Photo courtesy: Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
A soggy afternoon at Hamilton Stadium put a damper on the Tiger-Cats strong start as they fell 20-10 in their first preseason tilt in 2026 against the Toronto Argonauts.
For three-and-a-half quarters it felt like the Ticats were in control despite a tight scoreboard. The elements proved to be too tough for the depth of the offence to deal with. So, what should we take away from this game?
Elements
Credit the fans who showed up for the game and who stuck it out until the very end. It cannot be fun to sit in the stands trying to see through the droplets for a football game.
What could be less fun? Playing in those elements.
The ball and players are wet, the turf is slippery and these players are looking to make a name for themselves. This is an opportunity to crack the main roster and for players lower on the depth chart, it might be their only chance to make an impression in game action.
The quarterback and receiver play had its fair share of struggles in the wet conditions. Tre Ford went 2-of-10 for 14 yards through the air. Jake Dolegala was 5-of-14 for 61 yards and an interception, which went off the arms of Hamilton receiver Kyrese Rowan and into the hands of Argos’ rookie defensive back Ethan John.
It appears Hamilton put a focus on Ford playing from the pocket and on time. What has made Ford a dynamic player in the CFL is his improvisation. Hamilton clearly wanted to see what he could do without relying on broken plays. It was uncomfortable at points with receivers missed in open space or with a step on a defender. There were other plays where the ball hit the turf with no black jersey in sight. Ford did run the ball twice for 17 yards, with his first carry on his first play being for 12 yards. He also stood in for the only sack with a completely collapsed pocket and nowhere to go, losing five yards.
Dolegala fought the heavy rain off a little bit better. He was able to throw the ball with conviction and with good pace behind it. The issues came from ball placement for him.
Dolegala had an open receiver down the left sideline with a step in man-to-man coverage, but the ball was thrown short and off the defender’s helmet for an incompletion. Myron Mitchell had three catches on the day, but a notable drop from Dolegala with another pass thrown on the wrong side of his body to allow the Argos defensive back to close in coverage before knocking the ball down.
While it seemed like Scott Milanovich gave lots of time for Ford, I would imagine Dolegala gave the Ticats staff something to think about when it comes to QB2. These two will have another crack to solidify the backup role on Friday against these same Argonauts.
Ground game
Hamilton is without a household name at the running back position heading into 2026. As a team, they ran for 6.7 yards per carry on 22 attempts in the game, but Larry Rountree III seems to be running away with the starting job. The 27-year-old from North Carolina had an impressive 46-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter and finished with nine carries for 86 yards.
What worries me is that the touchdown run was set up because of a three-of-three for 50 yards start from Bo Levi Mitchell. Mitchell, who paced the CFL in passing yards last season, didn’t have a blemish in the start on Saturday before leaving the game late in the first quarter for Ford to take over. The play before the touchdown run, Mitchell threw a corner route in man-to-man coverage to Kiondre Smith for 32 yards. Smith creates bigger throwing windows with his big frame and long reach, and Mitchell was spot on the throw to get the Argos defence on their heels.
If your passing attack is as good as Hamilton’s, do they need a top rushing attack? The answer is no. But you don’t want to have the seventh-ranked rushing offence like you did in 2025. While these might not be the elements you play in during October and November, it gives you an idea of what you could be dealing with. Running the ball effectively sets up a team’s ability to throw the ball. Hamilton’s running attack was set up by their passing game with no explosive runs outside of two draw plays.
The Tiger-Cats will need a better push upfront from their offensive line on run downs. Repeatedly, they were pushed into the Ticats backfield and did not allow for the backs to maneuver. While the hogs did a good job for the most part keeping the quarterbacks clean in the passing game, they need to be the force driving the rushing attack and creating gaps to gash the defence.
Defence
There can be many approaches to how people view a football game. Typically, defence and special teams will get roped into one silo because they have the most effect on the other. That was the case for the Tiger-Cats because when it was good, it was good. When it was bad, it cost them a (meaningless?) win.
