Jeremiah Masoli played his best game of the season, throwing for 338 yards and two touchdowns, as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats blasted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 30-13 on Friday night.
Masoli completed 27-of-33 passes and rushed eight times for 48 yards as the Ticats improved to 4-10 and climcbed to within three points of Ottawa for second place in the East Division. The defending champion Redblacks visit B.C. Saturday.
Hamilton is now 4-2 under June Jones since he replaced Kent Austin as head coach on Aug. 2.
The loss dropped the Blue Bombers to 10-4. Winnipeg’s five game winning streak at home also came to an end.
Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols suffered an injury to his throwing hand in the first half and did not return to the game after halftime. He completed 14-of-18 passes for 158 yards and a touchdown. Nichols, the CFL’s top rated passer entering Week 16, had one of his passes picked off by Ticats defensive back Richard Leonard at the Hamilton seven yard line late in the second quarter.
CLICK HERE for the game stats.
Tiger-Cats kicker Sergio Castillo suffered what looked like a serious right knee injury after trying to make a tackle after he missed a 38 yard field goal late in the first half. Castillo was replaced by receiver Felix Faubert-Lussier who averaged 43.2 yards on four punts.
Hamilton recorded five sacks in the game, two of them by defensive end Adrian Tracy.
The Tiger-Cats return home to face 12-1-1 Calgary on Friday, Oct. 13.