While the Hamilton Tiger-Cats have experienced their first taste of success in 2022, the B.C. Lions are looking to get back into the win column.
The teams meet Thursday night in Vancouver, with Hamilton carrying a 1-4 record across the country and B.C. coming in at 3-1. The Lions didn’t play last week, giving them a chance to lick their wounds from a 43-22 pounding at home two weeks ago against the 2021 Grey Cup champion Winnipeg.
“Obviously, we have to play better to beat those guys,” B.C. coach Rick Campbell said of the unbeaten Blue Bombers. “They’re a good football team and we want to be like these guys.”
The Tiger-Cats have dug themselves into a hole at this point, although a 25-23 win Friday night against winless Ottawa at least provided a step in the right direction. Dane Evans threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning 3-yard strike to Tim White with 34 seconds left.
Hamilton manufactured 455 total yards of offense but often acted as its worst enemy, committing five turnovers. But the good news is that the Ti-Cats are in the forgiving East, where only Toronto boasts a .500 record. The other three teams are a combined 2-13.
And Evans appears to have a receiving group that’s figuring things out. Four different players collected at least 57 yards through the air against Ottawa.
“We’ve got a bunch of hard workers,” said Steven Dunbar, Jr., who made three grabs for 59 yards last week. “We’ve got a lot of guys who are really talented and accept coaching. When we get to the game, we are prepared to perform.”
The Lions got 278 yards and three touchdowns in the air from quarterback Nathan Rourke in their loss to Winnipeg, but also trailed 21-0 after the first quarter. They also rushed for just 33 yards.
One bright spot was receiver Dominique Rhymes, who hauled in six passes for 136 yards and two touchdowns.
–Field Level Media