On Friday night at Tim Hortons Field, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats clashed with the Toronto Argonauts in a rematch of last week. The Argonauts won the first round, and Hamilton had something to prove.
In the first quarter, quarterback Matthew Shiltz and Don Jackson led the offense down to Toronto’s 14-yard line before Seth Small made a 21-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:39 left. After Toronto went two-and-out, punter John Haggerty punted the ball for 48 yards that went into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point, 3-1 with 4:21 left.
Toronto’s defense stepped up when Robbie Smith intercepted Matthew Shiltz’s pass and went 32 yards to the Ticats four-yard line. On 2nd and 1, backup quarterback Chad Kelly scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak for an 8-3 lead with 2:32 left.
Hamilton was on the move late in the first quarter. They reached the Argonauts’ 36-yard line and faced a third down to begin the second quarter down 8-3. Kicker Seth Small made his second field goal for 43 yards, cutting Toronto’s lead 8-6 with 15 minutes left.
Toronto’s running game led to their next score. Running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 30 yards. After quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw an incomplete pass on second down, kicker Boris Bede made a 47-yard field goal for an 11-6 lead with 13:06 left.
Hamilton came roaring back on their next drive. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz threw a 12-yard pass to Kiondre Smith to get the first down. Then, running back, Don Jackson took off for a 19-yard run. Hamilton caught a break when Maurice Carnell IV intercepted Shiltz’s pass, but a defensive pass interference call on Toronto made it a Hamilton first down on Toronto’s two-yard line.
Hamilton backup quarterback Jamie Newman scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak, and they got the two-point conversion to take a 14-11 lead with 10:14 left in the second quarter.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 44-yard pass to Tommy Nield. Thompson got the Argonauts down to Hamilton’s 15-yard line before Boris Bede made a 23-yard field goal, tying the game 14-14 with 4:44 left.
Late in the second quarter, Toronto caught a break when Ciante Evans intercepted Thompson’s pass, but a defensive pass interference penalty on Hamilton gave Toronto a first down. However, Toronto could not take advantage of it and faced third down.
Kicker Boris Bede made a 19-yard field goal, but a penalty on Hamilton made it an automatic first down for Toronto. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a six-yard touchdown to DaVaris Daniels, giving them a 21-14 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, both teams traded field goals. Hamilton kicker Seth Small made a 37-yard field goal, cutting Toronto’s lead 21-17 with 9:23 left, and Toronto kicker Boris Bede made a 23-yard field goal, making it a seven-point game, 23-17 with five minutes left.
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton quarterback Matthew Shiltz had plenty of time to throw the football and threw a 60-yard touchdown pass to Tim White, tying the game 24-24 with 10:15 left. That play swung momentum in favor of Hamilton.
Toronto made some progress on offense but stalled and punted the ball back to Hamilton. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz threw a 14-yard pass to Kiondre Smith, followed by a 30-yard run by backup quarterback Jamie Newman. Then, Hamilton’s offense opened up a lane for Sean Thomas-Erlington for a 23-yard touchdown, giving them a 31-24 lead with 3:10 left in the game.
Late in the fourth quarter, Hamilton kicker Seth Smith made a 46-yard field goal for a 34-24 lead with 1:59 left. Finally, Toronto kicker Boris Bede made an 18-yard field goal, and Hamilton won the game 34-27. The Ticats improve to 3-6, while the Argonauts drop to 4-4.
Both teams gave up a lot of penalties in this game. Hamilton was penalized 12 times for 116 yards, and Toronto had nine penalties for 132 yards.
Hamilton quarterback Matthew Shiltz went 14/19 for 176 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four carries for 15 yards. Backup quarterback Jamie Newman led the rushers with seven carries for 55 yards, and one touchdown, while Sean Thomas-Erlington had two carries for 28 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Tim White had four catches for 77 yards and one touchdown, and the Ticats defense allowed 356 yards, 50 tackles, three sacks, and eight pass breakups. Hamilton plays Montreal for sole possession of second place next Saturday at 4 pm on ESPN+.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 24/37 for 287 yards and one touchdown while running back A.J. Ouellette had ten carries for 47 yards, and wide receiver Markeith Ambles led the receivers with five catches for 51 yards.
Toronto’s defense allowed 329 yards, 43 tackles, two sacks, two pass breakups, and one interception. The Argonauts host the Calgary Stampeders next Saturday at 4 pm on ESPN+.
