Hamilton Tiger-Cats to seek revenge against Saskatchewan Roughriders

Fresh off a bye week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will try to get back on the horse Thursday night when they host the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Tim Hortons Field.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

After the game, you can listen to The 5th Quarter postgame show on 900 CHML, online at 900chml.com and via the Radioplayer Canada app

The Riders upset the visiting Ticats two weeks ago at Mosaic Stadium, 18-13, in a game in which Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli tied the CFL record with his ninth consecutive game with 300 or more passing yards.

It was Hamilton’s fourth straight loss against the 2-2 Roughriders dating back to 2016 and brought the Cats back down to .500 at 2-2, tied with Ottawa for first place in the East Division.

It also marks Hamilton’s fifth straight game to start the season against a western opponent, the first time that has happened in team history.

3 things to watch:

1. Getting (a little) healthier. The Tiger-Cats will have defensive halfback Richard Leonard back in the lineup this week after he missed the last two games due to injury. However, defensive back Adrian Tracy remains on the one-game injured list. Hamilton has only five players on their injured list, a far cry from the upwards of 20 players they used to carry on the one-game or six-game injured list.
2. Field position. In one of the most obscure statistics so far this season, of the 54 offensive possessions the Ticats have had, not one of them has started in their opponents’ end of the field. Hamilton’s nine touchdown drives in 2018 have averaged 79.1 yards in length, the highest average since the CFL started tracking this stat. The league average is 68.7 yards. The Cats’ average drive start is their own 27-yard line, the worst in the CFL.
3. The 300 club. Jeremiah Masoli is not only on the verge of breaking the CFL record for most consecutive games with 300 passing yards, he can become just the fifth QB in league history to start a season with five straight 300+ games. Ricky Ray was the last player to do it in 1996 with Edmonton. Matt Dunigan (Winnipeg, 1994), Doug Flutie (Calgary, 1992), and Sam Etcheverry (Montreal, 1956) also completed the feat.