The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-5) concluded Week 8 of the CFL season on Sunday night against the Edmonton Elks (0-7) from Commonwealth Stadium. The two teams are ranked last in their respective divisions. Hamilton looked to continue building momentum after last week’s win against Toronto, while Edmonton was still searching for their first win of the season.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, both offenses were able to move the ball down the field until stalling near the red zone. Hamilton linebacker Jonathan Moxey sacked McLeod Bethel-Thompson for a 12-yard loss. Next, Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 10-yard pass to Arkell Smith but an illegal blocking penalty on Edmonton set up back to the Ticats’ 19-yard line.
After the penalty, Edmonton kicker Boris Bede made a 26-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 8:24 left of the first quarter. The drive went 10 plays for 60 yards.
On the second play for Hamilton, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell attempted to throw the ball to Steven Dunbar Jr. but Marcus Lewis stepped up in front of Dunbar Jr. to make the interception on the Ticats’ 49-yard line. Edmonton went on a two-play drive for 9 yards before kicker Boris Bede made a 47-yard field goal extending the Elks lead 6-0 with 6:04 left of the first quarter.
Hamilton’s offense went back out for their second series of the game. They went on a five-play drive for 33 yards before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 45-yard field goal and the Ticats trailed the Elks 6-3 with 3:22 left of the first quarter.
After Hamilton’s defense forced a two-and-out, the Ticats’ offense had the ball for the final 2:26 left of the first quarter. They marched down the field for five plays, totaling 19 yards before kicker Marc Liegghio kicked a 47-yard field goal and the game was tied 6-6 to end the first quarter.
Hamilton had 52 yards on offense (21 yards passing, 31 yards rushing). Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 3 of 8 passes for 21 yards and one interception while running back James Butler had three carries for 31 yards and two catches for 12 yards.
Edmonton had 74 yards on offense (66 yards passing, 20 yards rushing, 12 yards lost). Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 6 of 8 passes for 66 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 74 yards into the endzone for a single point. It was now 7-6 Edmonton with 12:47 left. Both offenses continued to move the ball before stalling. Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 58 yards into the endzone for another single point. Edmonton led 8-6 with 7:06 left of the second quarter.
Hamilton’s offense moved the ball up to the Elks’ 50-yard line before punter Nic Constantinou punted the ball 70 yards into the endzone for a single. The Ticats trailed the Elks 8-7 with 2:48 left of the second quarter.
Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two incomplete passes forcing third down on the Ticats’ 53-yard line. Hamilton’s special teams made a big play when Kobe Jones blocked Jake Julien’s punt then D.Q. Thomas scooped the ball up for an 11-yard return to the Elks’ 12-yard line.
The Ticats’ offense took advantage when quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Jevoni Robinson for a 14-8 lead with 2:26 left of the second quarter. Hamilton’s defense stepped up to make a play when Jamal Peters intercepted McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pass intended for Eugene Lewis on their 44-yard line.
On the second play, Edmonton’s defense attempted to blitz Bo Levi Mitchell but he picked up on it. Mitchell threw a short pass to Luther Hakunavanhu, who turned on the jets blowing by three Elks’ secondary players to score a 66-yard touchdown extending the Ticats’ lead 21-6 with 59 seconds left. The Elks fans were reigning boos on the field as the Ticats led 21-6 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton had 141 yards on offense (108 yards passing, 45 yards rushing, 12 yards lost). Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 6 of 13 passes (46.1%) for 108 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back James Butler had six carries for 39 yards and two catches for 12 yards.
Wide receiver Luther Hakunavanhu made one catch for 66 yards, and one touchdown, while Jevoni Robinson made one catch for 12 yards and one touchdown. Hamilton’s defense made one sack and two tackles for loss. The Ticats were penalized one time for 10 yards.
Edmonton had 119 yards on offense (85 yards, 63 yards rushing, 29 yards lost). Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 10 of 20 passes (50%) for 85 yards, one interception, and one carry for three yards. Running back Jevon Leake had six carries for 40 yards, while Kevin Brown had five carries for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 34 yards, while Dillon Mitchell made three catches for 26 yards. Edmonton’s defense made one sack and one tackle for loss. They were penalized three times for 30 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton’s offense marched down the field for an 11-play drive logging 85 yards when Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 16-yard touchdown pass to Tim White for a 28-8 lead with 3:58 left.
