Hamilton Tiger-Cats tripped up in Toronto, QB Evans injured

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Published September 10, 2021 at 10:47 pm

Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Dane Evans (9) looks downfield for a receiver. (Peter Power/CP)

Rookie kicker Michael Domagala doinking the upright put a bow on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ tough night in Toronto.

Quarterback Dane Evans was knocked out of the game with an injury to his right hip/side after being sacked four times, and the archrival Argonauts held on for a 17-16 revenge win at BMO Field on Friday. Domagala, a rookie kicker from St. Catharines, missed the game-tying convert with 1:24 left in the game.

Mississauga native Henoc Muamba made a key interception to set up one of Toronto’s touchdowns.

The result moved Toronto (3-2) ahead of Hamilton (2-3) in the East Division of the Canadian Football League at the one-third mark of the league’s coronavirus-compacted 14-game regular season. It also evened their season series at 1-1. Hamilton prevailed 32-19 at Tim Hortons Field on Monday. Their next matchup slated for Thanksgiving Day, Oct. 11, at Tim Hortons Field, and the teams meet again in November.

Evans did not return after being sacked by Shawn Oakman with eight minutes left. Oakman and Eli Harold each had two sacks for Toronto.

The Tiger-Cats, who fell into an early 14-point hole, made a comeback attempt late with No. 3 quarterback David Watford behind centre. Running back Sean Thomas Erlington broke free for a 21-yard rushing touchdown with under 90 seconds remaining to trim Toronto’s lead to one point.

Hamilton elected to have Domagala try a convert to tie the game, instead of trying to run a play for a go-ahead two-point convert.

The attempt struck the right upright, leaving Toronto in the lead. The Tiger-Cats regained possession deep in their zone in the final seconds and completed two passes, but the clock ran out before Domagala could come on for a redemptive chance to kick a game-winning field goal.

Evans joined a list of injured offensive stars. Starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has been out for three games. Dynamic wide receiver Brandon Banks (ribs) was also held out of action on Friday.

Evans completed 19-of-27 passes for 192 yards and one touchdown with one interception, while Watford was six-of-10 for 78 yards in relief. Tim White had four receptions for a team-most 55 yards, and rookie Papi White made five receptions for 53 yards, including his first CFL touchdown.

Hamilton had only 58 yards in the rushing phase. Domagala, a St. Catharines native, was 1-for-2 on converts and made his only field goal attempt.

Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle was 23-of-37 passing for 236 yards, with one touchdown pass and two interceptions, along with a short touchdown run.

Toronto’s running backs were tough to contain. John White had 12 rushes for 84 yards, while D.J. Foster added a team-high 63 receiving yards, most of it when he housed a shovel pass for a 40-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Boris Bede added two converts and field goal for Toronto.

The Foster touchdown put Toronto up 14-0 in the second quarter. It came three plays after an interception by Muamba.

The Tiger-Cats host the Calgary Stampeders next Friday (Sept. 17) at 7 p.m. at Tim Hortons Field. 

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