REGINA — The 2022 season couldn’t come soon enough for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
There’s an aura of unfinished business surrounding the Black and Gold, coming heartbreakingly close to capturing their first Grey Cup championship since 1999 at the end of last season.
For Hamilton, that’s all in the rearview mirror. They turn their attention to the start of the regular season on Saturday night, starting with a Saskatchewan Roughriders team that has their own championship aspirations.
Not that the thought of hoisting a Grey Cup isn’t enough motivation, but to add fuel to the fire the city of Regina will be hosting the 2022 Grey Cup Festival with 109th Grey Cup championship game being played at Mosiac Stadium.
RELATED
» CFL GameZone: Play CFL games!
» Depth Chart: HAM | SSK
» Ticats, Riders Injury Reports: Stay up to date
» Power Rankings: Kicking things off for Week 1
» Buy Tickets: Hamilton at Saskatchewan
Orlondo Steinauer’s team has undergone a few changes during the off-season. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and receiver Jaelon Acklin signed with the Ottawa REDBLACKS in free agency, while 2019’s Most Outstanding Player, Brandon Banks chose to sign with the Toronto Argonauts.
Despite the departure of some key pieces from last season, there’s still plenty of talent that will be on full display for the Black and Gold in their season opener.
Dane Evans will take over under centre for the Ticats as they enter the regular season. The Tabbies pivot appeared in 10 games, throwing for 787 yards while splitting time with Masoli throughout 2021.
When the Tabbies’ put the ball on the ground Saturday it will likely be in the hands of either Don Jackson or Sean Thomas-Erlington. The pair of Jackson and Thomas-Erlington rushed for 245 and 356 yards respectively this past season and combined for five rushing majors.
Hamilton’s ability to utilize the ground game effectively is undeniable, however it will be a tough task against a Roughriders defence that held opponents to just 82.5 rushing yards per game last season, the second best mark in the CFL.
The Ticats defensive unit was impressive in their own right last season, holding opponents to a league best 79.6 rush yards per game. Linebackers Simoni Lawrence and Jovan Santos-Knox will be tasked containing Riders quarterback Cody Fajardo.
Fajardo’s ability to pass is something the Ticats defence will be well aware of, but the quarterbacks ability to scramble is something worth noting. In 2021 the Riders pivot averaged 6.0 yards per carry and added four rushing touchdowns, rushing for 468 yards.
Lawrence, who is entering his ninth season with Hamilton and 10th overall in the league, knows his team needs to be ready for a physical football game in a tough environment on the road.
“Saskatchewan is a really good team, they’re a physical team,” Lawrence told ticats.ca. “They’re well coached. We have to be ready for a dog fight. Any time you head into Saskatchewan it’s a hostile environment.”
The Green and White will be without their leading rusher from last season, with William Powell making his way back to Ottawa in free agency. The team will also be without Kyran Moore in the season opener, but Fajardo will still have plenty of offensive weapons at his disposal.
Duke Williams and Shaq Evans both chose remain with Saskatchewan, signing extension with the team in the off-season. Second-year Canadian wideout Kian Schaffer-Baker will make his regular season debut on Saturday.
The trio of Riders receivers were targeted 133 times by Fajardo last season, accounting for 1,072 yards and three touchdowns.
The Riders will likely hand the ball to Jamal Morrow and freshman Frankie Hickson against a tough Ticats run defence, with Kienan LaFrance rounding out their group of running backs.
Listed as the No.1 back on the Riders depth chart; Morrow carried the ball just nine times out of the backfield for Saskatchewan in 2021, but showed off his explosivity and field vision as a returner. The sophomore back tallied 330 punt return yards and totalled 586 kickoff return yards, third most in the league.
Much like the visitors from Hamilton, the Roughriders boast an impressive linebacker corps with newly acquired Darnell Sankey leading the way. Sankey signed as a free agent after spending the past season in Calgary, recording 97 tackles and a sack for the Stampeders. He’ll be supported by Derrick Moncrief and former Ticat Larry Dean.
Riders head coach Craig Dickenson believes it will be a mental game more than anything in the opener after a pre-season that looked different from many others before it.
“The reality was it was a strange pre-season with a shorter camp than normal,” Dickenson told Riders media. “I’m sure Hamilton is in the same boat as us. I believe the team that’s in the best shape and the team mentally that is the toughest is going to win this game.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on TSN, RDS, ESPN+ and followed on CFL.ca’s Game Tracker.
– With files from Ticats.ca and Riderville.com
