The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-2) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (1-5) on Saturday night from a hot and humid Hamilton Stadium. This was the first meeting of the season. Ottawa was missing two key people on offense due to injuries in DeVonte Dedmon (ankle) and Peter Godber (hand). On the other side, Reggie Stubblefield made his season debut after missing time with a knee injury.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball up to the 10-yard line. Then, quarterback Dru Brown began to scramble as the pocket was collapsing. He did a pump fake before throwing a touchdown pass to Keelan White for a 7-0 lead with 9:34 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
For the rest of the first quarter, Ottawa’s offense gained 46 yards, and Hamilton’s offense had 59 yards. The Redblacks led the Tiger-Cats 7-0. Ottawa’s offense had 116 yards (110 yards passing, 6 yards rushing), and Hamilton’s offense had 59 yards (32 yards passing, 27 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 38-yard line before stalling. Punter Nic Constantinou punted the ball 51 yards into the endzone, where Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton caught before taking a knee to give up the single point. Ottawa led 7-1 with 11:44 left.
Later in the second quarter, Hamilton returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned a 57-yard punt by Ottawa punter Richie Leone for 47 yards to the 52-yard line.
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed five passes for 44 yards to the eight-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 15-yard field goal. Hamilton trailed Ottawa 7-4 with 6:01 left. With the field goal, Liegghio made 25 straight field goals.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa had a chance to add to their lead, but kicker Lewis Ward missed a 48-yard field goal wide right. Hamilton returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned the missed field goal for 34 yards to the 23-yard line. The offense would move the ball to the 54-yard line before the drive stalled. Ottawa’s offense went two-and-out, but led the Tiger-Cats 7-4 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Ottawa had 142 yards on offense (137 yards passing, 17 yards rushing, 12 yards lost), 9 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 13 of 19 passes (68.4%) for 137 yards and one touchdown.
Running back William Stanback had three carries for nine yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made two catches for 39 yards, while Keelan White made three catches for 33 yards and one touchdown. The defense made two tackles for loss.
Hamilton had 165 yards on offense (128 yards passing, 37 yards rushing), 10 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 71 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 13 of 22 passes (59%) for 128 yards.
Running back Johnny Augustine had three carries for 19 yards. Wide receiver Tim White made two catches for 29 yards, and Kenny Lawler made two catches for 20 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss and one sack.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton returned the kickoff for 61 yards to the 33-yard line. Ottawa was unable to move the ball and kicker Lewis Ward made a 41-yard field goal for a 10-4 lead with 11:59 left.
Hamilton running back Johnny Augustine rushed for three yards, and quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 23-yard pass to Tim White to the 44-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell threw the ball in the air to the direction of Kenny Lawler. Lawler extended his arms to make the catch for the touchdown. Kicker Marc Liegghio missed the extra point and the game was tied 10-10 with 11:59 left.
Later in the third quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown’s pass intended for Eugene Lewis was intercepted by Jamal Peters on the five-yard line. The offense would go two-and-out. When Ottawa’s offense got the ball back on the 41-yard line. They moved the ball to the six-yard line before kicker Lewis Ward made a 14-yard field goal. Ottawa led Hamilton 13-10 with 5:16 left.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed four passes for 34 yards, and running back Treshaun Ward rushed for three yards to the 33-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 41-yard field goal, and the game was tied again 13-13 with 2:09 left.
Ottawa’s offense was back on the field for the rest of the third quarter. Quarterback Dru Brown completed three passes for 44 yards, and running back William Stanback rushed for three yards to the 23-yard line. Hamilton’s defense was set to blitz Brown and he noticed it. Brown handed the ball off the Stanback, who made a cutback through an open hole and rushed for a 23-yard touchdown. Ottawa led 20-13 heading into the fourth quarter to cap off a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton returned a 60-yard punt by Nic Constantinou for a 105-yard touchdown. However, the touchdown was wiped off after Ottawa was called for an illegal block penalty. It was Ottawa’s first penalty of the game.
Hamilton’s defense would get the ball when Jamal Peters intercepted Dru Brown’s pass to the 43-yard line. Hamilton running back Ante Litre rushed for 13 yards to the 30-yard line. They went two-and-out, and kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal. Hamilton trialed Ottawa 20-16 with 10:37 left.
Later in the fourth quarter, Hamilton punter Nic Constantinou punted the ball 62 yards to Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton. Pimpleton could not make the catch and Hamilton recovered it on the 15-yard line. Hamilton moved the ball up to the four-yard line. They went for it on third down but did not get it and Ottawa took over.
Ottawa went two-and-out, and Hamilton got the ball on the 50-yard line. On second down, Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass intended for Kenny Lawler was incomplete, but a roughing the passer penalty on Ottawa gave Hamilton a fresh set of downs. Three plays later, Mitchell threw a three-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Kenny Lawler. Hamilton led Ottawa 23-20 with 1:54 left to cap off a six-play drive for 50 yards.
Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw a 20-yard pass to Justin Hardy to the 39-yard line. However, they were unable to move the ball any further and could not convert a third-down play. Hamilton’s offense ran out the final one minute and 13 seconds. The Tiger-Cats defeated the Redblacks 23-20.
Final Stats:
Hamilton had 351 yards on offense (266 yards passing, 86 yards rushing, 1 yard loss), 21 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 71 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 23 of 41 passes (56%) for 266 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 14 yards.
Running back Johnny Augustine led the rushers with nine carries for 29 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler led the receivers making six catches for 95 yards, and two touchdowns, while Tim White made four catches for 60 yards. The defense made 34 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and one on third down.
Ottawa had 313 yards on offense (283 yards passing, 53 yards rushing, 23 yards lost), 17 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 30 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 24 of 38 passes (63.2%) for 283 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.
Running back William Stanback led the rushers with seven carries for 40 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis led the receivers making seven catches for 128 yards, while Keelan White made three catches for 33 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 41 tackles and three tackles for loss.
Next week, the two teams will meet in a rematch on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
