THE CANADIAN PRESS
There’s something about facing the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that has brought out the worst in Cleo Lemon and the Toronto Argonauts this season.
Hamilton swept the season series with its archrival 3-0, outscoring Toronto by a convincing 74-28 margin. The Ticats also forced a whopping 15 turnovers in the three games, intercepting Lemon five times while also recovering three of his fumbles.
And that’s a trend the Ticats look to continue when they host the Argos in the East Division semifinal Sunday afternoon (TSN, 1 p.m. ET) at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
A major reason for Hamilton’s regular-season success against Toronto has been the ability of the defence to get to Lemon. The Ticats were unrelenting in their pressure of the Argos quarterback with 11 sacks in the three games.
Hamilton’s already solid pass rush received a major boost at mid-season with the addition of free-agent defensive end Stevie Baggs. In seven games with the Ticats, Baggs has 23 tackles, five sacks, an interception, a forced fumble, three fumble recoveries and two TDs.
Baggs was a one-man wrecking crew in Hamilton’s 30-3 win over Toronto on Oct. 15, registering seven tackles and two sacks.
Hamilton’s defence has been more than just stellar in its pass rush. The Ticats have done a great job of keeping tailback Cory Boyd in check. Boyd was a force all season for Toronto, finishing second among CFL rushers with 1,359 yards and averaging a solid six yards per carry.
But Boyd ran for just 161 yards against Hamilton, and although he still averaged a decent 4.2 yards per carry Boyd wasn’t nearly the offensive factor against the Ticats as he was throughout the season for the Argos. That was especially the case Oct. 15 when Boyd only had 26 yards on the ground.
Defensively, Hamilton’s gameplan seemed to be to take Boyd out of the mix and dare Lemon to beat the Ticats through the air. And with good reason.
Toronto finished last in the CFL in passing, averaging just 221 yards a game. Lemon did complete over 60 per cent of his passes for 3,433 yards in his first season in Canada, but had more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (15) while the Argos surrendered 48 sacks, second-most in the CFL.
Against Hamilton, Lemon didn’t have a touchdown pass.
By comparison, Kevin Glenn completed 71-of-102 passes for 774 yards and three TDs versus Toronto, but has also thrown four interceptions. Receiver Arland Bruce III, a former Argo, hasn’t been much of a factor again his former team with 18 catches for 172 yards and a TD this season.
Then again, Toronto does have some factors working in its favour.
First of all, it’s difficult to beat an opponent three times in the same season, let alone four. The law of averages dictates one of these times Toronto will emerge victorious.
Secondly, there’s little pressure on the Argos. They’ll head into Steeltown as overwhelming underdogs, something head coach Jim Barker will undoubtedly preach this week in practice. A loose, resilient team is always dangerous but especially in a one-game, winner-take-all scenario.
But the biggest advantage Toronto has is the big-play ability of special-teams dynamo Chad Owens. Owens led the CFL in kickoff returns, punt returns and missed field goals as well as all-purpose yards. Hamilton did a terrific job containing Owens but the former Hawaii star is always a threat to score and more than capable of taking over every game he plays in.