On Saturday afternoon at Tim Hortons Field, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats took on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Hall of Fame Game. This was the second meeting of the season between these two teams. In their first meeting in Week 3, Winnipeg beat Hamilton 26-12.
Hamilton took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter when Seth Small made a 52-yard field goal with 12:50 left. Then, the Blue Bombers started to march when wide receiver Rasheed Bailey ran for 19 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw a couple of passes for 28 yards, and running back Brady Olivera ran for nine yards to Hamilton’s eight-yard line.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros scrambled out of the pocket with the defenders coming at him and threw them off with a pump fake before throwing a touchdown to Nic Demski, giving Winnipeg a 7-3 lead with 8:26 left.
On the fourth play for Hamilton, quarterback Dane Evans threw a 44-yard pass to Felix Garand-Gauthier. Then, Evans threw to Tim White to reach the Blue Bombers’ eight-yard line. Hamilton finished the drive when Evans went down the middle to Tim White for the touchdown. White had a defender on him and made a great catch to give Hamilton a 10-7 lead with 4:56 left.
Late in the first quarter, Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio made a 27-yard field goal, tying the game 10-10 with 14-seconds left. Hamilton had the ball to begin the second quarter.
Hamilton took a 13-10 lead in the second quarter when Seth Small made a 41-yard field goal with 12:09 left. Then, Hamilton’s defense came up with a big play when Malik Carney sacked Zach Collaros and fumbled the ball, and Carney picked it up and scored an 18-yard touchdown, extending Hamilton’s lead 20-10 with 11:24 left.
Winnipeg marched down to Hamilton’s 47-yard line before punter Marc Liegghio made a 50-yard punt that went into the endzone for a single point, 20-11, with 8:37 left. Then, Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans threw three passes for 45 yards plus running back Wes Hills’s two carries for 11 yards to reach Winnipeg’s 19-yard line. On the next play, Evans threw the ball high in the air, and it was caught by Steven Dunbar for a touchdown and a 27-11 lead with 4:14 left.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg went on a six-play drive that resulted in a 33-yard field goal by Marc Liegghio, making it 27-14 with 2:05 left. However, on the second play for Hamilton, Dane Evans threw a 54-yard touchdown pass to Kiondre Smith for a 34-14 lead with 1:46 left. Hamilton led 34-14 at halftime.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans was 15/19 for 252 yards and three touchdowns, while the offense had 281 yards. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros was 10/16 for 174 yards and one touchdown. The Blue Bombers had 235 yards on offense.
Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio made a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter, cutting Hamilton’s lead 34-17 with 11:04 left. Midway through the third quarter, Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans faked a handoff before throwing a four-yard touchdown to Tim White for a 41-17 lead with 5:55 left. Winnipeg went on a ten-play drive making short gains to reach Hamilton’s three-yard line as the third quarter ended.
On the third play, Winnipeg backup quarterback Dakota Prukop scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak, cutting Hamilton’s lead 41-24 with 14:11 left. After Hamilton went two-and-out, the Blue Bombers got closer when Zach Collaros threw a 14-yard touchdown to Rasheed Bailey, making it a ten-point game 41-31 with 9:32 left.
However, Hamilton put the game away late in the fourth quarter when Dane Evans threw a six-yard touchdown to David Ungerer for a 48-31 lead with 1:57 left. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros tried to keep the game alive, but Kameron Kelly intercepted the ball, and Hamilton stunned Winnipeg 48-31.
This was the most points Winnipeg has given up this season. Hamilton moved to 4-9, while the Blue Bombers are 12-2. The Blue Bombers’ two losses came against East teams.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans went 25/32 for 327 yards, five touchdowns, and eight carries for 19 yards. Running back Wes Hills had ten carries for 58 yards, while Tim White had six catches for 63 yards and two touchdowns.
Hamilton’s defense allowed 472 yards, 49 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery. Hamilton plays Montreal next Friday at 7:30 pm on ESPN2.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros was 23/34 for 342 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Running back Brady Olivera had nine carries for 60 yards, while wide receiver Dalton Schoen had six catches for 158 yards. Winnipeg’s defense allowed 424 yards, 50 tackles, and two pass breakups. Winnipeg is off next week.
