Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ quarterback Taylor Powell was taken to a local hospital for evaluation after he was forced to leave the team’s Week 11 matchup with the Edmonton Elks.
Powell was knocked out of the game with 6:08 remaining in the first quarter after taking off on a 17-yard run. He was tracked down from behind by defensive tackle Shawn Oakman on the play and appeared to take a blow to the head from linebacker Nyles Morgan as he was going down, leaving him curled up on the turf. No penalty was assessed on the play.
Powell left the field under his own power to be evaluated for a concussion and later appeared visibly frustrated when he was escorted to the locker room. He was quietly taken by ambulance to hospital later in the half. Head coach Scott Milanovich said after the game that his condition was stable.
The injury came minutes after Ticats’ receiver Luther Hakunavanhu had to be taken off the field by ambulance after suffering a potential injury to his head and neck on the first play from scrimmage. The game was delayed by nearly 20 minutes while players waited for another ambulance to arrive.
Powell was making his first start of the season after taking over for veteran Bo Levi Mitchell in the first quarter of last week’s loss, going 30-of-38 for 319 yards and two touchdowns, while adding five carries for 52 yards on the ground. He was two-of-three for 20 yards prior to the injury.
The native of Fayetteville, Ark. started nine games for the Tabbies in 2023, going 4-5 at the helm and completing 197-of-292 pass attempts (67.5 percent) for 2,283 yards with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions as a rookie.
Mitchell took back over at quarterback following Powell’s injury, going 23-of-34 for 294 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in the 47-24 loss. He was replaced by rookie Harrison Frost in the fourth quarter, who went eight-of-12 for 95 yards and a touchdown.
The Ticats (2-8) will next visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, August 23.
