Ticats try to avoid looking ahead to Ottawa
The Storyline
This is, by generally-accepted sports accounting principles, a trap game for the favoured Tiger Cats. After the Argos, the Ticats play Ottawa in a home-and-home series which will decide first place in the CFL East, and it would be tempting to look past a team prematurely excused from post-season consideration and which you’ve beaten twice already.
But the Argos, playing for pride and contracts, have also shed the shackles of pressure and will have mobile James Franklin at quarterback. Franklin played only short-yardage situations during the Ticats’ September sweep (scoring three touchdowns), while McLeod BethelThompson directed the offence. Duron Carter should play an active role and the Ticats will have to watch out for Brandon Burks carrying the ball and the always-dangerous S.J. Green at receiver. Armanti Edwards had 112 receiving yards against the Ticats in Toronto Sept. 8.
This game also offers a contrast in expanded practice roster deployment. The Ticats, wanting to bring players up to speed in case they were needed in the stretch drive, chose the CFL’s first four-week window and will have offensive tackle Kelvin Palmer and DI receiver Marquay McDaniel in the lineup. The Argos
chose the second window and that should help them identify talent for next year over their final four weeks.
Key Hamilton roster notes:
The Ticats have signed WR Terrell Sinkfield but he won’t
play Friday. Terrence Toliver is the fourth WR to go on the sixgame injury list. DE Adrian Tracy won’t play, and neither will DT Jason Neill. Palmer likely starts his second game at left guard, national receiver Justin Buren makes his first CFL appearance and will start, and McDaniel will be the backup international receiver. Frankie Williams resumes his kick return job. Bralon Addison, who had that role last week, is back on the PR.
Key Toronto roster notes:
The Argos have just about everybody back from last week’s loss in B.C. but a significant change will be at quarterback where the aforementioned Franklin starts ahead of BethelThompson. Franklin directed two TD drives in four possessions last week in B.C. Of note to Hamilton fans: former Mac star Declan Cross has caught nine passes in the last three games, out of the fullback spot; Burlington’s Ryan Bomben, a three-time Eastern all-star guard for the Ticats who was traded to Montreal in May for the No. 1 draft choice, was traded to Toronto in late July.
Some nifty numbers worth knowing
1 — Number of games this year the Argonauts have led at halftime. Also the number of times they’ve scored 30 or more points. Hamilton has put up 30 or more eight times
4 — Of the Ticats’ 8 projected National starters Friday night have been drafted in the past three years. G Brandon Revenberg (2016); WR Mike Jones (2016), G Darius Ciraco (2018) and WR Justin Buren (2018)
6 — Number of losses in a row for the Argos, the longest losing
streak in head coach Marc Trestman’s CFL career.
8 — Number of years since the last three-game regular-season sweep in this rivalry. Hamilton won all 3 in 2010, but subsequently lost the East semifinal, 16-13, at home to the Argos.
81 — Total points by which Hamilton has outscored opponents in the first quarter. However, they are a negative-15 points in fourth quarters.
81.8 — Jeremiah Masoli’s Quarterback Rating, second in the CFL to Calgary Stampeder Bo Levi Mitchell’s 83.4, and now above Mike Reilly’s 78.2
84 — Receiving yards needed by Luke Tasker to reach 1000 for the third time in four years.
106 — Yards needed by Brandon Banks to move past Keith Baker (1981) into the Ticats’ top 10 for most receiving yards in a single season. Banks would need to average 136 yards per game to match Tony Champion’s franchise record of 1,656, set in 1989.