The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-1) visited Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night to kick off Week 2 of the CFL season against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-1). The Tiger-Cats were coming off a disappointing loss to Montreal last week, while the Blue Bombers won in overtime at Calgary. Rain was falling on and off throughout the game at Princess Auto Stadium.
Winnipeg got the ball to start the first quarter at the 28-yard line. During the drive, quarterback Zach Collaros threw the ball to Tommy Nield three times for 53 yards. On the third play, Collaros threw a 16-yard pass to Nield. Nield went to jump over Hamilton defensive back Jamal Peters, who lowered his head as Nield’s right knee hit him on the head. Peters went down, and he was placed on a stretcher. The Tiger-Cats released a statement on the X account saying Peters was cleared and released from the hospital.
Collaros would throw two incomplete passes. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 19-yard field goal to give the Blue Bombers a 3-0 lead with 5:16 left. Hamilton’s offense did not waste time. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 54 yards, including a 47-yarder to Keric Wheatfall to the 16-yard line. Running back Larry Rountree III rushed for five yards before Mitchell threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith. The Tiger-Cats took a 7-3 lead with 2:40 left to conclude a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Winnipeg had the ball on the 45-yard line. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 23-yard pass to Tim White to the 42-yard line. After running back Brady Oliveira rushed for one yard, Collaros threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Nic Demski for a 10-7 lead. On the last play of the first quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 13-yard pass to Myron Mitchell to the 21-yard line heading into the second quarter, trailing 10-7.
In the second quarter, Hamilton’s offense continued to move the ball to the four-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Maximilian Mang for a 14-10 lead with 7:44 left. The drive took 14 plays for 102 yards.
Winnipeg got the ball again on the 33-yard line. Zach Collaros threw two passes for 34 yards to the 43-yard line. The Blue Bombers moved the ball to the 35-yard line. Kicker Sergio Castillo attempted a 43-yard field goal, but the ball hit the left upright and was no good.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 47-yard pass to Keric Wheatfall to the 23-yard line. Two plays later, Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith for a 21-10 lead with 2:26 to go until halftime. The drive went four plays for 70 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros’s pass intended for Ontaria Wilson was incomplete. Hamilton challenged that Stavros Katsantonis made the interception. After further review, they won the challenge. Winnipeg quickly challenged for defensive pass interference and lost. Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 45-yard line, where kicker Marc Liegghio made a 53-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats led the Blue Bombers 24-10 at halftime.
Hamilton’s offense had 309 yards. Bo Levi Mitchell had a nice first half, completing 15 of 19 passes (78.9%) for 233 yards, three touchdowns, and one carry for 15 yards. Wide receiver Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 102 yards, and Kiondre Smith made four catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
Winnipeg’s offense had 230 yards. Zach Collaros completed 9 of 12 passes (75%) for 197 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 11 yards. Wide receiver Tommy Nield made four catches for 76 yards, and Nic Demski made two catches for 64 yards and one touchdown.
Winnipeg got the ball to start the third quarter at the 29-yard line. Zach Collaros threw three passes for 56 yards to the 35-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira rushed for two yards before Hamilton’s defense brought pressure, and Collaros was sacked by Julian Howsare. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 45-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers trailed the Tiger-Cats 24-13.
Those points would be the only points scored in the third quarter. Hamilton defensive lineman Julian Howsare sacked Collaros for the second time in the game. Hamilton had the ball for the rest of the third quarter, marching down to the one-yard line heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, quarterback Jake Dolegala scored the touchdown for a 31-13 lead. The drive took 13 plays for 61 yards. With their backs against the wall, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw six passes for 69 yards to the five-yard line. On the next play, Collaros threw a touchdown pass to Ontaria Wilson. It was now 31-20 with 9:24 left in the game. The drive took eight plays for 65 yards.
In Hamilton’s next possession, running back Larry Rountree III had four carries for 36 yards to the 35-yard line. On the next play, Winnipeg linebacker Tony Jones sacked Bo Levi Mitchell for a three-yard loss. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 46-yard field goal for a 34-20 lead with 4:33 left.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw six passes for 56 yards to the one-yard line. Quarterback Bryce Perkins scored the touchdown. The Blue Bombers trailed the Tiger-Cats 34-27, which took 11 plays for 70 yards. Hamilton put the game away with 35 seconds left when kicker Marc Liegghio made a 23-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats defeated the Blue Bombers 37-27.
Hamilton’s offense had 455 yards (287 passing yards, 171 rushing yards, 3 yards lost), 26 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 43 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 19 of 24 passes (79.2%) for 287 yards, three touchdowns, and one carry for 15 yards. Running back Larry Rountree III had 23 carries for 124 yards, and Joke Dolegala had six carries for 10 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 102 yards, while Kiondre Smith made five catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 41 tackles, two sacks, and one interception.
Winnipeg’s offense had 459 yards (421 passing yards, 49 rushing yards, 11 yards lost), 26 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 68 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 28 of 35 passes (80%) for 421 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for 11 yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had eight carries for 32 yards.
Wide receiver Tommy Nield made seven catches for 111 yards, while Ontaria Wilson made six catches for 87 yards and one touchdown, and Nic Demski made four catches for 79 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, and one sack.
Next Friday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the B.C. Lions at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have a bye week.
