The Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the B.C. Lions 32-29 on Friday night at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, overcoming a 16-point deficit to stun the hometown crowd with an overtime victory and move to 6-9 on the season. The victory firmly plants the Ticats back in the CFL playoff picture with four weeks to go.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
Bo 4 MOP
Over a month ago, I wrote an article about how I agreed with the Ticats’ decision to bench Bo Levi Mitchell following a 33-23 loss to the Montreal Alouettes. I might have to write a retraction piece because Mitchell has arguably been the best player in the league since that point and Friday night was no different.
The Ticats’ offence got off to a slow start which saw them fall behind 16-0 at halftime, but Mitchell came out firing in the final two quarters and overtime, completing 29 of his final 30 pass attempts for 279 yards and two touchdowns. He could have gone 30 for 30 too, had it not been for a drop from fullback James Tuck.
Mitchell’s totals from Friday saw him complete 85 percent of his passes for 315 yards, two majors and an interception. To show just how good of a performance he had, the veteran QB also had one reception on a successful two-point conversion attempt. Hamilton put their own spin on the famous ‘Philly Special’ where the double reverse saw Tim White throw to a wide-open Mitchell in the end zone.
My 3Down colleague John Hodge wrote a piece earlier this week, asking whether Mitchell could win the Most Outstanding Player Award even if Hamilton misses the playoffs. I think he can and he has to be the clear frontrunner for the award if the Ticats do the improbable and sneak into the CFL playoffs after an abysmal 2-8 start.
Mitchell is near the top of the league in every meaningful statistical category and leads it in completions (355), passing yards (4,350) and touchdowns (26). He is on pace to throw for over 5,000 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. The only caveat would be that he’s tied for the league lead in interceptions with 14 but since he was sat down, Mitchell has done a great job of limiting the turnovers, only throwing two picks in his last five games. Compare that to the seven touchdowns he’s thrown in those games and the Ticats have found a winning recipe.
The two things I really highlighted in my article a month ago were that Mitchell needed to limit the turnovers and the Ticats needed to start winning. Both have happened and the 34-year-old gunslinger has forced me to eat my words.
DPI or not DPI?
The game ended with some controversy as Hamilton was able to score the game-winning one-yard plunge thanks to a defensive pass interference call on Lions’ defensive back Ronald Kent Jr. in the corner of the end zone when he grabbed Ticats receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange around the collar on second-and-goal.
After Hamilton asked for a review, the CFL command centre determined that the grab was enough to impede O’Leary-Orange from catching the ball, giving the Ticats a fresh set of downs on the Lions’ one-yard line. Had the play stood, Hamilton would’ve been forced to kick a field goal and the two teams would’ve gone to a second overtime.
Based on what we’ve seen called as defensive pass interference this season, I think the league got this call right. Had Kent Jr. not had his hand grasping the front of O’Leary-Orange’s collar and instead placed them more in a resting motion against his body, I think the call would’ve stood. Because he physically grabbed the receiver, it made the command centre’s choice to overturn the call much easier.
Say BOO
Speaking of Brendan O’Leary-Orange, the 28-year-old pass catcher has been an underrated free agent signing and has a knack for clutch catches, including a touchdown late in the game on Friday to put the Ticats ahead.
HAMILTON WITH THE LATE TD TO TAKE THE LEAD!
Catch the intense ending on @TSN_Sports
📷: Stream on CFL+#CFLGameDay pic.twitter.com/ZYQ0Kc76jH
— CFL (@CFL) September 28, 2024
The man known as ‘BOO’ dealt with some injuries early in the season but has come into the lineup and been an effective receiver for the Ticats. The former Blue Bomber has 13 receptions for 205 yards and a touchdown in his six games with the Ticats, averaging 15 yards per catch while also being on pace for surpassing his previous career high of 233 yards on 19 receptions in 2022 with Winnipeg.
O’Leary-Orange, Kiondre Smith, Luther Hakunavanhu and Tyler Ternowski have given the Ticats plenty of depth at Canadian receiver and the Tabbies are making good use of it.
Sack machines
Over the past number of weeks, I have been highlighting the Ticats’ defence and their recent ability to force turnovers. On Friday, the Hamilton defence didn’t force any turnovers but made life uncomfortable for Lions’ star quarterback Nathan Rourke, who was sacked three times by Casey Sayles, David Menard and DeWayne Hendrix. He was pressured for a good portion of the game by the Ticats’ defensive line.
The defensive line hasn’t gotten much of the credit as of late, but turnovers usually come due to pressure on the quarterback. Sayles tied his season sack total from last season with seven, while the team has spread the remainder of the sacks out as Hendrix has five, Brandon Barlow has four, and Nick Usher and David Menard both have three.
If the Ticats are able to continue putting pressure on the opposing team’s quarterback and continue to force turnovers, they’ll find themselves in a favourable spot over the final four weeks of the season.
Forgot about (Kion)dre
Kiondre Smith has been outstanding for the Ticats this season and should earn the team’s nod for Most Outstanding Canadian. The third-year pass catcher had another strong night against the Lions, making eight catches for 92 yards and a touchdown, putting his season totals to 61 catches for 755 yards and six touchdowns — all career highs.
Smith has seemingly been forgotten about in the Ticats’ receiving core when it comes to recognition as it features two former thousand-yard receivers in Tim White and Steven Dunbar Jr. and sensational rookie Shemar Bridges, who set the Ticats rookie record for most receptions in a season just one week ago.
But the 24-year-old is becoming a star in this league, ranking 15th in total receiving yards and fifth in receiving yards by a Canadian behind Justin McInnis, Nic Demski, Samuel Emilus, and Tyson Philpot. I think the CFL is in pretty good hands when it comes to talented skill position players with Canadian passports.
Bake me a cake as fast as you can
Since getting a larger role in Week 12 against Winnipeg, Canadian linebacker Ryan Baker has done nothing but impress me. In that game against the Bombers, he registered eight tackles and has since followed that up with 18 tackles in his last four games, including his team-leading seven-tackle performance on Friday. Defensive play-caller Chris Jones has clearly seen something he likes in the 24-year-old rookie and has ensured that he’s being utilized in the Ticats’ defence.
The UBC product is now up to 30 defensive tackles and three special teams tackles on the season. Not bad for a fifth-round pick in this most recent CFL Draft.
Up next
The 6-9 Ticats will now host the surging 9-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, October 4 in a meeting of the two hottest teams in the CFL. The Ticats have won four straight games while the Bombers come into the matchup with seven consecutive wins under their belt, including a 26-23 victory over the Ticats on August 23 that saw Zach Collaros lead a game-winning drive in the final minute.
I reckon we might see another closely contested ball game when these two teams meet at Tim Hortons Field.
