Hamilton Tiger-Cats Luke Tasker is tackled by Toronto Argonauts Gregory Jones during the first half of their CFL football game in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada August 3, 2015.MARK BLINCH/Reuters
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats began Monday's home opener by unveiling a new 15-foot copper steam-whistle inside their year-old state-of-the art stadium. Its loud, high-pitched whistle welcomed in two Ontario rivals who had been forced out on the road for the entire first month of the CFL season, but it also signaled a fierce home field advantage that has now extended to eight Hamilton victories inside Tim Hortons Field.
In a battle of CFL vagabonds returning to the province after being displaced from their stadiums due to the Pan Am Games, pivot Zach Collaros tossed three touchdowns, while the defence forced five turnovers to lead the Tiger-Cats to a 34-18 win over the Toronto Argonauts. The win, on a bizarre night with intermittent rain and a lightning delay, preserves the Tabbies' unbeaten streak inside the stadium they opened last Labour Day.
The Ticats were getting their first home game of the season after going 2-2 on the road, displaced by soccer taking over their stadium during the Pan Am Games, which ended a week ago. A sellout crowd of 24,135 that filled the stadium Monday night, was finally seeing the building in its polished, finished state, after living through ongoing construction last season. Fans had last seen their Ticats at home last November, when they beat the Montreal Alouettes in the East final to seize a spot in the Grey Cup final.
The 3-1 Argos had played their first four away from home due to the Rogers Centre being booked up with the Pan Am Games opening and closing ceremonies and Toronto Blue Jays games. They had logged 30,000 kilometres in travel before the calendar even flipped to August. Monday's contest was their first of the season in the Eastern time zone.
"It felt like the East final today with all the anticipation and hoopla surrounding this game," said Collaros. "Staying undefeated here, it's always nice to win at home, but you should win at home in this league."
It was a battle of two young quarterbacks who both broke out while understudies for injured star Ricky Ray – players who were once roommates in Toronto now leading the province's two CFL offences. Collaros completed 21 of his 27 passes for 229 yards, while Harris was 29 of 40 for 311 yards and one touchdown.
Hamilton's Collaros first emerged as backup for the Argos in 2013, when he led the team to a 5-2 record while Ray was out with a shoulder injury, making him an easy choice for the Ticats when he became a free agent that off-season. Two years later, with Ray sidelined for another shoulder rehabilitation, the Argos are leaning on Trevor Harris, who had played to honours as the CFL's July player of the month by leading the league in completion percentage and efficiency rating behind a 3-1 record.
The Ticats got on the board first, less than three minutes in, with an unpredictable onside punt that baffled the Argos' return unit, specifically Toronto's returner, cornerback A.J Jefferson, who didn't pounce on the ball. Instead, Tabbies defensive back Brandon Stewart recovered it and went 32 yards to score.
"It was something we covered this week, but until you see it, you might not recognize it," said Argos coach Scott Milanovich. "Our entire sideline was yelling 'they're onside', but the visual you get from the sideline is different. That's not on A.J. -– we will all get better from that."
Hamilton struck again just inside the second quarter, as Collaros found veteran receiver Bakari Grant wide open deep in the endzone, resulting in a 16-yard touchdown pass.
Harris immediately answered by driving the Argos 75 yards down the field, concluding with a 17-yard touchdown pass to wideout Tori Gurley. That's when the sky opened up in Steeltown, and sideways rain and howling winds had fans dashing from their seats and packing into the concourses.
Hamilton wasn't long in bolstering the lead over its rival once again, as Collaros hit receiver Terrence Toliver for a 40-yard score. Then lightning struck nearby the stadium with just five minutes left in the half, so both teams were forced indoors, causing a 25-minute delay in the action.
When the disjointed game resumed, the rain had passed, and the Argos' defence got to work pinning the Ticats deep in their own zone and forcing them to concede a safety. The two-hour half ended with Hamilton ahead 21-9.
Inside the half, Collaros and Grant connected for another touchdown; the Argos added one field goal and the Ticats added three of them. Harris threw several passes that should have been caught. Mitchell Gale relieved Harris late in the fourth and tossed a touchdown to Vidal Hazelton, but it was too little too late to beat their rivals down the Queen Elizabeth Way.
While earning the win, the Ticats did also suffer losses as two players were sent to hospital with injuries. Star running back C.J. Gable, who dashed for 135 yards last week in his first game of year after missing the last half of last season, went down again. So did receiver Andy Fantuz. Both reportedly suffered upper-body injuries.
Star receiver Chad Owens suffered an ankle injury for the Argos.
The foes are now tied atop the Eastern Conference, both with 3-2 records, and will meet twice more this season.
Rachel Brady