It took four games, but for the first time this year the Hamilton Tiger-Cats can call themselves winners.
QB Matthew Shiltz went 19-for-26 for 233 yards and threw a 64-yard touchdown to rookie Tyreik McAllister in the 3rd quarter to lead the Ticats to a 21-13 win over the visiting Ottawa Redblacks Saturday night.
The victory improved Hamilton’s record to 1-3, identical to Ottawa’s for a share of the bottom rung in the Canadian Football League‘s East Division.
Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s return to the field after a year-long stint on the injured list lasted less than two quarters.
Chris Edwards intercepted the former Ticats QB early in the second quarter, Hamilton’s first pick of the season, and the turnover was converted into the third field goal of the game for the Cats at that point.
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On the next drive, Masoli was forced to leave the game with a left leg injury after he went down while scrambling out of the pocket. The 34-year-old was carried off the field by his teammates after the non-contact injury. He finished the game having completed six of his 10 pass attempts for 37 yards and one interception.
Rookie QB Dustin Crum ran for a 15-yard TD with 57 seconds to play in the first half to give Ottawa a 10-9 advantage and their first lead of the game.
But Crum was intercepted by Hamilton’s Simoni Lawrence and Richard Leonard, and the rookie pivot also lost a fumble, one of Ottawa’s four turnovers in the game. Hamilton had three.
With seven seconds left in the game, and Ottawa driving on the Hamilton 21-yard line, Crum made a run for the endzone. But he was stopped by Ticats linebacker Chris Edwards at the two-yard line to secure the win.
It is a short week for the Ticats who will visit the Edmonton Elks on Thursday night.