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Author of the article:
The Canadian Press
Danny Ralph
Published July 8, 2023 • Last updated 3 minutes ago • read for 4 minutes
Hamilton Tiger-Cats running back Tyreik McAllister (35) is tackled by Ottawa Redblacks linebacker Adam Auclair (32) and Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Hakeem Bailey (24) during the first half of the CFL football game in Hamilton, Ont. on Saturday, July 8, 2023. Photo by Peter Power /THE CANADIAN PRESS
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HAMILTON – Marc Liegghio put the Ottawa Redblacks on the ropes before Chris Edwards landed the knockout punch.
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Liegghio kicked five field goals as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated Ottawa 21-13 on Saturday night. But it was Edwards’ crucial tackle of Redblacks quarterback Dustin Crum that kept the win.
Crum, replacing injured starter Jeremiah Masoli, drove Ottawa (1-3) to the Hamilton 20-yard line with seven seconds remaining. On the final play of the game, he took off for the end zone, but was stopped five feet short by Edwards, with an assist from teammate Richard Leonard, delighting the Tim Hortons Field gathering of 21,331.
“That was a professional game, that’s an All-Pro game,” Hamilton head coach Orlondo Steinauer said of Edwards’ stop. “He’s just that type of footballer.
“Thank God he was out there.”
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Lieggio’s 25-yard field goal gave Hamilton (1-3) his eight-point lead at 11:49 of the fourth quarter. Lieggio made all nine field goals he attempted in the two games he played with the Ticats, but missed a convert.
“You can’t say enough about Lieggio,” Steinauer said. “The ball goes through the pipes every time so far.
“It’s definitely a team effort, but not to mention what he contributed would definitely be a mistake.”
Hamilton’s defense played a spirited game, registering five sacks and four turnovers, including three interceptions.
“We took the ball away,” said Steinauer. “That was something that had kind of eluded us and not tonight.
“The game had a lot of different twists and turns and eventually we found a way to win.”
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Masoli, on his season debut, left in the second quarter with a leg injury. The 34-year-old was attempting to roll to the right when, untouched, he fell to the turf and immediately grabbed hold of his left leg.
Masoli was carried off the field by his teammates. Details of the injury were not disclosed, but Masoli left the Ottawa locker room after the game on crutches, wearing a boot on his left foot.
“I have so much love for Jeremiah,” Steinauer said. “Injuries are part of the game…but I think you saw a little bit of air escaping on both sides.
“But that’s a credit to him and the respect he has throughout the league, especially with these two teams. Not great, I think the league is better with Jeremiah in it.”
Masoli played one year to the day after a season-ending right leg injury against the Saskatchewan Roughriders – a 17-game span in which Ottawa went 5-12. He made his first career start against Hamilton, the team he played for for eight seasons (2013-21) before signing as a free agent with Ottawa.
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“Jeremiah is one of my favorite people in the world,” said Hamilton linebacker Simoni Lawrence. “He’s a stand-up guy, I love his family.
“I hope he’s doing well because he loves this. He’s the ultimate competitor, he’s a great human being, he loves his teammates.”
Masoli finished six-of-10 passes for 37 yards and an interception. Crum was 14-of-21 for 149 yards and two picks and ran six runs for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Ottawa defensive lineman Lorenzo Mauldin IV, the CFL’s best defensive player last season, said the loss of Masoli was a huge blow to the Redblacks.
“It was definitely hard to watch him go down,” he said. “We were confident that he would come and finish the game and continue to do what he does when he is healthy and playing.
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“We made sure we played for him…but it’s true when they say this game is a game of inches. It’s heartbreaking.”
Hamilton starter Matt Shiltz was 19-of-26 passing for 233 yards with a TD and interception. He ran five times for 30 yards.
Tyreik McAllister scored Hamilton’s touchdown as the Ticats clinched a fifth straight home win over the Redblacks.
Lewis Ward had two field goals and a convert for Ottawa.
McAllister put Hamilton ahead 15-13 and took a 64-yard screen pass for the TD at 8:15 of the third. The conversion was unsuccessful.
Hamilton looked poised to add to that lead after Ted Laurent’s recovery at the Ottawa 46. But Brandin Dandridge returned the favor, as he was the last to catch the Ticats’ receiver Kiondre Smith’s fumble at the Redblacks’ 26-yard line touched.
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But Lieggio’s 34-yard field goal at 4:14 extended Hamilton’s lead to 18–13.
Ward’s 20-yard field goal at 4:23 gave Ottawa a 13–9 lead.
Crum’s 15-yard TD at 2:03 of the second earned Ottawa an improbable 10–9 halftime lead.
Hamilton amassed 153 net offensive yards in the first half, compared to 87 for Ottawa. But the Ticats were also penalized nine times for 51 yards, including three time violations.
Ward kicked a 36-yard field goal at 9:10 to put Ottawa within 9–3 after Masoli’s departure.
Lieggio’s 20-yard field goal at 4:41 of the second put Hamilton ahead 9–0. It followed a failed challenge of an incomplete call from Shiltz’s 13-yard TD pass to Richie Sindani.
It was set up by Edwards’ interception – Hamilton’s first of the season – that he returned to the Ottawa 29.
Lieggio scored from 50 meters – after a second time penalty – at 1:50. He also opened the scoring with a 13-yard boot at 6:06 of the first.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 8, 2023.
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