Let’s begin with the good, the start. On defence the Ticats were strong off the jump. Getting early down stops, forcing the Argos starters into second and long. When you limit the offence to two yards or less on first down, the defence is in the driver’s seat to get off the field. Chad Kelly made a few plays, completing passes and a solid run, but ultimately it was the Ticats defence able to force the Argos to kick the ball away.
The Ticats flew around on defence in the first half. Halfbacks making stops against the run at the line of scrimmage. Linebackers making tackles outside the numbers on screen plays, while the defensive line was creating pressure with four pass rushers.
If I was the Ticats defensive staff, I would have been very happy with how the starters got after it in the first half before the depth players took over.
There were a few times where the second and third-team had issues in coverage late in the game. They were covering grass, staying in one spot, and not adapting to the receivers crossing into their zones. One drive it got the Argos deep into Hamilton territory. That was before Kaleb Ford-Dement intercepted an errant ball thrown by Toronto pivot Tucker Horn. It was the only turnover of the game the Ticats forced.
Then came poor angles to the ball and arm tackle attempts on the Waegbe Mombo game-winning touchdown drive.
Special teams
Overall, I thought the special teams executed well in the game, especially early on. The coverage was great, limiting returns in both kickoff and punt team to minimal. Janarion Grant only had one punt return in the game, and it went for a grad total of zero yards. Special teams allowed the Ticats to flip the field in the first half and the defence finished the job by maintaining that in the first 30 minutes. Hamilton connected on their only field goal of the game thanks to Zach Copeland’s 28-yard attempt. It came after the Ticats went for it at Toronto’s 44-yard line on third-and-eight, with Dolegala throwing a strike for a first down.
Toronto missed a field goal early in the game. Mario Alford returned it 112 yards for a touchdown, but it was called back on a penalty in Hamilton territory. While the penalties need to be cleaned up with a game-changing returner of Alford’s pedigree, the question in the return game was answered. The 35-year-old has still got it. Xavier Malone added a 41-yard return later in the game for Hamilton. He proved to be an option as a second return man.
The cleanup on special teams film will mainly come from the second half. A no-yards penalty that left a short field for the Argos first major of the game is where it started. Ryan Meed ran to the ball and started to back up while he was nose-to-nose with the returner. The offence had left the punt team to kick it away in the shadow of their own goal post. The defence took a 13-yard penalty, which allowed Toronto to gain 18-yards to find the end-zone. It was the Argos first score of the game.
A too many men call cost the Ticats midway through the fourth quarter. Nahree Biggins, who was the Tiger-Cats fifth-string running back on the depth chart, came running off the field. You will see this in the preseason with rotating units on special teams allowing evaluation for different players. Whether Biggins was the guilty party or not, it cost the Ticats some yards.
On the ensuing punt, Kaleb Hayes was inside the restricted area and called for no-yards. It was close, but he looked like he was about four-and-a-half yards away instead of five. This gave Toronto an additional 15-yards for free. Mombo crossed the goal line for the game-winning score on the ensuing Argos drive.
The issues mainly came from young players, some of whom are still adapting to the CFL rules. While it ended up being costly in the win department for the Ticats, it is a learning lesson that Hamilton has a chance to clean up heading into the regular season. You would imagine Bob Dyce will hammer these points home when the team breaks the film down.
Play-calling
I wouldn’t worry about the decision Scott Milanovich made with 2:24 to go in the fourth quarter. Down 13-10, the Ticats head coach elected to go for it on his own four-yard line facing a third-and-25.
In the preseason, he would want to see how some of his depth players respond in that situation. Ultimately, Dolegala had a check-down pass fall incomplete. Toronto’s Sam Hicks ran in for his second touchdown of the game on the next play. If this aggressive play-calling leaks into the regular season, then there is cause for concern.
Takeaways
Messy elements led to messy play and Hamilton could not organize themselves enough to pull out a victory. A focus will be on discipline as the Ticats took 11 penalties for 144 yards compared to Toronto’s seven penalties for 75 yards. Looking at improving week after week is important and it starts with reducing the penalty yardage.
Up next
The Ticats head to Guelph to take on the Argonauts for their final preseason matchup on Friday, May 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET
