Hamilton
Tiger-Cats
Tiger-Cats
29
Final
Thu Jun 8
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ham | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| ott | 11 | 6 | 3 | 10 |
30
Ottawa
Redblacks
Redblacks
Attendance: 23,252
REDBLACKS steal late pre-season win over Ticats
OTTAWA — Ray Early’s 37-yard field
goal with 1:08 remaining lifted the Ottawa REDBLACKS to a 30-29
pre-season opening win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thusday night in
Ottawa.
Backup quarterback Ryan Lindley engineered two straight scoring drives, leading the REDBLACKS back from a nine-point deficit to jump out to a 1-0 start in pre-season action.
A sparkling first quarter from starting pivot Trevor Harris set Ottawa ahead 17-8 before the Ticats went on a 21-3 run, including two touchdowns from backup quarterback and Notre Dame graduate Everett Golson.
In the end, though, the Ticats didn’t have an answer for Lindley, who finished 16-of-24 with 133 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Jeremiah Masoli and Cody Keith also scored for the ‘Cats while Kevin Elliott caught six passes for 94 yards.
And perhaps no one was more impressive on this night than Harris, who was in mid-season form. He left part way through the opening frame with 145 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-15 passing.
RELATED
The REDBLACKS’ offence picked up exactly where it left off in last
year’s prolific Grey Cup game, starting with a 13-yard hookup between
Harris and the newcomer Joshua Stangby.
Three straight completions to Diontae Spencer, Brad Sinopoli and William Powell eventually set up the game’s opening score, when Harris turned up the heat and threaded the needle on a throw in tight coverage to Juron Criner in the end zone.
Rick Campbell opted to go for two, giving Ottawa an 8-0 lead on a perfect opening drive.
Down 11-0 following a Ray Early field goal, Jeremiah Masoli needed to get into a rhythm and did just that. The Ticats’ backup pivot, getting the start in place of Zach Collaros (rest), found Brian Tyms over the middle on second down for a 22-yard gain to get things moving.
Masoli, known for working his magic, made something out of nothing in the pocket, escaping extra pressure and throwing downfield on the run. The tipped pass ended up in the hands of Kevin Elliott for a 36-year gain, setting up a drive-capping touchdown to Ross Scheuerman.
Masoli ran for the two-point conversion himself, capping off a seven-play drive that included three second-down conversions.
While the REDBLACKS led by only three through the first 15 minutes, their 177 passing yards (190 total offensive yards) were impressive as Harris marched the offence up and down the field without much resistance.
That continued through the short break as Drew Tate picked up right where Harris left off, the veteran backup setting up a 26-yard field goal from Zack Medeiros to extend the lead to 14-8.
Even with their top two quarterbacks on the sideline, the REDBLACKS continued to move the football throughout the second quarter. Another long scoring drive ended in a Medeiros field goal, giving the home team a one-sided 15-3 edge in first downs and a 17-8 lead in the ball game.
With Golson under centre, the Ticats mounted their response in timely fashion. A 45-yard run by camp hopeful and international running back Alex Green moved the Ticats into scoring territory while, soon after, Golson’s 23-yard completion to Gary Chambers set up a one-yard keeper for the quarterback himself to cut the deficit to 17-15.
Aside from an early field goal by the REDBLACKS, neither team could find an edge until late in the third. Matt Johnson finally got the ball moving the for the Ticats but after moving into the red zone, the Ticats’ developmental pivot was hit by Ettore Lattanzio and injured on the play.
The hit resulted in a 15-yard penalty, while Johnson had to exit the game for the Ticats. Keith came in momentarily, while Golson scored his second touchdown of the game to put the Tabbies ahead 22-20.
While the REDBLACKS’ offence sputtered into the fourth, Keith was next in line for the Ticats and quickly took his turn. A crafty catch-and-run along the sideline by Damarr Aultman set up an eventual touchdown run by the rookie quarterback, extending the Ticats’ run to 29-20 early in the fourth.
Lindley’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Shakir Bell cut the REDBLACKS’ deficit to 29-27, and the backup quarterback vying for a roster spot would get a chance to give his team the lead with the ball in his hand and 3:16 in the game.
Through the Lens: Ticats at REDBLACKS
[foogallery id=”563258″]
Lindley’s pass to Bilal Marshall moved the sticks, then Alberta running back and 2017 draft pick Ed Ilnicki found a gaping hole in the Ticats’ defence and ran for another first down.
While the drive stalled, Early’s 37-yard field goal gave the REDBLACKS a 30-29 edge with 1:08 remaining.
Keith, after scoring a touchdown early in the quarter, couldn’t muster a comeback on this night, throwing three straight incomplete passes leading up to a REDBLACKS victory formation.
On the injury front, REDBLACKS offensive lineman Pierce Burton, who signed with the team this week, left the game with what appeared to be a leg injury. Meanwhile, Tori Gurley left the game in the third quarter after taking a hard hit from Richard Leonard.
Ticats quarterback Johnson did not return following his third-quarter exit while Golson was also seen hobbling back to the bench after scoring on a quarterback sneak.
The Ticats play their pre-season finale at home on vs. the Argos on June 16 — a precursor to June 25 when the two teams open their regular season.
