Ticats thump Lions 52-22, with Collaros, Tasker, Banks and the defence leading

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats' 52-22 destruction of the B.C. Lions Saturday was only briefly in question, as Hamilton led 21-0 after the first quarter and never looked back. The victory improved the Ticats' record at Tim Hortons Field to 10-0 (in nine regular season games and last year's East Final win), and it was a total team effort. There were plenty of individual stars who shone, though, including quarterback Zach Collaros, receiver Luke Tasker, receiver/returner Brandon Banks, and a collection of defensive players, particularly defensive end Eric Norwood, defensive back Erik Harris and linebacker Simoni Lawrence.

Collaros delivered yet another impressive performance under centre, completing a stunning 19 of his 23 passes (82.6 per cent) for 290 yards and four touchdowns. The Cincinnati product has had an excellent season so far, putting up 1,724 passing yards and 10 touchdowns to six interceptions with a 70 per cent completion rate heading into Friday's game, and he only improved those totals against the Lions. He hasn't had a lot of support from the ground game, which has been inconsistent overall and was again Saturday, with primary running back Ray Holley collecting just 29 yards on seven carries (Holley did have 43 receiving yards on four catches). Still, Collaros has been good enough to keep the Ticats' offence clicking through the air.

He's had some help from his receivers, though, and Tasker, Banks, and Tiquan Underwood particularly stood out Saturday. Tasker hauled in six receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Underwood had 70 yards and a touchdown on three catches and Banks added 49 yards and a touchdown on three catches. Banks was also effective in the return game, taking a 96-yard punt return to the house and picking up 147 return yards overall. Hamilton's had to deal with some major injuries to receivers, with Andy Fantuz and Bakari Grant both missing this one, but Tasker, Banks and Underwood all stepped up substantially Saturday.

The Ticats' defence also shone against the Lions. They contained star B.C. running back Andrew Harris perfectly, holding him to 36 rushing yards on eight carries and 21 receiving yards on four catches while forcing him to fumble twice. They also put Lions' quarterback Travis Lulay under pressure all night, sacking him four times and holding him to 139 passing yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Norwood particularly shone with four tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble return for a touchdown, while Harris took an interception back for a touchdown and added two defensive tackles (plus one on special teams) and Lawrence had a sack and tied fellow Hamilton linebacker Taylor Reed for the game lead with seven tackles. They were a big part of this total team performance, one which showed off how complete these Ticats are right now. If they keep playing like this, it may not be just the Lions who get demolished.