Hamilton Tiger-Cats beat Ottawa Redblacks 25-21 in pre-season action

Jun 1, 2019 | 8:03 PM

OTTAWA — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 25-21 Saturday night in CFL pre-season play at TD Place.

With both teams still working on their rosters, there were a number of unfamiliar faces in the lineup.

Quarterback Dane Evans played the first half for the Tiger-Cats, going 11 for 14 for 96 yards and one touchdown, while Hayden Moore took over in the second half and finished 15 for 22 for 176 yards and two touchdowns.

The 22,318 on hand needed their programs as the Redblacks used all four of their quarterbacks.

Dominique Davis and Jonathon Jennings split the first half. Davis looked solid, going 5 for 7 for 118 yards, while Jennings was 4 for 8 for 75 yards. The duo are the favourites for the starter’s job.

Danny Collins played the third and was 1 for 6 for 10 yards. William Arndt took over in the fourth and finished 6 for 15 for 101 yards.

Ottawa closed the gap as Mexican kicker Jose Maltos booted a 38-yard field goal early in the fourth to make it 25-21.

Moore found Marcus Tucker in the end zone for a 34-yard TD pass late in the third quarter to take a 25-18 lead.

Tied 11-11 the Tiger-Cats regained the lead as Moore connected with Josh Crockett for a 17-yard TD pass, but it was short lived as DeVonte Dedmon had a 100-yard kickoff return to knot things up 18-18.

The first half finished tied 11-11.

Lewis Ward scored three field goals for the Redblacks, while the Tiger-Cats gave up a safety when Evans was sacked in the Ottawa end zone.

Hamilton got on the board with a single, followed by Evans punching in a one-yard TD and Michael Domagala had a 42-yard field goal to round out the Tiger-Cats scoring.

Ottawa lost R.J. Shelton late in the first quarter. The receiver had just taken a punt return, but after just a few steps dropped to the ground. He required assistance to leave the field and had his left foot in an air cast.

The Redblacks wrap up pre-season play next Thursday in Montreal, while the Tiger-Cats host the Toronto Argonauts in their final exhibition game.

 

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press