CFL: Hamilton Tiger-Cats keep winning streak alive with victory over Lions

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats fought until the end, overcoming a double-digit deficit, and won their fifth straight game as they defeated the BC Lions 37-33 on Sunday night at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place. Hamilton has tallied their first five-game winning streak since 2019.

Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 389 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, Kiondre Smith led the receiving corps with 138 yards and two touchdowns, and Greg Bell led the ground game with 56 yards.

Nathan Rourke recorded 289 yards, James Butler rushed in two touchdowns and tallied 115 yards on 16 carries, while Keon Hatcher led all Lions receivers with 117 yards on five receptions.

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The first of many of his big plays on the night, Robert Carter Jr. forced a fumble to turn the ball over and give the Lions possession, where it took just four plays and 19 yards for Butler to score against his old team on a three-yard touchdown.

Hamilton responded on the next drive as Mitchell threw a long rocket to Tim White for 35 yards, and while the Tiger-Cats didn’t find the end zone, Marc Liegghio improved his streak to 31 consecutive made field goals – as well as going 16-for-16 on the year – as he successfully kicked through the uprights from 40 yards out.

After Rourke first found Hatcher for 14 yards, he moved the chains himself as he went left off a solid block from Butler for 21 yards. Butler kept moving for 23 yards himself to tally another first down, and two plays later ran in his second touchdown of the night with a five-yard score.

One of the CFL’s strongest receivers this season, Kenny Lawler, used his first target in the quarter to catch a 21-yard ball and get Hamilton deep, and after a forward fight at the goal line, on third-and-goal Jake Dolegala rushed in the one-yard touchdown for the Tiger-Cats.

BC’s offence was prepared to respond until Butler fumbled, forced by rookie Devin Veresuk, which was recovered by Jonathan Moxey who returned it 18 yards, though a holding call moved the Tiger-Cats back 10 yards. Despite another big first down after an 11-yard gain from White, Liegghio and Hamilton’s field goal unit made it a one-point game after a 12-yard kick.

Trading punts on the next two drives, the Lions gained momentum thanks to Keon Hatcher’s massive 73-yard grab on a straight seam route to get down to the Hamilton 15-yard line, which set up Sean Whyte to give the Lions a four-point lead on a 22-yard field goal.

Just as it looked like Mitchell was going to make a 40-yard touchdown throw, Carter Jr. made his second big play with a one-handed highlight reel pick. Butler, Hatcher and Justin McInnis all moved the chains for the Lions after the turnover, but ultimately Whyte was relied upon again, going 2/2 on the night and recording his 28th consecutive made field goal with a 33-yard kick to end the hald.

Starting the second half with possession, Mitchell looked to Smith and White to move downfield, and on a fresh set of downs Mitchell moved out of the pocked to find a shovel pass to Smith, scoring a nine-yard touchdown to tie the game.

Unable to get past Hamilton’s defence on the ground, Whyte was the one to put the Lions ahead with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter on a 13-yard field goal. To open the fourth quarter, Liegghio moved up into the fourth longest streak of all time as he kicked in a 24-yard field goal.

With six minutes left to play, Whyte added to his own streak to 30 straight made field goals as he put BC back ahead by three points with a made 45-yard field goal.

Bell was stripped by the BC defence and Sione Teuhema hustled to pounce on the ball giving the Lions the ball back, and Rourke took advantage of the momentum swing as he connected with Ayden Eberhardt for 43 yards to the Hamilton two-yard line, and Jeremiah Masoli ran in the touchdown to extend the lead.

With lots of time until the final whistle, the Tiger-Cats used Lawler and White as decoys as Mitchell found Brendan O’Leary-Orange for a 44-yard touchdown, his first of the season, to make the game a three-point affair with less than three minutes to play.

Forcing BC’s offence into a two-and-out on their next drive, the Tiger-Cats continued to chip away offensively and move the chains downfield, and Mitchell found his favourite target in Smith with 24 seconds left to play for a 16-yard gain setting up first-and-goal for Hamilton. Two plays later, the two connected once again for a one-yard touchdown to take the late lead which would seal victory for them.

The Lions will be on bye during Week 9 action while the Tiger-Cats will head to Edmonton to face the Elks at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, August 2nd at 3:00 pm ET. BC and Hamilton will face off again during Week 10.