Masoli leads Ticats past Lions in East Division semi
HAMILTON 48 B.C. 8
HAMILTON — Jeremiah Masoli showed on Sunday why he’s the East Division nominee for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Masoli threw three first-half touchdowns to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a lopsided 48-8 East Division semifinal win over the B.C. Lions. That capped a memorable week for Masoli, who earned the outstanding-player nomination as well as his first division all-star nod after finishing second overall in passing (5,209 yards) in his first full season as a CFL starter.
“All those things are nice and all good, but if you don’t win the Grey Cup it’s just for naught,” Masoli said. “We’re focused on our ultimate goal as a team.”
Masoli was 14-of-19 passing for 259 yards and helped Hamilton emphatically snap a three-game losing streak.
Retired wrestler Ric Flair whipped the announced Tim Hortons Field sellout of 23,911 into a frenzy by leading the pre-game hoopla. But Masoli set the tone by converting a second-and-12 situation with a 38-yard completion to Bralon Addison on the Ticats’ second play from scrimmage.
Tackle Kevin Powell capped that opening nine-play, 90-yard scoring march by recovering Dane Evans’ third-and-one fumble in the end zone at 6:20 of the first.
“Bralon did a great job reading the coverage,” Masoli said.
Hamilton opened the game with three straight TD drives, the first time any team had done so in a CFL playoff since the Ticats on Nov. 17, 1985, in a 50-26 win over Montreal. Masoli did his part, completing his first 10 passes for 177 yards and two touchdown strikes.
Hamilton also earned its second straight one-sided home win over B.C. after downing the Lions 40-10 on Sept. 29. This after losing starting cornerback Jumal Rolle to an Achilles injury suffered during the pre-game warmup.
Addison, who started ahead of former NFLer Terrell Sinkfield Jr., was outstanding with five first-half catches for 124 yards, while Luke Tasker had three receptions for 70 yards and two TDs. Hamilton amassed 450 net offensive yards and surged into a commanding 28-0 halftime advantage as Masoli had every answer for a B.C. defence that finished tied for the CFL lead in sacks (45) and interceptions (21).
But the Lions were a dismal 2-7 on the road this season.
Ticats head coach June Jones had a simple reason for starting Addison ahead of Sinkfield. “He’s better,” Jones said. “He gets it, he understands, he’s smart.”
B.C. reached the East Division playoffs as a crossover team after finishing fourth in the West with a 9-9 record. But the Lions ended their season with three straight losses, an unceremonious end to head coach Wally Buono’s illustrious CFL career.
“They coached better, they played better, they made plays and we didn’t really even show up,” Buono said matter of factly.
The 40-point playoff loss was also the worst in Lions’ history. No crossover team has reached the Grey Cup since the rule was adopted in 1996.
Hamilton’s Frankie Williams ended B.C. starter Travis Lulay’s day with a 39-yard interception return TD at 9:22 of the third. After completing 8-of-17 passes for 103 yards with a pick and lost fumble, Lulay was replaced by Jonathon Jennings on the Lions’ next possession.
B.C. drove to the Hamilton oneyard line late in the third, but Tyrell Sutton couldn’t handle a high snap. Ticats linebacker Simoni Lawrence recovered and returned the ball to the Lions’ oneyard line, where Evans scored to put the home side up 44-0 at 13:55.
The Lions finally broke Hamilton’s shutout bid with Jennings’ 30-yard TD pass to Shaq Johnson at 2:15 of the fourth. Jennings then found Bryan Burnham for the two-point convert.
“We just could not do anything to get over the hump,” Lulay said. “It just didn’t happen, today wasn’t our day. You have to give credit to Hamilton.”
Masoli and Tasker are looking forward to playing Ottawa again, this time with a Grey Cup berth on the line.