Ticats thump Argos 42-12 on Labour Day, take sole possession of first in East

Monday's first Labour Day game set up as a potential classic, marking the first time the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats had fought on the holiday with sole possession of first place in the East Division on the line, but it turned into a lopsided dud. Despite both teams entering with 6-3 records, the Ticats controlled this game throughout and cruised to a 42-12 home win. Hamilton allowed Toronto to score the first point on a rouge (off a wind-aided 81-yard punt single from kicker/punter Swayze Waters), but then reeled off 27 straight points before halftime and boosted the lead to 30-1 before the Argos scored again. This was a dominant win for the Ticats, and one that suggests there may well be a significant gap between these teams, at least at this point of the season.

Of course, there were reasons to think Hamilton would win even before the game began, from their 9-1 regular-season record at Tim Hortons Field to their 5-1 record in their last six games to the 34-18 home victory they recorded the last time these teams played (on Aug. 3). Perhaps even more importantly, they were +133 in point differential on the season, while Toronto was -7; that suggests that the Ticats have thoroughly deserved most of their wins and perhaps been unlucky in some of their losses, while the Argos have been barely squeaking by more often. Still, it was surprising to see just how big the gulf between these sides was Monday.

Quarterback play helped illustrate that divide. Both Hamilton's Zach Collaros and Toronto's Trevor Harris (Collaros' former roommate with the Argos) had been playing well this year, with Collaros ahead in passing yards heading into Monday's game (2,632 to 2,483), but Harris leading in completion percentage (74.4 per cent to 70.4 per cent), touchdown to interception ratio (19 to 6 versus 18 to 7) and passer rating (112.7 to 110.9). Collaros was fantastic in this one, though, completing 26 of his 38 pass attempts (68.4 per cent) and picking apart Toronto's defence for 400 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions while also adding 22 rushing yards on four scrambles. Meanwhile, Harris completed 24 of his 34 passes (70.6 per cent), but threw for just 211 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Both quarterbacks have been great on the season, but Collaros had the much superior day in this one.

Of course, it wasn't all just about the quarterbacks. The Tiger-Cats got much better play from their offensive line, which conceded just two sacks and not a lot of pressures on the day, while the Argonauts' line gave up four sacks and allowed Hamilton to put Harris under pressure regularly. The Ticats also had the much superior ground game, with Ray Holley collecting 84 yards on just nine carries (9.3 yards per attempt), while Toronto's Chad Kackert had just 37 yards on five carries before the Argos abandoned the run in hopes of catching up. Hamilton also got great performances from receivers, including Terrell Sinkfield (110 yards and two touchdowns on five catches), Luke Tasker (seven catches, 105 yards), Terrence Toliver (six catches for 90 yards and a touchdown) and Tiquan Underwood (three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown). The Ticats' defence shone too, with linebacker Simoni Lawrence (eight tackles and a sack) particularly standing out, and Medlock made all three of his field-goal attempts and three of his four extra-point attempts, while Waters was one of two on field goals and didn't have an extra-point attempt. Overall, Hamilton was dominant in all phases of the game Monday, and that bodes well for their hopes of making it back to the Grey Cup. It doesn't bode so well for the Argos, who will have to be much better than this if they want to get past the Ticats in the playoffs.