Ottawa @ Hamilton preview
Tim Hortons Field
Last Meeting ( Aug 17, 2019 ) Hamilton 21, Ottawa 7
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats look to extend their home winning streak to nine games when they take on the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday. The Tiger-Cats, who were on a bye in Week 18, clinched their first East Division title since 2014 after the Montreal Alouettes lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and can set a franchise record for the most wins in a season by sweeping the series with the Redblacks following a 21-7 victory Aug. 17.
"Obviously our goal after we clinched the playoffs was to win the division," Hamilton coach Orlondo Steinauer told reporters. "We're definitely pleased and it was the next step but our next goal is win number 13 and all of our focus goes to Ottawa." The Redblacks are left to pick up the pieces after suffering their eighth straight loss. Ottawa, which dropped nine consecutive games during its reentry into the CFL as the Redblacks in 2014, couldn't overcome a 14-point halftime deficit in the 28-21 setback to the Toronto Argonauts in Week 18 and hopes to stop the bleeding by notching its first win since Aug. 2. "The losing is frustrating but I'm a proud Redblack," Ottawa coach Rick Campbell told reporters. "To see what our record is I'm not embarrassed but I'm frustrated in the position we're in."
TV: 4 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS2
ABOUT THE REDBLACKS (3-12): Will Arndt was 28-of-42 for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but also threw three interceptions, including a pick on the final play, in his first career CFL start. Campbell revealed Arndt will get another start with Dominique Davis, who missed the loss to Toronto with a shoulder injury, still not 100 percent while running back Mossis Madu is questionable after sitting out last weekend with an unspecified ailment. Dominique Rhymes caught five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown to surpass 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his three-year career.
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (12-3): Dane Evans completed 24-of-32 passes for 277 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the 42-12 win over Edmonton to improve to 7-2 as the starter since Jeremiah Masoli suffered a season-ending knee injury July 26. Brandon Banks had eight receptions for 81 yards and a touchdown while Richard Leonard picked off two passes, including one for a 19-yard score against the Eskimos. Hamilton released a trio of players as defensive end Yurik Bethune, defensive tackle Johnny Robinson and cornerback Channing Stribling were cut at the beginning of the week.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Hamilton has scored 30 or more points in four of their last five games.
2. Ottawa quarterbacks have thrown 10 touchdowns compared to 26 interceptions this season.
3. Banks has caught a touchdown pass in four straight games.
PREDICTION: Tiger-Cats 33, Redblacks 20