Get the crowd in the game

Ticats can do that if they give their home-field fans a reason to cheer early

In the biggest game of the year — of the century, from a Hamilton Tiger-Cats perspective — how do you turn home-field advantage from an assumption into a reality?

By almost all measurements, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are deservedly clear favourites to win Sunday’s Grey Cup game. But, even they have mentioned the Ticats do enjoy home-field advantage, although the Bombers have intentt and

ons of blunting that quickly often. The Bombers have noted the Ticats didn’t have to spend time this week making family travel and accommodation arrangements, going through COVID-19 travel protocols and 1,500 kilometres of flight, settling into a hotel, or disrupting their normal daily rhythms.

And, “Tim Hortons Field is a hostile place,” says massive Bomber offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick.

Indeed it is. In the ear canals and on the scoreboard. Over the past two seasons, the Tiger-Cats are a combined 16-2 at home, with the only losses coming to Montreal and Toronto in back-to-back games in early October, which does not happen to be this month, nor last. To maximize what Tim Hortons Field can give them, the Ticats have to get the crowd into it and prevent the visiting team from taking them out of it.

That means not only discouraging long Bombers’ offensive series early, especially into the wind, but big scoring plays. Three times in the past four games, the defence was on the field too long, too early, which is exactly what Winnipeg’s running g the play-extending determination of quarterback Zach Collaros will be trying to emulate Sunday.

In the first quarter particularly, the Ticats offence can’t have multt

fence can’t give up sustained drives. If they do, Winnipeg is likely to spit back at them a lot more than the field goals Montreal and Toronto did the past two weeks.

Hamilton fans understand defence and special teams and react instantly and without decorum when they see a play that can turn the game in the Ticats favour. A return, blocked kick, sack, interception, or fumble recovery can be very unnerving at Tim Hortons Field, even for a team as talented and e

BARRY GRAY THE HAMILTON SPECTATOR FILE PHOTO The Tiger-Cats can take advantage of home field by making big plays and getting their fans into it from the outset.

THE CANADIAN PRESS FILE PHOTO Ticats’ Jovan Santos-Knox celebrates a sack in the East semifinal and says the Ticats need more early take-aways against Winnipeg.

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