The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (5-11) visited TD Place Stadium on Friday night against the Ottawa Redblacks (0-15). Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention.
The Tiger-Cats were missing several players, including wide receiver Keric Wheatfall (Ankle), who was placed on the one-game injured list. On the other side, Ottawa kicker Paul Geelen made his regular-season debut for the Redblacks after the team traded Brett Lauther to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Early in the first quarter, the two teams traded field goals. Ottawa kicker Paul Geelen made a 44-yard field goal, and Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 27-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 with 6:04 left. Ottawa had the ball on the 40-yard line.
Six plays in, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 40-yard pass to Cade McDonald to the one-yard line. Bryson Barnes came in to score the touchdown to give the Redblacks a 10-3 lead at the end of the first quarter on a seven-play drive for 70 yards. Ottawa’s offense had 109 yards, and Hamilton’s offense had 60 yards.
In the second quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the nine-yard line, including running back Daniel Adeboboye’s 55-yard run. Kicker Paul Geelen made a 17-yard field goal for a 13-3 lead with 12:13 left. Hamilton had the ball on the 40-yard line. Three plays into the drive, quarterback Harrison Frost threw a 29-yard pass to Kenny Lawler to the 28-yard line. Hamilton continued to move the ball to the one-yard line, where Jake Dolegala scored the touchdown. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Redblacks 13-10 with 8:47 left.
Midway through the second quarter, McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a short pass to Justin Hardy for 18 yards to the 54-yard line. Running back Mario Anderson had two carries for 11 yards, and Bethel-Thompson rushed for four yards to the 41-yard line before kicker Paul Geelen made a 49-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead with 5:28 left.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Redblacks 16-13 with 2:50 left. Ottawa had the ball on the 40-yard line. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 35 yards and rushed for two yards to the 33-yard line. Kicker Paul Geelen attempted a 41-yard field goal, but he missed it wide left and out of bounds. Just before halftime, Hamilton quarterback Harrison Frost’s pass intended for Kenny Lawler bounced off the helmet of Kahzir Brown and was intercepted by Alonzo Addae in the endzone. The Redblacks led the Tiger-Cats 16-13 at halftime.
Ottawa’s offense had 239 yards, 12 first downs, and 6 for 12 on second downs. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 10 of 18 for 150 yards, and two carries for 11 yards. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had five carries for 71 yards and one catch for four yards, while quarterback Bryson Barnes had two carries for two yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Cade McDonald made two catches for 58 yards, and Keelen White made three catches for 40 yards.
Hamilton’s offense had 173 yards, 12 first downs, and 4 for 9 on second downs. Quarterback Harrison Frost went 13 of 18 for 158 yards and one interception. Running back Larry Rountree III had four carries for 14 yards and one catch for six yards, while Jake Dolegala had two carries for four yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made four catches for 86 yards, and Kiondre Smith made four catches for 35 yards.
Both teams had trouble getting going in the third quarter. Late in the third quarter, Hamilton had the ball on the 23-yard line. Running back Larry Rountree III caught a two-yard pass and had two carries for 24yards to help the offense reach the five-yard line. On the next play, Harrison Frost threw a touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler as time expired to end the third quarter. The Tiger-Cats led the Redblacks 20-16 on an 11-play drive for 87 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton started to pull away. They had the ball on the 24-yard line with 13:20 left. Running back Larry Rountree III had two carries for six yards and caught two passes for 24 yards to help the team reach the 41-yard line. On the next play, Harrison Frost threw the ball to Kenny Lawler for the touchdown. It was Lawler’s 400th-career CFL catch. The Tiger-Cats led the Redblacks 27-16 with 8:42 left on a seven-play drive for 86 yards.
Ottawa quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 32 yards to the 50-yard line. On the next play, Bethel-Thompson had pressure in his face. He could not get rid of the ball, leading Mitchell Agude to sack him, causing a fumble, and he recovered it for a seven-yard return to the 41-yard line. Larry Rountree III had four carries for 19 yards to help the offense reach the one-yard line. Quarterback Jake Dolegala scored the touchdown for a 34-16 lead with 2:57 left on a seven-play drive for 41 yards.
After Ottawa failed to get a third down, Hamilton took the ball and ran out the clock to end the game. The Tiger-Cats snapped a five-game losing streak with a 34-16 win over the Redblacks. Meanwhile, the Redblacks have now lost 15 straight games, and 21 straight losses since 2025.
Hamilton’s offense had 470 yards (342 passing yards, 141 rushing yards, 13 yards lost), 30 first downs, 15 of 24 on second downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 61 yards. Quarterback Harrison Frost completed 28 of 35 passes (80%) for 342 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Larry Rountree III had a nice game with 19 carries for 128 yards and four catches for 30 yards, while quarterback Jake Dolegala had four carries for eight yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made six catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns, while Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made six catches for 67 yards, and Kiondre Smith made six catches for 60 yards. The defense made 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Ottawa’s offense had 293 yards (208 passing yards, 98 rushing yards, 13 yards lost), 16 first downs, 7 of 19 on second downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 40 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 17 of 31 passes (54.8%) for 208 yards, and three carries for 11 yards. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had seven carries for 74 yards and three catches for 12 yards.
Wide receiver Cade McDonald made two catches for 58 yards, while Justin Hardy made five catches for 56 yards, and Keelen White made four catches for 52 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and one interception. Linebacker Nyles Morgan made 10 tackles.
Next Friday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Edmonton Elks at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, followed by the Ottawa Redblacks visiting the B.C. Lions at 10 pm on TSN and CFL+.
