It’s Hamilton, and that’s Final

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This article was published 14/11/2011 (5254 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The last thing standing between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the 2011 Grey Cup game is a Hamilton Tiger-Cats team that the Bombers have owned like no other in the CFL this season.

The Ticats advanced to the East Division final at Canad Inns Stadium with a wild 52-44 overtime win over the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday at Olympic Stadium. The Ticats victory ended the reign of the two-time defending Grey Cup champion Als and capped a wild offensive shootout that saw Hamilton just keep coming in the face of an Alouettes team that seemed to have an answer for every Hamilton score — until the last one.

The game was the highest-scoring CFL playoff game in history and the offensive numbers were other-worldly. Indeed, the only thing more amazing than the passing numbers for Montreal QB Anthony Calvillo — 30-of-42, for 513 yards and three TDs — was that they came in a losing effort.

Hamilton starting QB Kevin Glenn was a much more modest 23-of-32 for 275 yards and one TD. More impressive for Hamilton, however, was their running game, which collectively rumbled for 161 yards and four touchdowns against a Montreal defence that had been the best in the league this season against the run.

“I’ve never seen two teams try so hard to go to Winnipeg in my life,” Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown quipped after the game. “Very impressive performances by Hamilton and Montreal.

“We are going to have to raise our play to the same degree that Hamilton did facing off with the Alouettes if we want to be successful at home next week.”

But the heavy lifting has also only just begun for Hamilton, who will now have to figure out a way to do something they haven’t been able to do all season — beat Winnipeg.

The two teams met three times in the regular season and Winnipeg won all three: 24-16 in Hamilton in Week 1; 30-27 in Winnipeg in Week 9; and 33-17 in Hamilton in Week 15.

Bombers centre Obby Khan, who is expected to be back in the starting lineup next weekend, said the season record between the two teams is interesting, but not particularly helpful to Winnipeg’s cause in a one-game, win-or-go-home East Final. “I don’t think it plays a big role against them. Yeah, 3-0 gives us a bit of confidence, but that all means nothing,” Khan said Sunday afternoon.

“It tells us we know we can beat them because we have beaten them. But it’s a whole new game in the playoffs.”

Khan, who watched the first half of Sunday’s game with some teammates at the team facilities at Canad Inns Stadium, said some inferences can be drawn from a game in which Hamilton thrived offensively but struggled defensively — and both bode well for the Bombers.

“Montreal scored 40-something points on their defence so that suggests some holes with Hamilton that we should be able to exploit,” said Khan. “The counter to that is that they were able to put up 50-something points against Montreal’s defence. But that’s Montreal’s defence, not our defence. So we can fix some of those holes and prepare for that.

“I actually enjoy watching a high-scoring game involving an opponent we’re about to play because both sides of the ball gives us an advantage.”

In the West semifinal on Sunday, the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Calgary Stampeders 33-19 to advance to the West Final in Vancouver on Sunday, where they will face the B.C. Lions.

The Bombers were 1-1 against the Eskimos during the regular season and 2-0 against the Lions. Those wins over B.C., however, came during a terrible 0-5 Lions’ start to the season — and before the Leos went on an 11-2 run the rest of the way to end the year at 11-7.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

East Division Final

Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Canad Inns Stadium

Sunday, Nov. 20, noon.

Long Range Weather Forecast: H -5C L -14C, NW winds 20km/h, 10 per cent chance of snow

 

Head-to-head in 2011

 

July 1, Ivor Wynne Stadium

Winnipeg 24

Hamilton 16

 

Aug. 26, Canad Inns Stadium

Winnipeg 30

Hamilton 27

 

Oct. 7, Ivor Wynne Stadium

Winnipeg 33

Hamilton 17

 

FAST FACT: Hamilton QB Kevin Glenn, who played for the Bombers from 2004-08, had interceptions returned for touchdowns in all three games against Winnipeg this season. Glenn was also lifted in favour of backup Quinton Porter in two of those games.

 

League Rankings in Regular Season

Final Standings

Winnipeg 10-8 (1st in East Division)

Hamilton 8-10 (3rd in East Division)

 

Offence

 

Points Scored

Hamilton 481 (4th)

Winnipeg 432 (5th)

 

Yards in Net Offence

Winnipeg 6,148 (5th)

Hamilton 6,112 (6th)

 

Yards in Net Passing

Hamilton 4,736 (5th)

Winnipeg 4,494 (7th)

 

Starting QB Efficiency Ratings

Hamilton’s Kevin Glenn (307-448, 3,963 yds, 19 TDs, 17 INTs) 86.8 (4th)

Winnipeg’s Buck Pierce (261-411, 3,348 yds, 14 TDs, 18 INTs) 82.1 (7th)

 

Defence

 

Points Against

Winnipeg 432 (3rd)

Hamilton 478 (6th)

 

Yards Against Net Offence

Winnipeg 5,420 (1st)

Hamilton 6,757 (7th)

 

Fewest First Downs

Winnipeg 322 (1st)

Hamilton 395 (7th)

 

Takeaway/Giveways

Winnipeg Plus-12 (2nd)

Hamilton Minus-2 (5th)