The Canadian Press
HAMILTON — The Edmonton Eskimos ended the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ hopes of grabbing their first win in a close-fought 31-28 battle at Tim Hortons Field on Thursday night.
Ticats quarterback Zach Collaros started the game off well, connecting on several quick passes. But pressure broke through on the opening drive, and a hit from defensive end Euclid Cummings forced the ball loose. Fortunately for the Ticats, Edmonton’s Marcus Howard quickly coughed it back up on the same play.
RELATED:
» Box Score: EDM at HAM
» Gallery: Edmonton at Hamilton
» Landry: Hazelton’s new beginning washes away bitter fall
The Ticats then struck a big play when running back Ross Scheuerman took the ball into open space for 40 yards. Hamilton’s Sergio Castillo ended up knocking a short field goal through on the drive, taking the early 3-0 lead.
The Ticats’ defence looked stout early in the game, forcing the Eskimos to take a safety deep in their own end, bringing the lead to 5-0 in the 1st quarter.
The Eskimos’ defence let other potential turnovers slip away in the opening quarter, when a forced fumble was negated by a facemask penalty and an overthrown Collaros pass was dropped by Edmonton defensive back Brandyn Thompson. The Ticats retained the ball and Castillo made another field goal to bring their lead to 8-0.
The Eskimos’ offence began to come to life near the end of the 1st quarter when Mike Reilly connected with Bryant Mitchell for a 29-yard touchdown. Mitchell had a big game filling in for the injured Adarius Bowman, taking the ball an extra 21-yards after-the-catch for his first career CFL touchdown. Edmonton missed the convert, bringing the score to 8-6.
Both defences continued to look strong in the 2nd quarter, as both team’s struggled to consistently move the ball and sustain drives on offence. Hamilton defensive back Richard Leonard was all over the field in the first half, making several key pass-breakups to help keep Reilly and his receivers at bay.
The Ticats started rolling again near the end of the half, when Collaros found receivers Junior Collins and Mike Jones on back-to-back plays to move the ball into the red zone.
Receiver Luke Tasker then took a short reception inside the 5-yard line, but after falling short of the end zone, the Ticats ventured to go for it on 3rd down. Collaros made it count, finding Tasker in the end zone for the score to help put his team up 15-6. The touchdown was Tasker’s first of the season.
Edmonton started moving the ball again on offence as time began to run out in the opening half, with Reilly putting together an impressive 61-yard drive. After a brilliant scramble by Reilly to extend the play, the quarterback found receiver Brandon Zylstra near the end zone.
Travon Van took the ball into the end zone on the next play for the 2-yard rushing score, narrowing the Hamilton lead to 15-13.
The Ticats’ defence continued to look strong in the 3rd quarter. Hamilton’s Terrell Davis got penetration on special teams, blocking a Sean Whyte punt and setting up an easy scoop-and-score for Ticats linebacker Geoff Hughes. The score increased Hamilton’s lead to 22-13.
Scheuerman made another big play for Hamilton on a subsequent series, taking a screen pass for 22 yards behind a convoy of Ticats linemen. The Hamilton running back finished the game with 104 total yards.
But the Ticats’ drive stalled after that, leading to a 46-yard Castillo field goal.
The Eskimos created excitement near the start of the 4th quarter when Reilly scrambled to his left and found slotback Cory Watson. Watson turned what could have been a minor gain into a long touchdown, taking the ball 29 yards after the catch to help bring his team within five points of the Ticats.
Momentum stayed on Edmonton’s side following Watson’s score. Their defence secured a turnover when a deep Collaros pass was picked off by Esks’ defensive back Josh Woodman. The interception was Woodman’s first in his CFL career.
The Esks were unable to capitalize with a touchdown, however, as Hamilton’s Richard Leonard was once again draped all over the Edmonton receivers on the drive. Whyte kicked a 40-yard field goal through, bringing the score to 25-23.
The Ticats would add another field goal with under two minutes remaining in the game, bringing their lead to 28-23. But it turned out to not be enough.
Mike Reilly continued his effective play in the final moments of the game, leading a comeback drive in the dying minutes. Quickly bringing his team down the field, Reilly would find Vidal Hazelton for a 15-yard touchdown. Reilly then connected with Bryant Mitchell on the 2-point conversion to complete the comeback and lift the Eskimos over the Ticats 31-28.
Reilly led his team to their fourth victory with 350 yards and 3 touchdowns through the air on 27 completions.
Week 6 will see Edmonton take on the Lions, while the Ticats will look to get things going on the road against the Stampeders.
