Make it two wins in a row for the suddenly surging Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a career-high five touchdowns as Hamilton (2-5) blitzed the winless Edmonton Elks 44-28 Sunday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
It was the Ticats’ fifth consecutive victory in Edmonton (0-7) dating back to 2018. The Elks have lost 11 straight games dating back to last season and have not won a game in 318 days.
The game turned on its head with just under three minutes left in the first half when Hamilton’s Kobe Jones blocked a punt by Edmonton’s Jake Julien and DQ Thomas recovered the loose ball and returned it to the Elks’ 12-yard line. One play later, Mitchell fired the game’s first TD into the hands of receiver Jevoni Robinson to give the Cats a 13-8 lead.
About a minute later, Hamilton’s Jamal Peters intercepted Edmonton QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson at the Ticats’ 44-yard line and two plays later Mitchell connected with receiver Luther Hakunavanhu for a 66-yard TD.
The Ticats went up 28-8 when receiver Tim White caught the first of his two touchdowns midway through the third quarter. The other came five minutes into the fourth period that made it 41-8. Mitchell also threw a 59-yard major to receiver Kiondre Smith.
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Edmonton’s offence came alive after backup QB Tre Ford entered the game with about 10 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.
Ford engineered a 10-play, 84-yard drive that was capped by a five-yard TD pass to receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and followed it up with a seven play, 67-yard touchdown drive after Gavin Cobb caught a 20-yard major.
After Hamilton’s Ante Milanovic-Litre fumbled at the Ticats’ 43-yard line the Elks got back into the endzone on their third-straight drive when Ford found receiver Eugene Lewis for a 12-yard score.
Ford went 10-of-15 for 121 yards and three touchdown passes. Bethel-Thompson was 10-for-22 for 85 yards and one interception.
The last Ticats quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game was Dane Evans in 2022. Mitchell completed 17 of his 25 pass attempts for 316 yards while running back James Butler had another strong game with 98 rushing yards on 21 carries.
The victory was a big one for the Tiger-Cats as it matched wins during Week 8 of the Canadian Football League season by East Division rivals Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa.
Hamilton will go for its season-high third win in a row on Friday night when they host the CFL-leading Montreal Alouettes.