HAMILTON – No matter what the standings say, there’s never a dull moment when the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats meet.
They’ll do so for the first time this season on Saturday night at Tim Hortons Field.
For the Argonauts, it’s an opportunity to continue to build momentum after taking down the first place Montreal Alouettes a week ago.
Hamilton, on the other hand, is hoping a bye is what they needed to break into the win column.
With his 131 yards against the Als, quarterback Cameron Dukes eclipsed the 1,000-yard passing mark for the first time in his young career. As he plans to build on it, he’ll lean on a receiving corp without a star but with several options.
He’ll need all of Rasheed Bailey, Damonte Coxie, DaVaris Daniels and Richie Sindani to bring their best as the pass game is putting up just 223.6 yards a game.
But with their opponent allowing an average of 301.6 yards through the air, it could be the week that the group finds its rhythm.
The same could be said for Hamilton’s secondary as defensive backs Jamal Peters and Richard Leonard have to help close space downfield if they plan to have success.
The Ticats have had considerably more success defending the run this season and their defensive front is going to be tested again when the ball goes to Argos running back Ka’Deem Carey, who’s second in the CFL with 363 rushing yards.
With a pass game trying to find its identity, the ball could be going to Carey with consistency.
Former Argo Brandon Barlow and Casey Sayles anchor the defensive line with six combined sacks, while linebacker Kyle Wilson has recorded 31 defensive tackles on the season. All three will be focused on shutting down Carey and forcing the ball into the air.
Anyone examining Hamilton’s offence wouldn’t think they’re an 0-5 team.
A large part of their success has been quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell who sits second in the league in both passing yards with 1,671 and touchdown passes with 11.
Another big performance could be in store as the Argos haven’t been great stopping teams in making their way downfield in the air.
It’ll be the job of Benjie Franklin and DaShaun Amos, two of the teams better defensive backs, to shut down top receiver Shemar Bridges.
Steven Dunbar Jr. and Tim White are the other two Ticats receivers in the top 15 in yards, giving Mitchell a few different options as he tries to pick apart the Toronto secondary.
With a rivalry game on tap, Mitchell knows the home field advantage could help.
“These fans have showed up through thick and thin over the years,” Mitchell told reporters. “They’re going to show up, they’re passionate about this. They know the game, they know when to cheer and when not to cheer. We know Toronto is going to bring it and they’re figuring things out, as well. Our job in a rivalry game is to make sure they come out more sore than us.”
With a week off, running back James Butler enters the game fresh and ready to find holes on the ground to help out Mitchell in the pocket after putting up just 27 yards against BC in Week 5.
The extra preparation is going to come in handy versus a strong Argos run defence.
Linebacker Wynton McManis has been among the best at his position this year with 29 defensive tackles and an interception.
In front of him, Robbie Smith and Jordan Williams both had a sack against the Als and play a critical role at the line of scrimmage as they try to disrupt Mitchell and Butler.
With the less than ideal start to the season, Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich is preaching small steps forward to his players.
“We can’t focus on anything other than what we’re doing today,” Milanovich told reporters. “We’re not ready to look two weeks down the road, we’re not there, we have to win this week.”
Toronto is attempting to take another step towards tracking down the first place Montreal Alouettes.
Hamilton would love to get into the win column against their provincial rival.
Kickoff from Tim Hortons Field is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET. Canadians can tune in on TSN/RDS2. U.S. audiences can watch on CBS Sports while International viewers can catch the game on CFL+.
