Shocker in Hamilton

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This article was published 17/09/2022 (1149 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

HAMILTON – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers got a taste of their own medicine from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who served up the kind of dominating performance that the Blue and Gold have become accustomed to giving – not getting – over the past few years.

The Tiger-Cats were the better team in all three phases, putting forth a prolific effort on offence, a suffocating display on defence and a solid outing on special teams, resulting in a 48-31 victory in front of 22,288 at Tim Hortons field Saturday afternoon.

To call it a shocker would be putting it lightly. Few, if any, had the Bombers, who entered the day with just one loss in 13 games, struggling against a Tiger-Cats team that had just three victories in 12 tries this year, and their playoff hopes in danger of being put on life support.

“I can’t put my finger on it. I would just say, overall, it was just a team loss,” said Bombers defensive back Winston Rose after the game. “Hamilton came out with more energy than us in the first half and just punched us in the mouth. Simple as that.”

The Bombers dropto 12-2 with the loss, maintaining a firm hold on top spot in the West Division. The Tiger-Cats improved to 4-9 and are just two points shy of the 5-7 Montreal Alouettes, with the clubs scheduled to play next Friday.

While it was just the Bombers second defeat of the 2022 campaign, it was also the second loss on the eve of a bye week. The Bombers suffered their first loss to the Alouettes in Week 10, before getting the next week off.

Whether it’s coincidence or a lack of focus, it was a pattern too obvious to ignore for some in the locker room.

“I was just asking myself the same thing. I like to say it’s a coincidence for whatever reason. I don’t know,” Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill said. “We got good vets. We got good guys that work. We understand the situation. We just didn’t execute at the highest level we needed to tonight and it’s unfortunate. But I know we’ve got a lot more in us and we’ll get back to it and get back to work.”

The Tiger-Cats roared out of the gate, collecting points on their first five drives, with three touchdowns and a pair of field goals, while adding a defensive score to take a 34-14 lead at halftime. The Bombers improved in the second half, clawing their way back into the game by the early stages of the fourth quarter, only to be stymied down the stretch.

Tiger-Cats quarterback Dane Evans has been under fire for his inconsistent play since taking over the No. 1 role this season and had just returned after being sidelined last week with a shoulder injury. Prior to the game, Evans spoke openly about his struggles this year, particularly his mental health, disclosing he had been working with a team psychologist.

On Saturday, he let his play do the talking, connecting with Tim White, Steven Dunbar and Kiondre Smith for touchdowns, finishing 15-for-19 passing for 252 yards and the three scores through the first two quarters. Kicker Seth Small connected on field goals from 52 and 41 yards.

The Smith touchdown was particularly egregious, as the rookie Canadian receiver got in behind the defence for a 54-yard touchdown with 1:46 remaining in the first half.

“We just gave up some big plays that we normally don’t give up, and that’s it,” added Bighill. “Those plays, you look throughout the season, we really haven’t had those. Those hurt. You can’t give up explosives over the top, for any reason, whether it’s communication, technique, what have you. We just can’t have it.”

Not done there, Tiger-Cats defensive end Malik Carney sacked Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, dislodging the ball and returning it 32 yards for the touchdown. It was the first defensive score allowed by Winnipeg this season.

The Bombers kept it close early, even taking a 7-3 lead after Collaros connected with Nic Demski for an eight-yard touchdown, giving Demski five touchdowns in his last four games. Kicker Marc Liegghio hit his first of two field goals in the half, from 27 yards, to make it a 10-10 game after the first quarter.

The 34 points was the most surrendered by the Bombers all season, eclipsing the 29 the Calgary Stampeders put up back in Week 12.

“Fourteen points off takeaways. I don’t think we started as fast as we needed to. We didn’t really match them in the first half,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “We just needed stops. We can’t let them score more points and they scored points.”

Hamilton’s air-assault continued into the third quarter.

After Liegghio opened the second half with a 36-yard field goal, the Tiger-Cats responded with yet another touchdown, Evans finding White in the end zone for a second time to give the home side a 41-17 lead. The score was set up by a Jumal Rolle interception of Collaros, giving Rolle a pick in consecutive games after registering an interception in a loss to the Toronto Argonauts in Week 13.

The Bombers pushed to make it close, opening the fourth quarter with a two-yard touchdown run by short-yardage quarterback Dakota Prukop, capping off a 13-play, 84-yard series. Collaros was back at it on Winnipeg’s next drive, finding Rasheed Bailey for a 14-yard touchdown, cutting Hamilton’s lead to 41-31 with more than nine minutes remaining.

Dalton Schoen caught three passes for 54 yards to help set up the Bailey touchdown. Schoen paced all receivers with six catches for 158 yards, further solidifying his position as the front-runner for CFL rookie of the year.

“We’ve got to play two good halves of football,” said Collaros, who finished the game 23-of-34 for 342 passing yards and two touchdowns, along with two interceptions. “Offensively, we moved the ball fairly well throughout the game, but the fumble was a huge momentum swing, and I can’t do that. You lose the turnover battle you’re going lose the game.”

But in a season where the Bombers defence has been up to the challenge, often playing their best when the stakes are at their highest, it was the Tiger-Cats offence that dictated the rest of the way.

Evans, who completed 78 per cent of his passes (25-for-32) for 327 yards and five touchdowns, connected with David Ungerer for a six-yard score. The exclamation mark came on the Bombers ensuing drive, with Collaros being intercepted by Kameron Kelly with fewer than two minutes on the clock.

“It’s one game and they’re a good football team,” Collaros said. “We need to use this bye to get better, stay in shape, get in shape if you’re not in shape, and get ready for the stretch run.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton