The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-2) visited TD Place Stadium on Sunday night in a rematch against the Ottawa Redblacks (1-6) to close out Week 7.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell needed 29 yards to move into the top ten in passing yards. Meanwhile, Ottawa was looking to end a three-game losing streak.
First Quarter:
Hamilton kick returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned the opening kickoff for 11 yards to the 32-yard line. Running back Johnny Augustine had five carries for 38 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed two passes for 14 yards leading the offense to the 20-yard line.
During the drive, Ottawa lost two key defensive linemen in Lorenzo Mauldin IV and Cleyon Lang to injuries. Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 27-yard field goal, giving the Tiger-Cats a 3-0 lead with 8:58 left.
Later in the first quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown attempted a pass to Justin Hardy. However, Hamilton defensive back Stavros Katsantonis read the slant play and got in front of Hardy to make the interception on the 46-yard line.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed a five-yard pass to Kiondre Smith to the 41-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell saw Kenny Lawler blow by Alijah McGhee and threw the ball to him for a 41-yard touchdown. Hamilton extended their lead to 10-0 with 4:47 left. It was the eighth time this year that Michell threw a touchdown pass to Lawler. Mitchell moved into the top ten in CFL history in passing yards, passing Tracy Ham.
Late in the first quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 14-yard line facing third down. They trailed Hamilton 10-0 to end the first quarter. Hamilton’s offense had 104 yards (60 yards passing, 44 yards rushing), and Ottawa’s offense had 61 yards (66 yards passing, -5 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward began the second quarter by kicking a 21-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Tiger-Cats 10-3 with 14:43 left.
Injuries continued to beat up the Redblacks. Hamilton’s defense was set to blitz quarterback Dru Brown. He did not recognize the blitz and ended up taking a vicious shot from DaShaun Amos on the helmet, resulting in his helmet flying off his head.
Brown was down for several minutes before heading to the locker room, and Amos was issued a Grade 2 unnecessary roughness penalty for 25 yards. Dru Brown did not return to the game. He finished the game completing 6 of 8 passes (75%) for 66 yards and one interception.
Dustin Crum was the new quarterback for Ottawa. Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 19-yard line, where kicker Lewis Ward made a 27-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Tiger-Cats 10-6 with 8:40 left.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa running back William Stanback had four carries for 12 yards, and quarterback Dustin Crum completed four passes for 48 yards to the 26-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made his third field goal of the night for 34 yards. Ottawa trailed Hamilton 10-9 with 2:39 left.
The two teams would continue to trade field goals in the closing seconds of the second quarter. Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 37-yard field goal, and Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 45-yard field goal. Hamilton led Ottawa 13-12 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton had 164 yards on offense (108 yards passing, 56 yards rushing), 8 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 70 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 8 of 15 passes (53%) for 108 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Johnny Augustine had nine carries for 50 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made one catch for 41 yards and one touchdown, while Tim White made three catches for 36 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Ottawa had 195 yards (163 yards passing, 39 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 14 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 30 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 10 of 10 passes (100%) for 97 yards and two carries for 14 yards.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye had two carries for 18 yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made five catches for 56 yards, and Justin Hardy made five catches for 37 yards. The defense made one forced fumble.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton’s offense started on the 52-yard line. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was sacked by Michael Wakefield for an eight-yard loss. On the next play, Mitchell saw the blitz coming and threw a rocket to Kiondre Smith for 63 yards to the three-yard line.
Hamilton running back Treshaun Ward finished the drive by following his blockers in for the touchdown. Hamilton now led Ottawa 20-12 with 4:58 left.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa defensive lineman Bryce Carter sacked Bo Levi Mitchell for a four-yard loss. After the play, Hamilton offensive lineman Jordan Murray suffered a left leg injury. He was down for several minutes before he had to be helped to the cart. Murray did not put pressure on the left leg. Both teams went over to wish him the best.
Hamilton went two-and-out. Punter Nic Constantinou punted the ball 50 yards to the one-yard line. On the last play of the third quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum threw a long pass intended for Keelan White. Hamilton defensive back Dustin Talbert was on him. He turned around as the ball was underthrown to make the interception on the 53-yard line. The Tiger-Cats led the Redblacks 20-12 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa linebacker Adarius Pickett baited quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell to throw the ball to Brendan O’Leary-Orange. Mitchell threw the ball to him, and Pickett quickly undercut the play to make the interception. He returned the ball 43 yards to the 24-yard line with 14:32 left.
Ottawa running back William Stanback rushed for five yards to the 19-yard line. That is all they would get, and kicker Lewis Ward made a 27-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Tiger-Cats 20-15 with 13:21 left.
While Ottawa was kicking field goals, Hamilton was scoring touchdowns. Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw five passes for 46 yards to the 24-yard line. Johnny Augustine rushed for five yards, and Mitchell threw an 18-yard pass to Jevoni Robinson to the one-yard line.
Hamilton fullback Ante Milanovic-Litre came in to score the one-yard touchdown. Hamilton led Ottawa 27-15 with 8:15 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 70 yards taking five minutes off the clock.
Later in the fourth quarter, Ottawa tried a trick play. Quarterback Dustin Crum threw the ball to Justin Hardy. Then, Hardy tried the throw the ball to Eugene Lewis. He underthrew the ball and Destin Talbert made a jumping interception on the 12-yard line. It was his second interception of the night with 6:27 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Hamilton’s defense stopped Ottawa on third down. They took over the ball on the 38-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 17-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 25-yard field goal with 1:07 left.
Ottawa’s offense was on the field for the final time. They moved the ball to the 36-yard line as time expired. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 30-15 to complete the home-and-home sweep. Hamilton has now won four straight games, and Ottawa has lost its last four games.
Final Stats:
Hamilton had 412 yards on offense (327 yards passing, 97 yards rushing, 12 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 75 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 21 of 33 passes (63%) for 327 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Running back Johnny Augustine led the rushers with 18 carries for 85 yards and one catch for eight yards. Wide receiver Tim White led the receivers making eight catches for 89 yards, and Kenny Lawler made three catches for 66 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 44 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and one turnover on down.
Ottawa had 316 yards on offense (215 yards passing, 108 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 18 first downs, 0 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 40 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 16 of 22 passes (72%) for 149 yards, one interception, and six carries for 43 yards.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye led the rushers with four carries for 54 yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton led the receivers making five catches for 56 yards, and Justin Hardy made seven catches for 47 yards. The defense made 44 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Next week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the B.C. Lions on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Ottawa Redblacks are off next week.
