HAMILTON — Any time the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts meet up on Mark’s Labour Day Weekend, it’s bound to be a high-intensity, personal football game.
The 2016 edition of the Labour Day Classic will bear even more weight than usual, as both the TiCats (4-5) and Argos (4-5) will be extra motivated to try and keep pace with the first-place Ottawa REDBLACKS, who won in Montreal earlier in the week, at the top of the East Division.
Both enter Monday night’s marquee matchup off losses; Hamilton’s last outing ending in a narrow 30-24 defeat in Calgary, Toronto’s a 16-13 home loss to BC on a last-second field goal.
With the returns of their respective starting quarterbacks in Zach Collaros and Ricky Ray, both the Tabbies and Argos will feel primed for a big second half in the wide-open East Division.
The bad news for the Toronto Argos is they’ve lost three games in a row.
The good news is the Argos are headed on the road this week having gone a perfect three-for-three away from BMO Field this season.
“It probably doesn’t hurt,” Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich told Argonauts.ca. “We’ve played better on the road the last couple years, unfortunately — there’s a certain sense of us against the world when you play on the road. Maybe a change of scenery will help us out.”
Since his team’s blowout loss to Edmonton on its own turf in Week 9, Milanovich has been satisfied with a change in approach within his football team.
“I don’t want them to make a lot of changes from what they did against BC,” explained the head coach. “We came up a play short; if we continue to play as hard as we did, as well as we did…I’m pleased with their preparation the last two weeks.”
Toronto will be looking to bounce back from Wednesday’s loss to BC on a short, four-day week, something Milanovich sees a positive.
“I prefer a short week after a loss, to get back out there and play again,” said the Argos head figure. “We do a little bit more walkthrough, less plays — fortunately it hasn’t been too hot or anything, so I feel as good as I can feel on a short week.”
|
Milanovich: “This game has a great atmosphere”
|
|
Austin on Labour Day rivalries: “These things are needed in sport”
|
The Argo front seven will have to create penetration on Hamilton star quarterback Zach Collaros, and will be boosted by the return of first-year defensive tackle Ken Bishop to the lineup.
The 300-lb. lineman had recorded 16 tackles and three sacks prior to going down with an injury against Edmonton.
Hamilton-native Darryl Waud will also start on the defensive line for Toronto. Waud, a Western alum will be hoping to break into the sack column for the first time in 2016 in front of friends and family.
The Argos understand that getting to Collaros and neutralizing him will be a tough task.
“Zach’s one of the best, if not the best, quarterbacks in the league — he’s turned himself into a pocket passer, and if things break down he can make plays,” explained Milanovich. “There was a portion last year when he was playing as well as anybody I’ve ever seen in this league.”
The Argos will once again try to kickstart an offence which hasn’t yet seen the expected boost in production associated with the return of Ricky Ray.
The 37 year-old pivot threw for 213 yards, a touchdown and an interception in Toronto’s loss on Wednesday, and everybody associated with the Argos will be hoping the team can begin cracking the 20-point mark regularly.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats did a lot of positive things at McMahon Stadium in Calgary last week, coming up just short in a 30-24 ballgame.
This week the TiCats return home to Tim Hortons Field, a place they’ve struggled (1-2 record) in 2016, to face the Toronto Argonauts in one of the regular season’s biggest rivalry games.
“We try to prepare our guys the same way every week and try not to emphasize any one week compared previous weeks,” Hamilton head coach Kent Austin told Ticats.ca. “Our preparation really should be consistent…That being said, obviously you can’t get away from the hype and the fact that it’s going to be a sellout and it’s meaningful and our biggest rival and all those things, which actually makes the day really memorable.”
The Tabbies’ offence has been bolstered in recent weeks by the return of star pivot Zach Collaros under centre. The former Cincinnati Bearcat has thrown 1151 yards, 10 touchdowns and a single interception in his three games since returning from the injured list.
The defensive side of the ball has been a strength for Hamilton, the league’s third-best defence (233 points against), which is led by veteran linebacker Simoni Lawrence’s 54 tackles.
“It’s a very important game,” said Lawrence. “It’s a game in the East division (and) you understand that to come out of the East, you have to beat teams like Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa. Anytime you have a chance to go up two games on a divisional opponent, that’s very big.”
The Tabbies won the previous meeting between the two clubs back in Week 1 via a 42-20 decision at BMO Field, and know that they must move on from last week’s disappointing loss in Calgary.
“I feel like we put that [loss] behind us and understand we can’t worry about that right now, because this is going to be a super big game,” said Lawrence. “It’s at home. Everybody knows the importance of Labour Day. Since I’ve been here it’s been one of the most fun games I’ve ever played in.”
RELATED:
» Buy: Argos at TiCats tickets
» Depth Charts: TOR | HAM
» The Snap: Your guide to Mark’s LD Weekend viewing
» CFL.ca Game Notes: Crunching the Ticats-Argos numbers
Familiar foes will renew pleasantries on Monday in Hamilton when the Ticats host the Toronto Argonauts.
By the Numbers
13 – Big play long gainers on offence for the Argos this season, the fewest in the CFL.
15:4 – Turnover lead for the Ticats in the past four games — all Hamilton wins — between the two teams.
86.4 – Kicking percentage for Toronto’s Lirim Hajrullahu, who’s made his last eight field goals entering Monday.
2,869 – Career points for Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte, who became the 22nd player in league history to hit the mark when he went 3-for-3 last week.
The Skinny
Both teams desperately need the victory to keep pace with the Ottawa REDBLACKS at the top of the East Division standings.
Toronto needs to prove that it is a competitive team with Ricky Ray back under centre, while the Ticats will be hoping for a statement performance on home turf.
It’s Labour Day. It’s Ticats-Argos.
What more do you need?
Kickoff is slated for 6:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca Game Tracker.
With files from Ticats.ca/Argonauts.ca
CFL Fantasy
What the fans are saying:
Tabbies favoured. Heavily.
