Photo: Bob Butrym/RFB Sport Photography / 3Downnation. All rights reserved.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats fell 14-13 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday night at Hamilton Stadium.
Fresh off the bye week, Hamilton had their sights set on a third consecutive victory. Unfortunately, the football gods had other plans. Starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell left in an ambulance in the third quarter after getting sacked by Jake Ceresna. This was after Winnipeg’s starting quarterback, Zach Collaros, left the game in the second quarter.
When Winnipeg and Hamilton met in Week 2 of the season, I wrote that we should enjoy the games where Collaros and Mitchell go head-to-head. I am hopeful this was not the final time those two quarterbacks faced off in the Canadian Football League. First and foremost, I wish nothing but quick and healthy recoveries for both.
As to what resulted in a frustrating loss for Hamilton, there were many key factors. Following a Week 5 bye, the Ticats do not have a week off until the middle of September. Hamilton needs to find the answers to the questions this game sparked, and quickly.
SIMILAR SCRIPT, DIFFERENT GAME
Week 5 felt eerily like Week 1 for the Tiger-Cats in terms of the on-the-field play. From the jump, Hamilton took control of the game, and it felt like they were on cruise control. Ultimately, that resulted in a loss and dropped their record to 2-2. With an unknown timetable on a potential return for Mitchell, those two losses will loom large in the CFL East Division race.
What stands out from Week 5 is the interception that flipped the script and the defence being unable to get off the field when their opponent needed a drive.
While the third-and-short conversion at midfield from Winnipeg on their final drive caused issues, it was not the deflator of the drive for the Hamilton defence. Hamilton lined up offside and had too many men on the field, but short-yardage is simple enough for the offence to get. Later in the drive, the same unit jumped offside for Winnipeg on second-and-four. That was still not the great deflator.
That came on second-and-eight from the Hamilton 37-yard line, when Brady Oliveira took an inside zone run to the left side of his offensive line. A 10-yard carry moved the sticks for the Blue Bombers and kept their drive alive. Eventually, it would result in a 23-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo with 21 seconds left to win the game for Winnipeg.
Winnipeg ran the ball for 53 yards in the game until their final drive, where they added 44 yards on the ground. It was clear Mike O’Shea was shielding Taylor Elgersma from shouldering the brunt of the load during the game-winning drive. Instead, he leaned on Brady Oliveira to run the ball. Even with the game plan laid out for Hamilton to see, they could not stop it when they needed to.
Week 1 and Week 5 losses now loom large as missed opportunities for the Ticats.
GREAT EQUALIZER
During the bye week, I reflected on the pieces I had written since the beginning of the preseason. Was I too focused on the abysmal running game? Did I focus too much of the preseason pieces around the battle for the backup quarterback position? After Sunday, it became clear the answer to both of those questions was no.
After Week 3, I had come around to the style of offence that Hamilton runs. The passing game, with all its weapons, allowed room for the rushing attack. That system works great when you have Bo Levi Mitchell at the helm, operating the offence at the highest level possible. Where do you turn now that you have lost the great equalizer?
The lack of a rushing attack is now exacerbated with either Ford or Dolegala running the offence. Hamilton finds themselves needing the balance to take pressure off the new pivots.
Aside from one carry for 17 yards, the rest of the night amounted to 28 yards on eight carries for Larry Rountree III. Simply put, the ground game was non-existent and unreliable for the Tiger-Cats on Sunday. When Winnipeg and Hamilton met in Week 2, the Tiger-Cats leaned on the ground game. The weather played a factor; however, there was a commitment from the offence for consistent runs. That did not happen in Week 5, as the Tiger-Cats’ first attempt on the ground was on their third drive of the game, nine minutes and 32 seconds in.
If the Ticats want to find success without Mitchell under centre, it will need to come from a commitment to picking up yards on the ground.
HEAD SCRATCHING DECISIONS
It felt as though the game shifted from “Hamilton is in control despite a tight score” to “I think Winnipeg can win this” with just under 10 minutes remaining. It was a personnel decision that created that change. Tre Ford had not been impressive since taking over for Mitchell. However, in just over a quarter of action, he was not actively losing Hamilton the game.
Jake Dolegala was put in on second-and-15 in the Hamilton end of the field with just under ten minutes left in the fourth quarter. On first-and-15, Ford had scrambled around and dumped a ball off to Larry Rountree. The pass was not great and fell to the turf. Was there a directive from the Tiger-Cats for Tre Ford to limit the improvisation? Did the Ticats brass feel as though the mundane level of offensive production warranted a quarterback replacement in that moment? To insert Dolegala raises questions.
