After opening the season last weekend with a 38-26 loss at Calgary, Hamilton Tiger-Cats coach Scott Milanovich quickly identified the problems.
“We, I thought, got outplayed in all three phases,” he said. “We’ve got to improve in every area.”
In other words, Hamilton needs to step up its game in all aspects on Saturday night when it hosts the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
An offense that should be the team’s strength didn’t get going until facing a 35-11 fourth-quarter deficit, while the defense simply gave up too many long drives and the special teams failed to help out either the offense or defense.
Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 304 yards, but too many of them came too late. There was no running game of which to speak, with the Tiger-Cats managing a mere 47 yards on the ground. And two massive kicking game errors handed Calgary 14 points bridging the halves, shaping the game’s remainder.
“We have to communicate a little more and fix the mistakes,” said Tiger-Cats guard Liam Dobson. “And it’ll come together.”
While Hamilton tries to bounce back, Saskatchewan looks for a more consistent 60-minute effort on the heels of a 31-26 home win against Ottawa on June 5. The Roughriders established a 31-14 lead after three quarters and hung on during a lackluster fourth quarter.
Quarterback Trevor Harris, who threw for 277 yards and two scores last week, said Saskatchewan needs a steadier effort to come away with the road win.
“In this league, games are never over,” he said. “We’ve just got to make sure we realize it’s a full 60 minutes no matter what. It’s about who are we becoming in the process early in the season and finding ways to win.”
The Roughriders’ running back room has been beefed up with the signing of former Toronto starter Ka’Deem Carey. He’ll back up A.J. Ouellette, who was cleared to play after passing concussion protocol this week.
But Saskatchewan will play without receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker (foot), who hit the six-game injured list this week along with linebacker C.J. Avery (knee).
–Field Level Media
