Johnny Manziel’s first career start in the Canadian Football League was nothing to write home about.
But Friday night’s massacre at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats certainly set Twitter ablaze and became a top trending topic.
The Ticats (3-4) intercepted Manziel, their former teammate, four times in the first half and torched the Alouettes 50-11. His second pass of the game was intercepted by Ticats linebacker Larry Dean.
Jumal Rolle, with two, and Mike Daly also had interceptions. It was 38-3 at halftime after the Cats forced five turnovers, including a blocked punt.
Manziel was pulled from the game early in the fourth quarter after completing just 11 of 20 pass attempts for 104 yards and zero touchdowns. He also rushed twice for four yards.
Hamilton QB Jeremiah Masoli had a much better night, going 17-for-26 for 300 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He was pulled from the game midway through the fourth quarter after rushing for a six-yard touchdown and throwing his second interception of the game.
Masoli’s main target was Jalen Saunders, who hauled in seven passes for 150 yards (both game highs) and a touchdown that made it 28-0 for Hamilton in the first quarter.
The 28 points scored broke the franchise record of 25 set in 1984 against Montreal and 2004 against Calgary. It also tied a CFL record held by six other teams.
Lirim Hajrullahu added three field goals as the Tiger-Cats snapped a three-game losing streak in front of 18,576 fans at Percival Molson Stadium at McGill University.
The Ticats hit the road next week when they tangle with the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg.