Article by Josh Thomas
A second scoreless first quarter in as many weeks was not enough to propel the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a 2-0 preseason record over the Toronto Argonauts.
The Argos defeated the Tiger-Cats 30-23 at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ontario after finding their footing in the second half. Hamilton held Toronto to three points in the first half but could not use the strong defensive play to build a lead.
Toronto woke up in the third, putting together a long touchdown drive and following it up with an explosive 70-yard run by Jyran Mitchell to make it 17-17 heading into the fourth. The Argos took the lead on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Tucker Horne to Calvin Turner Jr. with 8:26 to go and never looked back.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Stingy out of the gate
Hamilton picked up where they left off on the defensive side of the ball, holding the Argos to 141 yards of total offence in the first half. They allowed their first points of the night, a 38-yard field goal off the foot of Lirim Hajrilahu, with 24 ticks left in the second quarter. Toronto punted on seven of their eight drives to start the game.
Linebacker Qwuantrezz Knight got his coach’s attention in his second game with the Tabbies, picking up two tackles for a loss and seven total defensive tackles. He shared the team lead with Canadian defensive back Patrick Burke Jr. Aside from the tackles for losses, there were no real standout plays in a tidy by-committee half for the Ticats’ defence. Those are encouraging signs heading into the regular season.
Veresuk’s pursuit impresses again
If Devin Veresuk’s first spectacular special teams tackle last week wasn’t enough to earn him a spot on the Ticats game-day roster, his second one will be.
The second-overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft and Windsor Lancers product flew across the field to get his hands on Turner Jr. on a punt return in the second quarter. Despite being the recipient of a nasty stiff arm, Veresuk recovered to make a shoestring tackle. He made an impact on defence as well with one tackle for a loss. I would be surprised if we do not see a lot more of him this season.
Veresuk rose up CFL draft boards following an exceptional performance at the University at Buffalo pro day where he recorded a 36-inch vertical, 124-inch broad jump, 4.47-second forty-yard dash, 4.47-second short shuttle, and 7.19-second three-cone drill. He also repped 225 pounds on the bench press 27 times.
The 23-year-old was a standout at the University of Windsor where he recorded 199 total tackles, 15.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception over 22 collegiate games with the Lancers. He was twice named second-team All-OUA.
The Ticats hope they have found an impact player for years to come in Veresuk. So far, so good two games into his CFL career.
Coverage teams need to be better
Huge punt or kick returns often decide games in the CFL. A timely return for a touchdown can bring a team back from the brink or it can act as a knockout punch.
Though a 70-yard run ultimately allowed the Argos to take control of the contest, they were lucky Toronto didn’t snatch momentum earlier with a big return. If not for Veresuk’s shoestring tackle, Tucker Jr. could have housed the punt he returned in the second quarter. Deonta McMahon and Turner both had multiple other opportunities to break contain and bust one.
Hamilton’s coverage teams gave Toronto way too much room and far too many open lanes in the return game all night long. The Cats will need to clean this aspect of their game up ahead of the season opener. It did not burn them as badly as it could have against Toronto, but it will if left unchecked.
Offence can’t get going early
Seven points is not good enough when your defence holds a team to 0 points for the first 29 minutes of the first half.
I am not so much worried about the inability to mount a comeback victory down the stretch as I was with the failure of the starting offence to put this one to bed. It was evident both teams were using the second half to get as many players as they could a little bit of playing time. It is impossible, however, to ignore the trend set for the second week in a row by the Ticats passing attack out of the gate.
Taylor Powell finished the night an efficient 11-of-16, picking up 113 yards and two touchdowns to Keaton Bruggeling. Gavin Hardison came in and picked up 101 yards and a touchdown on his first drive of the night, but could not provide a game-tying drive his second time out. In all it was not a terrible outing for the passing game, they just turned it on too late.
Powell did have the one touchdown pass in the first half, but it was the Ticats’ only play of substance through the air and it was set up by a long Treshaun Ward run. Prior to Ward breaking free, Hamilton had nothing going on offence. One or two more sustained drives ending in points could have been the end of the Argos. Instead, the two teams came out of the locker room with little between them.
If the Cats go into Calgary and play well offensively, nobody will remember a couple of below-average preseason starts. Still, being unable to connect in the passing game early hurt Hamilton in Calgary in the 2024 opener and inconsistency has been a problem for their offence in the past. We have not seen them firing on all cylinders this season and now the dress rehearsal is over. I will definitely be keeping an eye on the passing game early in Calgary.
Bright spot Bruggeling
One thing Hamilton can take away from this game is the performance of Keaton Bruggeling. He scored his second major of the contest late in the second half, helping to cap off a five-reception, 85-yard night. Bruggeling had a nose for getting open and made multiple Argos miss in space. He picked up a monster 56 yards after contact on the day.
A six-foot-three, 225-pound receiver, Bruggeling spent three seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks but was limited in his use, playing in eight, 10, and 13 games respectively. He was targeted just 12 times in Ottawa, picking up eight receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown before signing with Hamilton in February.
Bruggeling picked up more yards and touchdowns on Saturday than he did in his entire tenure with the Redblacks. He will have trouble cracking Hamilton’s top five but should provide excellent depth.
Back shoulder beauty
Good on Hardison for coming into the game and taking one of Hamilton’s only shots downfield all game. A few plays into his CFL career, Hardison found Matt Landers with a gorgeous back shoulder throw where only the receiver could get it. Landers made the grab surrounded by a sea of Argonaut DBs.
He capped the drive off later by throwing a strike over the middle to Tre’Shaun Harrison to cut Toronto’s lead to 27-23. Hardison finished 9-of-15 with 101 yards, one touchdown and a long of 67.
On To Calgary
The Tiger-Cats now turn their attention to the Calgary Stampeders ahead of the season opener next Saturday, June 7. Hamilton split the season series with Calgary last season, losing 32-24 to open the 2024 campaign but handing Calgary a 42-20 loss in their most recent meeting. Kickoff from McMahon Stadium in Calgary is set for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
