The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-5) hosted the Edmonton Elks (5-9) on Saturday night in the annual Hall of Fame game, where seven new members were enshrined. Those names were offensive linemen Bryan Chiu and Jovan Olafioye, wide receiver Jeremaine Copeland, defensive back Scott Flagel, linebacker Darryl Hall, veteran official Glen Johnson, and coaching legend Frank McCrystal.
Edmonton did not have linebacker Nick Anderson (Abdominal) and defensive back Royce Metchie (Achilles) for this game, and Hamilton wide receiver/kick returner Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned to the lineup after missing several weeks with a shoulder injury.
First Quarter:
Hamilton got the ball to start the game on the 23-yard line. Running back Greg Bell led the offense with one catch for four yards and five carries for 30 yards to the 37-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 45-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 10:08 left.
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo began the drive by throwing two passes for 11 yards to the 51-yard line. On the next play, Hamilton defensive lineman Julian Howsare sacked Fajardo, causing a fumble. There was a scramble for the football before Edmonton wide receiver Kaion Julien-Grant recovered it on the 38-yard line. Howsare was credited with the sack and a loss of 13 yards.
On the next play, Edmonton went with a screen play as Fajardo threw a short pass to Justin Rankin. Rankin had blockers in front of him, and he took off for a 72-yard touchdown. The Elks took a 7-3 lead with 7:31 left to cap off a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Leiv Mitchell started the next drive by throwing two passes for 14 yards to the 37-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 12-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell threw the ball to Brendan O’Leary-Orange, who ran into the endzone for the touchdown. Hamilton took a 10-7 lead with 3:22 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 87 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line. On the last play of the first quarter, Hamilton Casey Sayles sacked Fajardo for a five-yard loss. Edmonton trailed Hamilton 10-7. Hamilton’s offense had 114 yards (82 yards passing, 32 yards rushing), and Edmonton’s offense had 108 yards (119 yards passing, 7 yards rushing, 18 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 42-yard field goal, and the game was tied 10-10 with 14:35 left. Later, Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 59 yards into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. The Elks took an 11-10 lead with 11:29 left.
Hamilton running back Greg Bell started the next drive with a three-yard run. Four plays later, Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 26-yard pass to Tim White to the 29-yard line. Greg Bell rushed for three more yards to the 26-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 34-yard field goal to give Hamilton a 13-11 lead with 6:51 left.
Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a 37-yard field goal. That did not matter as Hamilton was issued an unnecessary roughness penalty, giving the Elks a first down on the 20-yard line.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin rushed for six yards to the 14-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 21-yard field goal for a 14-13 lead with 2:57 left.
Late in the second quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell threw four passes for 35 yards to lead the offense to the 15-yard line. On the next play, Edmonton’s defense blitzed Mitchell. They left Kenny Lawler wide open, and Mitchell threw to him for the touchdown. The Tiger-Cats took a 20-14 lead with 1:07 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin rushed for six yards before Cody Fajardo threw four passes for 37 yards to the 17-yard line. After a procedure penalty on Edmonton, kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 29-yard field goal. The Elks trailed the Tiger-Cats 20-17 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 225 yards (175 yards passing, 58 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 14 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 35 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 15 of 18 passes (83%) for 175 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back Greg Bell had 10 carries for 58 yards and five catches for 25 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made two catches for 34 yards and one touchdown, while Kiondre Smith made three catches for 40 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Edmonton’s offense had 181 yards (182 yards passing, 23 yards rushing, 24 yards lost), 9 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 38 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 11 of 14 passes (78.5%) for 182 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had four carries for 16 yards, one catch for 72 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Binjimen Victor made two catches for 31 yards, while Arkell Smith made three catches for 24 yards. The defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
Hamilton got the ball to start the second half on the 20-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass intended for Kenny Lawler was intercepted by J.J. Ross on the 49-yard line.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin began the drive with two carries for 12 yards to the 49-yard line. Two plays later, Rankin added another carry for eight yards to the 28-yard line. The offense made it to the 12-yard line. On the next play, Cody Fajardo threw a touchdown down the middle to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. The Elks took a 24-20 lead with 8:48 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 61 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal. Hamilton trailed Edmonton 24-23 with 4:22 left.
Edmonton’s offense had the ball in the final seconds of the third quarter. Cody Fajardo threw two passes for nine yards, and Cole Snyder rushed for two yards to the 43-yard line. The Elks led the Tiger-Cats 24-23 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton’s drive stalled, and punter Jake Julien punted the ball 54 yards to Isaiah Wooden Sr. He returned it for 10 yards to the 23-yard line. Hamilton wide receiver Tim White rushed for 15 yards, and Greg Bell rushed for six yards to the 44-yard line.
Greg Bell rushed for two more yards, and Bo Levi Mitchell threw three passes for 32 yards to the 32-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 40-yard field goal to give the Tiger-Cats a 26-24 lead with 9:21 left.
Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the five-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 12-yard field goal. The Elks led the Tiger-Cats 27-26 with 4:45 left.
Late in the game, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed two passes for 20 yards to the 50-yard line. On third down, Mitchell started to scramble with an open field in front. He could’ve easily picked up the first, but chose to throw the ball to Brendan O’Leary-Orange, but he dropped it, and Edmonton took over on the 47-yard line. Luckily, Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out, and Hamilton got the ball back with 1:36 left.
Bo Levi Mitchell threw three passes for 24 yards. Three plays later, Edmonton defensive lineman Jordan Williams hit Mitchell on the helmet, resulting in a roughing the passer penalty. The ball was placed on the 54-yard line. Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 33-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio kicked the game-winning 41-yard field goal. Hamilton defeated Edmonton 29-27 for their third straight win.
Final Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 413 yards (311 yards passing, 110 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 26 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 65 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 28 of 40 passes (70%) for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Running back Greg Bell had 17 carries for 93 yards and seven catches for 39 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made three catches for 46 yards and one touchdown, while Kiondre Smith made seven catches for 89 yards. The defense made 41 tackles, two tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Edmonton’s offense had 319 yards (280 yards passing, 63 yards rushing, 24 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 58 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 21 of 29 passes (72.4%) for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 16 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had 10 carries for 41 yards, two catches for 77 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made four catches for 60 yards and one touchdown, while Arkell Smith made five catches for 41 yards. The defense made one sack, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
Next Saturday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 3 pm on CTV, TSN, and CFL+, followed by the Edmonton Elks hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