Ottawa, meanwhile, heads on the road to close out pre-season with a visit to Montreal on June 15.
Backup quarterback Ryan Lindley engineered two straight scoring drives, leading the REDBLACKS back from a nine-point deficit to jump out to a 1-0 start in pre-season action.
A sparkling first quarter from starting pivot Trevor Harris set Ottawa ahead 17-8 before the Ticats went on a 21-3 run, including two touchdowns from backup quarterback and Notre Dame graduate Everett Golson.
In the end, though, the Ticats didn’t have an answer for Lindley, who finished 16-of-24 with 133 yards and a touchdown in the victory.
Jeremiah Masoli and Cody Keith also scored for the ‘Cats while Kevin Elliott caught six passes for 94 yards.
And perhaps no one was more impressive on this night than Harris, who was in mid-season form. He left part way through the opening frame with 145 yards and a touchdown on 12-of-15 passing.
RELATED
» Depth Charts: HAM | OTT
» Images: HAM at OTT
» QB Tracker: Who’s playing in pre-season?
» Watch: Elliott’s circus grab sets up TD
Ticats pivot Jeremiah Masoli slips a tackle during first quarter action in Ottawa (The Canadian Press)
Three straight completions to Diontae Spencer, Brad Sinopoli and William Powell eventually set up the game’s opening score, when Harris turned up the heat and threaded the needle on a throw in tight coverage to Juron Criner in the end zone.
Rick Campbell opted to go for two, giving Ottawa an 8-0 lead on a perfect opening drive.
Down 11-0 following a Ray Early field goal, Jeremiah Masoli needed to get into a rhythm and did just that. The Ticats’ backup pivot, getting the start in place of Zach Collaros (rest), found Brian Tyms over the middle on second down for a 22-yard gain to get things moving.
Masoli, known for working his magic, made something out of nothing in the pocket, escaping extra pressure and throwing downfield on the run. The tipped pass ended up in the hands of Kevin Elliott for a 36-year gain, setting up a drive-capping touchdown to Ross Scheuerman.
Masoli ran for the two-point conversion himself, capping off a seven-play drive that included three second-down conversions.
While the REDBLACKS led by only three through the first 15 minutes, their 177 passing yards (190 total offensive yards) were impressive as Harris marched the offence up and down the field without much resistance.
That continued through the short break as Drew Tate picked up right where Harris left off, the veteran backup setting up a 26-yard field goal from Zack Medeiros to extend the lead to 14-8.
Even with their top two quarterbacks on the sideline, the REDBLACKS continued to move the football throughout the second quarter. Another long scoring drive ended in a Medeiros field goal, giving the home team a one-sided 15-3 edge in first downs and a 17-8 lead in the ball game.
With Golson under centre, the Ticats mounted their response in timely fashion. A 45-yard run by camp hopeful and international running back Alex Green moved the Ticats into scoring territory while, soon after, Golson’s 23-yard completion to Gary Chambers set up a one-yard keeper for the quarterback himself to cut the deficit to 17-15.
Aside from an early field goal by the REDBLACKS, neither team could find an edge until late in the third. Matt Johnson finally got the ball moving the for the Ticats but after moving into the red zone, the Ticats’ developmental pivot was hit by Ettore Lattanzio and injured on the play.
The hit resulted in a 15-yard penalty, while Johnson had to exit the game for the Ticats. Keith came in momentarily, while Golson scored his second touchdown of the game to put the Tabbies ahead 22-20.
While the REDBLACKS’ offence sputtered into the fourth, Keith was next in line for the Ticats and quickly took his turn. A crafty catch-and-run along the sideline by Damarr Aultman set up an eventual touchdown run by the rookie quarterback, extending the Ticats’ run to 29-20 early in the fourth.
Lindley’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Shakir Bell cut the REDBLACKS’ deficit to 29-27, and the backup quarterback vying for a roster spot would get a chance to give his team the lead with the ball in his hand and 3:16 in the game.
Through the Lens: Ticats at REDBLACKS
[foogallery id=”563258″]
Lindley’s pass to Bilal Marshall moved the sticks, then Alberta running back and 2017 draft pick Ed Ilnicki found a gaping hole in the Ticats’ defence and ran for another first down.
While the drive stalled, Early’s 37-yard field goal gave the REDBLACKS a 30-29 edge with 1:08 remaining.
Keith, after scoring a touchdown early in the quarter, couldn’t muster a comeback on this night, throwing three straight incomplete passes leading up to a REDBLACKS victory formation.
On the injury front, REDBLACKS offensive lineman Pierce Burton, who signed with the team this week, left the game with what appeared to be a leg injury. Meanwhile, Tori Gurley left the game in the third quarter after taking a hard hit from Richard Leonard.
Ticats quarterback Johnson did not return following his third-quarter exit while Golson was also seen hobbling back to the bench after scoring on a quarterback sneak.
The Ticats play their pre-season finale at home on vs. the Argos on June 16 — a precursor to June 25 when the two teams open their regular season.
Ottawa, meanwhile, heads on the road to close out pre-season with a visit to Montreal on June 15.
