Record-breaking day ends with heartbreak for Ticats, who lose final LDC at Ivor Wynne

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats' final Labour Day Classic against the Toronto Argonauts at the old Ivor Wynne Stadium had plenty of great moments for Ticats' supporters, but it finished on a sour note for the home fans. Hamilton had a 16-10 lead late in the first half, saw receiver/returner Chris Williams break a long-standing CFL record, honoured former great Earl Winfield at the break and took an 11-point lead into the fourth quarter, and it looked like the Arkells' "Ticats Are Hummin" anthem might prove prophetic. However, the fourth-quarter performance looked more like the Tiger-Cats who had lost three straight games heading into this one than the Hamilton team that led the league in points scored per game going into this week's games, and that final-quarter collapse led to Toronto's eventual 33-30 victory Monday.

For once, it wasn't just the defence that was causing problems for the Tiger-Cats. The fourth-quarter troubles started when the Ticats' offence couldn't move the ball, leading to a safety that started the Argonauts' comeback. Of course, Casey Creehan's embattled defensive unit didn't help much, giving up a touchdown that put Toronto within two points, but it was the offence that thoroughly doomed Hamilton thanks to a pick-six from quarterback Henry Burris. Burris redeemed himself somewhat on the next drive, hitting Onrea Jones for 32 yards and Dave Stala for 28, throwing a 10-yard touchdown strike to Brandon Rutley and finding Stala again on the game-tying two point conversion, but the Tiger-Cats had left over two minutes on the clock. That proved crucial, as Ricky Ray put together a solid final drive (including a spectacular over-the-middle grab from Chad Owens) and Swayze Waters nailed a field goal that put the Argonauts up three. Burris and the offence had one final chance, but they couldn't move the ball, and a turnover on downs sealed the deal for Toronto.

There's a lot to be seriously concerned about in Hamilton. For one thing, the Tiger-Cats have now lost four games in a row and are just 3-6 on the season. For another, they're now two games back of the 5-4 Argonauts and three back of the 6-3 Alouettes, and if the season ended today, Hamilton wouldn't even make the playoffs, losing out to a crossover team from the West. There's still half the schedule to play, so don't rule them out just yet, but sitting at 3-6 at this point is incredibly disappointing for a team that made the amount of high-profile offseason splashes the Tiger-Cats did.

What's really worrying for Hamilton fans is that this loss wasn't just about the known issues of the Tiger-Cats' defence, either. Yes, they allowed the recently-struggling Ray to look like his old self, as he completed 32 of 45 passes (71.1 per cent) for 375 yards and a touchdown, and yes, they allowed Chad Kackert to pick up 44 rushing yards on just eight carries (5.5 yards per carry), but they were far from the only unit to blame here. On offence, Burris had perhaps his worst game of the season, completing just 13 of 30 passes (43.3 per cent) for 218 yards and throwing two crucial interceptions (although he did also have two touchdown passes), and while Chevon Walker picked up 111 rushing yards, he wasn't utilized anywhere near enough, receiving only 14 carries (despite the 7.9 yards per carry average he recorded Monday). On special teams, Williams and the return unit were great, but the cover teams let Toronto's Owens pick up an average of 18 yards per punt return and 22.7 yards per kick return. This could have been even more lopsided if Waters had been able to make more than three of his five field goal attempts. There will be calls for changes in Hamilton following this kind of loss to a rival in this kind of a historic game, and there's plenty of blame to spread around.