Aug
Ticats win wet and wild one
The bend but don’t break defence – with a little heroics from Markeith Knowlton – seems to be working just fine, thank you very much.
Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray torched the hometown Tiger Cats for 335 yards and the Eskimos put up 422 yards in total offence but walked away losers after Hamilton pulled out a 28-21 win in front of 19,000-plus soggy but jubilant fans on Saturday night.
Knowlton had a fumble recovery, an end zone interception and 10 tackles – including the game-ender – and halfbacks Chris Thompson and Geoff Tisdale teamed up on a 69-yard interception return for a touchdown to pace the Cats to their fourth win of the season.
The 4-2 record means the team will improve on the 3-15 campaigns they’ve managed the last two years.
“It feels great,” said Ticat quarterback Quinton Porter after the game. “It doesn’t feel great because I’m proving anything, it feels great because this team is winning. We’re putting in all the work we can right now to get this team on track and now we’re 4-2. We’re right where we want to be.
“We know we’re a good team right now and if people want to keep questioning us, that’s fine.”
Edmonton scored first courtesy of a safety conceded by Ticat kicker Nick Setta with just under seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Esks then took the ensuing kick off 69 yards in 10-plays capped by a five-yard pass from Ricky Ray to Kamau Peterson. That made it Edmonton 9 Hamilton 0 with just over a minute remaining.
Ray was at it again in the second, hitting receiver Fred Stamps with a 50-yard pass to set up a 25-yard Noel Prefontaine field goal that made 12-0 with just over five minutes gone in the quarter.
Ticat quarterback Quinton Porter struggled early – he started five-for 10 for 26 yards – but then put together a nine-play, 93-yard drive by taking the underneath stuff to receivers Chris Davis and Arland Bruce. DeAndra’ Cobb finished it off with a six-yard run and the Cats were in business, though still behind 12-7.
The Cat D took care of that. A vicious hit by linebacker Jamall Johnson on Ray sent up an air ball that Thompson picked off. He charged upfield 21 yards then lateraled to Geoff Tisdale who took it 48-yards to the house, giving the Cats a 14-12 lead.
“That was one of those: ‘No, no, no, no yes, yes, yes, yes’ (plays),” said head coach Marcel Bellefeuille afterward. “I think that our players are intelligent enough to know when you can be aggressive and when not to be aggressive.”
Back game the Eskimos. A good kickoff return set them up with good field position and Ray marched them 44 yards before settling for a nine-yard field goal to retake the lead 15-14 with just over 90 seconds left in the half.
After the Tiger-Cats couldn’t get anything going, the Eskimos then went 40 yards in 41 seconds to set up at 38-yard Prefonatine field goal on the final play of the quarter that made it 18-14.
The Cats got a break early in the second when, after forcing the Esks two-and-out, punter Prefontaine fumbled a high snap that was scooped up by Knowlton – his second fumble recovery of the year. But the Cats couldn’t convert third and a long one at the Edmonton 36 when Cobb was bottled up behind the line of scrimmage.
The Cats got the ball back – at their own one-yard line – after Prefontaine’s 41-yard punt rolled out at the goal line. Hamiton got one first down but were forced to punt and a no-yards penalty set up Edmonton at the Ticat 37.
A 26-yard touchdown pass from Ray was called back on holding call against Patrick Kabongo and the Esks had to settle for a field goal – despite converting a third-and-one by the tip of the football at the Cats 17-yard line. The 20-yard kick made 21-14 Edmonton with 4:16 remaining in the third.
The Ticats tied it up on another great drive, this one an eight play, 75 yard gem that ended with Chris Davis taking a big hit to get to pay dirt at the end of a 21-yard catch and run. That made it 21 all as three stanzas came to a close
The Eskimos were threatening again early in the fourth when Knowlton stepped up, this time picking off Ray in the end zone.
As the rain that fell all night kept coming, the field position battle started. Ticat kicker Nick Setta boomed two punts of 50-plus yards to keep the Esks pinned deep and the defence held. Head coach Marcel Bellefeuille then passed on a 50-yard field goal try, electing to punt a third straight time. The Eskimos got the ball at their five.
Again the defence held, forcing a two-and-out after Eskimo head coach Richie Hall elected not to go for it on third-down and a long one.
Cue the D.J. Facing second and eight, the Cats called a draw play and Cobb – who friends and family refer to a D.J. – looked dead. He made a move, broke a tackle and ripped off a 40-yard run to the Esks’ one-yard line. Porter punched in to give the Cats a seven point lead with 46 seconds remaining in the game.
The Cat D then held the fort to seal the win, with Knowlton making the game-ending tackle.
Porter finished with 211 yards on 26 of 37 passing with one touchdown and no interceptions. Arland Bruce, in just his second game as a Ticat, had eight catches for 78 yards and had Cobb 75 yards on 12 carries.