Edmonton’s offense only went out for two series going two-and-out. They had -5 yards in the third quarter. On Hamilton’s second series, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and running back James Butler led them to a five-play drive for 85 yards resulting in Mitchell throwing a deep pass to Kiondre Smith for a 59-yard touchdown. The Ticats led 34-8 with 2:44 left of the third quarter.
On the final play of the third quarter, Hamilton running back James Butler rushed for a gain of four yards to their 35-yard line. The Ticats led 34-8 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tim White making it 41-8 with 10:04 left. The drive went 10 plays for 92 yards.
Tre Ford was the new quarterback for Edmonton and the crowd cheered. In his first series of the team, Ford led the team to a 10-play drive for 88 yards in less than four minutes throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr.
The Elks went for a two-point conversion but did not get it. It was now 41-14 with 5:41 left in the game. Hamilton’s defense put very little pressure on Ford knowing the game was out of reach. However, Ford showed his athleticism to escape from being sacked and making big plays.
Hamilton’s offense went on a two-play drive for six yards before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 35-yard field goal for a 44-14 lead with 3:32 left in the game.
When Ford went back out for his next series, he led the Elks to a seven-play drive for 99 yards throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Gavin Cobb. The Elks went for a two-point conversion and got it. They trailed the Ticats 44-22 with 1:51 left in the game. In these two series, Edmonton’s offense was a completely different team. Ford used his legs to get out of some situations to keep the plays alive. Hamilton’s defense had problems getting to him.
Not only was the Elks’ offense motivated, but so was the defense. Linebacker Nick Anderson stripped Ante Milanovic-Litre of the ball and it was recovered by Kai Grey for an eight-yard return before lateraling the ball to Darrius Bratten for an additional 15 yards to the Ticats’ 20-yard line with 1:07 left in the game.
Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford led the team to a two-play drive for 20 yards resulting in him throwing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis. They missed another two-point conversion. Hamilton running back James Butler had two carries for three before the team took a knee on third down ending the game. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Edmonton Elks 44-28.
Final Stats:
Hamilton had 416 yards on offense (316 yards passing, 113 yards rushing, 13 yards lost). Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 17 of 25 passes (68%) for 316 yards, five touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for five yards. Running back James Butler had 21 carries for 98 yards and three catches for 19 yards.
Wide receiver Luther Hakunavanhu made two catches for 83 yards, and one touchdown, while Kiondre Smith made two catches for 69 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Marc Liegghio made three field goals with a long of 47 yards. Hamilton’s defense made 38 tackles, three sacks, one interception, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and seven tackles on special teams.
Edmonton had 258 yards on offense (206 yards passing, 99 yards rushing, 47 yards lost). Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 10 of 22 passes (45%) for 85 yards, one interception, and one carry for three yards. Backup quarterback Tre Ford completed 10 of 15 passes (66%) for 121 yards, three touchdowns, and three carries for 19 yards.
Running back Javon Leake had 8 carries for 55 yards. Wide receiver Gavin Cobb made two catches for 40 yards, and one touchdown, while Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made five catches for 40 yards and one touchdown.
Kicker Boris Bede made two field goals with a long of 47 yards. Edmonton’s defense made 43 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and seven tackles on special teams.
Final Thoughts:
Hamilton overall played a great game. After the blocked punt which led to a touchdown, they dominated on both sides of the ball not giving an inch to Edmonton. After throwing an interception in the first quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell settled down to make good decisions with the football. His offensive line protected him giving him plenty of time to throw the football.
Hamilton’s special teams deserve a ton of credit for jump-starting the Ticats dominating win. The game got off to a slow start until the blocked punt and the Ticats were a completely different team on the field. This is the Tiger-Cats second straight win and now they have a tough game next week against Montreal.
As I said during the offseason when the Elks signed McLeod Bethel-Thompson. They did not need to sign him and instead should have used the money to sign Tre Ford long term and get an offensive line. I believe had Ford been the starter for the last two seasons, the Elks would not be in this position.
Kudos to the fans of Edmonton for letting their voices be heard that they wanted Tre Ford. McLeod Bethel-Thompson was ice cold and the offense struggled big time. Once Ford went in the fourth quarter, it was a completely different offense. I believe had Ford played this game, we might be talking about an Elks win. There is no question that Tre Ford should be the new starting quarterback after tonight. Edmonton needs to get behind Built Ford Tough.
Next week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Montreal Alouettes on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network, while the Edmonton Elks visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