After Dolegala came in for Ford, he threw a pass directly into the chest of Winnipeg defensive back Deatrick Nichols. Luckily for the Tiger-Cats, the ball hit the turf and did not result in a turnover, but a punt instead. On the following drive, Dolegala would come out to hand the ball off three times. After a first down was gained, Hamilton was then forced to a second-and-long. Tre Ford came in and threw the ball right to Major Williams for an interception. That was Ford’s last throw of the game. Dolegala would get the final crack after an attempted reverse on a kick return went wrong and Hamilton needed to go 100 yards. Dolegala threw an incompletion and was sacked on the final two plays.
It is clear that neither Ford nor Dolegala have the full faith of the staff to take control as a play caller in the absence of Mitchell. Every team faces challenges when their franchise quarterback is not available. I would like to see more conviction from the Tiger-Cats staff behind one player. To me, it is Tre Ford as the starter for next Sunday’s matchup in Saskatchewan, unless someone better can be brought into the fold via trade or free agency.
WHEN IS EARLY, TOO EARLY?
As I have mentioned before, I tend to trust my gut on decisions in the moment. When Hamilton kicked the field goal to go up 10-3 with 8:33 to go in the first half, I wanted the Ticats to go for it. While the injury to Mitchell was devastating for the Tiger-Cats, he did not have his best game of the season in the first half. With the ball on the Winnipeg three-yard line and facing a third-and-goal, Hamilton elected for the points. A turnover on downs would have given Winnipeg the ball 107 yards away from the Hamilton end zone. A touchdown? That would have put more of a grasp on the game for Hamilton going up 14-3.
With the limited production from the Winnipeg offence to that point, the return on the risk was more valuable than the three points.
This thought occurred to me as the field goal unit made its way onto the field. It became more apparent when Winnipeg’s offence came back out for their ensuing drive, led by backup quarterback Taylor Elgersma. Had the Tiger-Cats known at that point that Zach Collaros was done for the night, would it have changed their decision?
I hope there will be more trust put in this offence moving forward. With how the game started, I doubt the Tiger-Cats staff thought it would be their second-to-last opportunity to score in the game. In the moment, when the clock also works in your favour, you should take the chance, which Hamilton did not.
A VALUABLE MISS
Sergio Castillo missed a 56-yard field goal with under a minute to play in the opening half, and for the first time, the rouge bit the Ticats this season.
Castillo had his plant foot slip and missed the uprights short and to his right. Isaiah Wooden Sr. stepped up to make a play on the ball and missed. Wooden would retreat to pick up the ball in the Tiger-Cats’ end zone, taking a knee and conceding a single.
The single point loomed large as it cut Hamilton’s lead from 13-3 to 13-4. The Tiger-Cats got outscored 10-0 in the second half. Instead of a game-tying field goal from Castillo with under a minute to go, it won the Blue Bombers the game.
The new rules surrounding the rouge did not impact this play. However, an important lesson on how moments like that one can change the end of a game was had.
Would I have liked Wooden to play the ball differently? I would not. Again, I doubt the Ticats felt as though they would not see another opportunity to score in the game. But one throwaway moment can still result in a complete end-of-game shift in the Canadian Football League.
HEC OF AN OPPORTUNITY
I outlined earlier how devastating the losses of Mitchell and Collaros can be. It could change the season for either of these teams, depending on the severity and timeline of the injuries. While it hurts for their teammates and the fans of the game, it breathes opportunity for others.
Taylor Elgersma, the 2024 Hec Crighton Trophy winner, and Tre Ford, the 2021 Hec Crighton Trophy winner, were the first options off the bench for their respective sides on Sunday night. Years ago, this would have been a dream for fans of Canadian university football. Two quarterbacks who cut their teeth at OUA schools getting an opportunity to be a roster player in the CFL and having an impact on the result of games.
Both teams seem to have a decision ahead of them. For Hamilton, based on the look of the injury, they will need a new quarterback under centre for a bit of time at minimum. For Winnipeg, the timeline on Collaros is less visible, and he might be available sooner than Mitchell. Will the Bombers give a chance to Elgersma? Or do they turn to the newly-acquired Dru Brown? Time will tell, but Elgersma’s name is firmly in contention.
For those wondering, Elgersma and Ford squared off twice in their university careers. Both games came in the 2021 OUA regular season, with Ford’s Waterloo Warriors getting the better of Elgersma’s Golden Hawks twice. Ford was a fourth-year starter for Waterloo that season. Elgersma was a 19-year-old freshman who was thrust into a starting role due to an injury to Laurier’s veteran quarterback Connor Carusello.
In Week 5 in the CFL, it was Elgersma getting the better of Ford for the first time in his career.
NEXT STEPS
Hamilton has a tough task in Week 6 with a trip to Saskatchewan on Sunday, July 12, at 7:00 p.m. EDT. Will there be more emphasis on the run? Who will start under centre? Can the Tiger-Cats win without Bo-Levi Mitchell?
These questions are left heading into the Tiger-Cats matchup out West.
