Bo Levi Mitchell and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats look to take down the host Ottawa RedBlacks for the second straight weekend on Sunday in the Canadian capital.
Mitchell’s 3-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler with 1:54 remaining lifted the Tiger-Cats to a 23-20 victory over the RedBlacks last Saturday in Hamilton.
It was the third consecutive win for Hamilton (3-2) and the third straight loss for Ottawa (1-5), which enters the East Division rematch with an 0-2 record at home.
Mitchell passed for 266 yards and two TDs in last Saturday’s win. Counterpart Dru Brown threw for 283 yards and one score with two second-half interceptions as Ottawa blew a 20-13 fourth-quarter lead.
The Tiger-Cats only had four points at halftime. Mitchell, a two-time CFL Most Outstanding Player, has been in the league since 2012 and knows there will be days when the offense struggles.
“It makes you understand as a player, as a team, as a whole that when you don’t have your best stuff it doesn’t mean you’re going to lose a game,” Mitchell said after the game.
“Tonight, we needed the defense, and it was there, it stepped up. I can’t wait to watch that film, watch the defense and just admire the amazing game it had.”
The RedBlacks offense was held to 313 yards (53 rushing) and Ottawa’s costly turnovers included a fumbled punt return by Kalil Pimpleton.
“That was a very difficult loss,” Ottawa coach Bob Dyce said. “Right now, where we’re at as a team, we can’t afford critical errors, and we had a couple of them.
“I’m never going to question Pimp’s heart. He’s out there playing offense and special teams … he just wasn’t able to secure that catch.”
Mitchell entered the weekend with a league-leading 11 touchdown passes and just one interception, while Lawler leads the CFL with seven TD catches through five games.
Brown, who has missed three of Ottawa’s games this year due to injury, has completed 73.0 percent of his passes for 1,012 yards with five TDs and two picks. His top target is Eugene Lewis with 30 catches for 422 yards and a pair of scores.
These teams will meet again at Hamilton in the Oct. 24 regular-season finale.
–Field Level Media
