schedule. There was a combination of factors for the success on defence.
Hamilton’s pass rush started to apply pressure and get home with regularity. Eric Norwood, among others, led the charge, 11 of Norwood’s 13 sacks on the season came after Labour Day. Ted Laurent helped as well by providing a strong push inside, recording seven of his nine sacks on the season after Labour Day.
As the line began to get pressure the defensive secondary all got on the same page. Delvin Breaux, who is as close to a lockdown corner as you can have in the CFL, kept his side of the field nearly air tight. While off-season acquisitions Brandon Stewart and Craig Butler looked increasingly confortable in the system from Labour Day and beyond.
An area of consistency has been Hamilton’s linebacking corps. Simoni Lawrence has been around the football and among the best players at his position in the league all year long. And rookie Taylor Reed and Erik Harris have settled into their roles.
On offence, Hamilton found a solution along the offensive line and Collaros got into a rhythm, helping the men blocking for him by making decisive reads and getting the ball out quickly. At the same time Collaros developed an improved feel for receivers Luke Tasker and Brandon Banks.
It was clear Collaros felt comfortable throwing to Andy Fantuz and Bakari Grant early on, but the rapport development with Tasker and Banks has made the Ticats offence more dangerous. Tasker recorded 51 of his team-leading 72 catches for 691 yards and four touchdowns in the final 11 games. And Banks added 382 yards and four touchdowns in that span as well.
A stout defence, improved offensive line play and emergence of more weapons on offence helped Hamilton post an 8-3 record down the stretch. It was a run that earned the Ticats a first place finish in the East and the right to host the Eastern Final for the first time since 1998.
“We’re a no-excuse football team,” Kent Austin told the assembled media following the Ticats’ 29-15 win over Montreal to clinch the East Division title.
Through stadium delays and injuries not once did any member of the team complain. Austin kept the focus on what his team could control and now the Ticats are just one win away from a second straight Grey Cup appearance.
