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Ticats continue Tim Hortons Field dominance thanks to Argonauts' mistakes

Toronto Argonauts quarterback Trevor Harris is sacked by Hamilton Tiger-Cats Donald Washington during the first half of their CFL football game in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada August 3, 2015. REUTERS/Mark Blinch (REUTERS)

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats improved their perfect record at Tim Hortons Field to 8-0 (counting last year's East Final) with a 34-18 win over the Toronto Argonauts Monday night, but they had plenty of help from the Argonauts' own mistakes. This one got off to a bad start for Toronto when they let Hamilton pull off an onside punt recovery for a touchdown for the first points of the game, and it didn't get much better from there. The Argonauts turned the ball over on downs three times, and they also fumbled once and were unable to establish a ground game. They trailed 34-12 midway through the fourth quarter, and only made the score a little closer thanks to a garbage-time TD drive from backup QB Mitchell Gale. The Tiger-Cats deserve a lot of credit for how thoroughly they dominated Monday night, but the Argonauts' errors were also a big part of this win.

For Toronto, the screwups on the early onside punt really did set the tone for this game. It was a well-executed piece of trickery by Hamilton, but a big part of it was the Argonauts' rookies not being aware of the CFL rule that allows an onside player to recover the punt. They could have taken the ball away before Brandon Stewart got it, or they could have fallen on him once he did to prevent the touchdown at least, but they chose to do neither, and that led to them giving up an early seven points and a lead that they would never be able to challenge.

There were further issues for Toronto, and the lack of a ground game was a big one. Running back Brandon Whitaker had a very disappointing game, only collecting 17 yards on five carries (3.4 yards per carry) plus committing a fumble, and quarterback Trevor Harris only added 14 more on five scrambles (2.8 yards per carry). Gale was the Argos' best rusher, with 17 yards on just two carries. The passing attack was all right, with Harris throwing for 326 yards and a touchdown with a 72.5 per cent completion mark and Gale picking up 45 yards and a touchdown with a 75 per cent completion rate late in the game, but they had some issues too. The Argonauts failed to convert on three different third-down gambles, and those turnovers were a substantial component of the Tiger-Cats' victory.

Of course, the Ticats deserve a lot of credit for what they did well too. That 8-0 record at Tim Hortons Field is no fluke. They've been able to take advantage of their passionate home crowd to throw off opposing offences, and their own offence has been great. Quarterback Zach Collaros may not have put up as many yards as his former roommate Harris Monday, throwing for just 229, but that was on just 27 passing attempts, and he completed 21 of those for a remarkable 77.8 per cent completion rate. He also threw three touchdown passes without an interception, hooking up with Bakari Grant for two scores and Terrence Toliver for one.

Collaros and the Hamilton offence weren't disrupted by a first-half lightning delay, either, putting up two touchdowns before it and then holding Toronto to a punt before the half (which did lead to a safety) and a failed third-and-one conversion after the break. The Ticats' ground game also could have gone south early after a severe injury to starting RB C.J. Gable, but Canadian RB Anthony Woodson filled in very nicely on short notice, collecting 54 yards on 10 carries (5.4 yards per carry) and keeping many Hamilton drives alive. The Ticats' defence was also in fine form, bending but not breaking against the Argos' passing attack and stuffing the Toronto rushing attack. Add it all up, and it was a very impressive showing from this team, and one that should have them in good shape going forward despite sustaining injuries to key players such as Gable and slotback Andy Fantuz. They were boosted by the Argonauts' mistakes, though, and Toronto will have to tighten those up if they want to return to their own winning form.