No. 1 job for Watford in Ottawa? Ball control

Short passes, lots of running, worked in win over Calgary

Game 7 Hamilton Tiger Cats (3-3) vs. Ottawa Redblacks (1-4) Wed., Sept. 22, 7:30 p.m. TD Place Stadium, Ottawa The Storyline

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will be out to prove — to themselves, mostly, but also to the struggling-mightily Ottawa Redblacks — they are the team that beat Montreal, Toronto and Calgary and not the kind of team that lost to the Argos in a 17-16 result that flattered the Ticats. While quarterback David Watford got his CFL legs under him with his first pro start in last Friday’s 23-16 win over Calgary, his No. 1 job will still be to keep the ball in Hamilton, not Ottawa hands. So, expect the same menu of Watford using his own legs to extend plays, throwing short and generally safe passes, using receivers Papi White and Tim White as running backs to the outside and sticking with the up-the-middle run game, too (30 rushes overall), even if the Redblacks stifle it. However, he might also want to keep his eyes downfield as the Redblacks’ secondary is without injured veterans Abdul Kanneh and Sherrod Baltimore. Ottawa has also had injuries on the offensive line and should be vulnerable to the hard pass rush. If the Ticats can force quarterback Dominque Davis to throw before he’s ready, he can be pressured into mistakes. This is the second short turnaround game for the Ticats in less than two weeks, but there is a lot of recovery time on the near horizon which should help them get key players Brandon Banks, Chris Van Zeyl, Bralon Addison and DeVier Posey back into the lineup for the second half.

Key Hamilton roster notes

David Watford starts his second straight game at quarterback with Jeremiah Masoli in reserve … The only change from the roster play last Friday against Calgary is Eddy Wilson moving in as backup defensive

lineman for Lee Autry, although running back Sean Thomas Erlington is listed as a game-time decision … Brandon Banks, Mike Daly, and DeVier Posey remain on the one-game injured list. Chris Van Zeyl, Bralon Addison and Dane Evans are on the six-game … QB Jalen Morton, who spent time with the NFL Colts earlier this year, was signed earlier in the week and helped run scout teams in practice but will not dress.

Key Ottawa roster notes

Dominque Davis will start again at quarterback. Matt Nichols has not moved the team well in his starts … Four Canadians will start on the offensive line with centre Mark Korte moving to left tackle ... Rookie left guard Jakub Szott, a fourth-round 2020 draft pick, played four years at McMaster … Wide receiver Daniel Petermann was a star for Cardinal Newman and McMaster and earned a 2019 Grey Cup ring with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He is listed behind Nate Behar for Wednesday … SAM linebacker Don Unamba was a CFL all-star for the Ticats in 2018 and made four interceptions over two seasons with Hamilton … Key defensive backs Abdul Kanneh, a former Ticat, and Sherrod Baltimore are injured.

They said it

“It was just important to get them out there, get some of the soreness out, move around, introduce the game plan and then get them off their feet.” — Ticats head coach Orlondo Steinauer on holding only one hour of regular practice (Monday) between games vs. Calgary last Friday and in Ottawa Wednesday.

“I think it was more just anxious: I haven’t had that feeling where I was running out of the tunnel knowing I was the guy and going to execute every play of the game plan. I had some nerves but the guys gave me the quiet confidence.” — Hamilton’s starting quarterback David Watford on his first pro start, and win, last Friday against Calgary.

Dominique Davis, the Redblacks’ starting quarterback to begin 2019, gets another opportunity. He completed 30-of-51 passes for 333 yards against the Lions, with a touchdown toss. But he also threw a costly interception that went the other way for a touchdown late in the first half and he also fumbled deep in his own zone.

“There were a couple of bad decisions, I have to correct those and continue to get completions. I’m not the only quarterback in this league that’s made a bad decision, and I won’t be the last quarterback in this league to make a bad decision. Sometimes the defence is going to make a better play — that’s just the name of the game.” — Ottawa QB Dominique Davis on his 333 passing yards, a touchdown, a pick-six and a fumble in a loss to B.C. Numbers

0 — Kickoffs have been returned for touchdowns in the CFL this year. There have been 196 kickoffs.

2 — Pick-sixes this year for Simoni Lawrence, one of the CFL’s three top performers of the week. No other Ticat, even on offence, has more than his two touchdowns. Running back Sean Thomas Erlington also has two.

12 — More quarterback sacks have been surrendered by the Hamilton offence than the Hamilton defence has made, the largest negative differential in the CFL. Montreal leads at plus-10.

30 — Rushing attempts by the Ticats last Friday against Calgary, 10 more than in any previous game this year. They never reached 30 in a game in 2019, although four times they had 25 or more.

43 — Points scored by the Ticats after opponents’ turnovers, second in the CFL to Winnipeg’s 50. Ottawa has scored only 7.

112 — The number of points scored this year by both the Argos and Ticats, an average of 18.7 per game. Only Ottawa’s 16 per game is lower.

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