The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-2) visited Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Edmonton Elks (1-6). Hamilton came into this game winning five straight games for the first time since 2019. For Edmonton, they were looking to snap a two-game losing streak.
First Quarter:
Hamilton kick returner Isaiah Wooden returned the opening kickoff for 75 yards to the 29-yard line. Running back Greg Bell rushed for five yards to the 24-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith for a 7-0 lead with 13:35 left.
Edmonton started its first drive of the game at the 38-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 21 yards. The offense moved the ball to the five-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin initially scored a five-yard touchdown. An offside penalty on Steven Dunbar Jr. not only took the touchdown away but also moved the ball back to the 10-yard line.
On the next play, Edmonton offensive lineman Brett Boyko cleared a way for Rankin to score a 10-yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 with 7:44 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 72 yards.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw four passes for 36 yards. Mitchell, Greg Bell, Johnny Augustine, and Jake Dolegala combined to rush for 12 yards to the 28-yard line. On the next play, Edmonton’s defense blitzed Mitchell. Bo escaped the pocket before throwing a 26-yard pass to Kiondre Smith to the two-yard line.
Hamilton running back Greg Bell finished the drive with the touchdown. Hamilton led 14-7 heading into the second quarter to cap off a 10-play drive for 76 yards.
Hamilton’s offense had 105 yards (86 yards passing, 19 yards rushing), and Edmonton’s offense had 92 yards (70 yards passing, 27 yards rushing, 5 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
Edmonton started the second quarter on the 47-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 46 yards, including a 25-yarder to Steven Dunbar Jr. to the one-yard line. Cole Snyder came in on the next play. He followed his offensive linemen into the endzone. The game was tied 14-14 with 11:13 left to cap off a four-play drive for 47 yards.
Later in the second quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw three passes for 61 yards, including a 47-yarder to Kaion Julien-Grant. Running back Javon Leake had two carries for 20 yards leading the offense to the one-yard line.
Third-string quarterback Cole Snyder initially scored the touchdown. However, after further review, his knee was down at the one-yard line before breaking the plane. This brought up third down. On third down, Hamilton’s defense shut down Snyder, forcing a turnover on downs.
On Hamilton’s final drive of the first half, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw five passes for 58 yards. With that, Mitchell passed Doug Flutie to take ninth place on the all-time passing list in CFL history. Hamilton did not put points on the board. The game remained tied 14-14 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 208 yards (184 yards passing, 27 yards rushing, 3 yards lost), 13 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for 15 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 16 of 19 passes (84.2%) for 184 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for five yards.
Running back Greg Bell had six carries for 20 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made four catches for 73 yards and one touchdown, while Tim White made four catches for 37 yards. The defense made one sack and one turnover on downs.
Edmonton’s offense had 227 yards (186 yards passing, 48 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 12 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 11 of 11 passes (100%) for 186 yards.
Running back Javon Leake had two carries for 20 yards, while Justin Rankin had four carries for 16 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for 14 yards. Wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. made four catches for 62 yards, and Kaion Julien-Grant made one catch for 47 yards. Edmonton’s defense made one tackle for loss and one sack.
Third Quarter:
Edmonton returner Javon Leake started the third quarter by returning a kickoff for 47 yards to the 53-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin started the drive by carrying the ball two times for 19 yards. Next, quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 21-yard pass to Justin Rankin. Then, the two would connect again for a 13-yard touchdown. The Elks took a 21-14 lead with 12:55 left.
Later, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw four passes for 71 yards, including a 50-yarder to Kiondre Smith on third down to the three-yard line. On the next play, the pocket was collapsing as Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Tim White in the corner of the endzone. White did a good job getting on his tippy toes to stay in bounds. The game was tied 21-21 with 5:55 left to cap off a six-play drive for 75 yards.
Late in the third quarter, the game went into a lightning delay with 18 seconds left. The game was delayed for over an hour before play resumed. The game remained tied 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton faced third down. Punter Cody Grace punted the ball 26 yards. He was the first to the ball and recovered it at the 25-yard line. Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 33-yard field goal, giving the Elks a 24-21 lead with 8:39 left.
Later in the fourth quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo’s pass intended for Steven Dunbar Jr. was intercepted by Stavros Katsantonis. He returned the interception for 24 yards to the 50-yard line. Hamilton’s offense marched down to the 27-yard line.
On the next play, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tim White. The Tiger-Cats took a 28-24 lead with 2:01 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 60 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 37-yard line. On the next play, Cody Fajardo’s pass intended for Kaion Julien-Grant in the endzone was incomplete. Grant had the ball in his hands, but could not complete the catch. Edmonton ended up turning the ball over to Hamilton. Running back Greg Bell sealed the game with two carries for 13 yards. Hamilton defeated Edmonton 28-24 for their sixth straight win.
Final Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 410 yards (350 yards passing, 65 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 26 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 30 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 30 of 42 passes (71.4%) for 350 yards, three touchdowns, and one carry for five yards.
Running back Greg Bell led the rushers with 13 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kiondre Smith led the receivers making seven catches for 138 yards and one touchdown, while Tim White made seven catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 41 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Edmonton’s offense had 370 yards (257 yards passing, 120 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 19 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 20 of 25 passes (80%) for 257 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for 13 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin led the rushers with 12 carries for 69 yards, one rushing touchdown, and led the receivers making seven catches for 64 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. made four catches for 62 yards. The defense made 46 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Next week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the B.C. Lions on Thursday at 7:30 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Edmonton Elks visit the Montreal Alouettes on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+.
