CFL: Ticats seeking some payback for 60-1 loss to Stamps

HAMILTON— Simoni Lawrence hasn’t forgot about the last time the Hamilton Tiger-Cats faced the Calgary Stampeders.

Hamilton’s colourful linebacker had a front-row seat to Calgary’s lopsided 60-1 victory at McMahon Stadium on July 29. Lawrence, the Ticats’ defensive catalyst, could only watch because of a leg injury.

“It was super tough,” Lawrence said. “You never not want to be with your team and watch them lose a game like that . . . and how it was (as) Calgary kept putting it on them.

“I didn’t get the opportunity to play against these guys and they’re considered one of the best teams. Being a player you want to play against the best.”

Lawrence will get that chance Friday night when Hamilton (4-10) hosts Calgary (12-1-1) at Tim Hortons Field. The Ticats trail the Ottawa Redblacks (6-9-1) for second in the East Division while the Stampeders can cement first in the West with a win and Winnipeg loss to B.C. on Saturday.

A loss to Calgary and Ottawa win over Saskatchewan on Friday night would eliminate the Ticats from playoff contention. Despite the 59point margin of victory, Lawrence didn’t feel the Stampeders ran up the score against Hamilton.

“No, it’s professional football,” he said. “If you can beat a team by 100 points, why not?”

Hamilton, which is 4-2 under interim coach June Jones, is coming off a 30-13 road win over Winnipeg last weekend. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli threw for 338 yards and two TDs and hasn’t surrendered an interception in three games (110 pass attempts).

Jones said the win over Winnipeg (10-4) gave the Ticats a confidence boost.

“Winning on the road against a good football team is not easy to do,” Jones said. “We pulled it off and that builds confidence, definitely.”

The Stampeders have won 11 straight regular-season games versus the Ticats and are 7-3 in their last 10 visits to Hamilton.