Video: Brandon Banks returns a missed field goal 120 yards for a Ticats' TD

Hamilton Tiger-Cats' receiver/returner Brandon Banks has long been known for his speed and for his ability to produce explosive plays, and he certainly delivered on both fronts Thursday night against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The game didn't start that well for Hamilton, as they gave up a rouge on the opening kickoff, then lost four yards on their first play and fumbled on their second play, but their defence produced a stop, and confusion from the Bombers created a delay of game and a longer field goal attempt. When former Ticat kicker Justin Medlock missed the 51-yard field goal attempt, that gave Banks a chance to show off his skills:

Banks was hyping up this game and its U.S. ESPN2 broadcast on his Twitter account earlier Thursday:

That was definitely a popcorn-worthy moment. Of course, it was aided by the length of the kick (the missed field goal only went part of the way through the end zone, providing an easy opportunity for a return; the distance was later adjusted to 120 yards by the CFL statisticians, so that's the 110-yard field and half of the 20-yard end zone), and there was great blocking as well, but Banks' own talents had a lot to do with this. This works because he feints to the right at first, then makes such a hard cut back to the left, going wide around several Bombers' players in the process. Banks then sails up the sideline, gets one crucial block (0:18), slips between two Bombers (0:20) and then jukes through two more (0:22), and then it's clear sailing to the end zone. It's not just his speed that works here; it's also his agility, his deceptiveness, and his ability to make quick cuts at full speed to make defenders miss.

This could be an important play for the Tiger-Cats in terms of momentum, as the team delivered perhaps their worst home performance in several years in last week's 28-3 loss to the B.C. Lions. The slow start they got off to here could have dragged them down further, but Banks turned things around very quickly with this play. That's not unusual for him, either; he's the CFL's lightest player and one of its smallest at just 5'7'' and 153 pounds, but he had a great college career at Kansas State, found some success in the NFL with the Washington Redskins from 2010 to 2012, and has been really good in the CFL since signing with Hamilton in 2013, earning league all-star nods the last two years. If he continues with returns like this, there might be another one in his future.