Friday 28 October 2011

Preview: Tiger-Cats at Roughriders

8-8
4-12
Hamilton took care of business last week against an injury-depleted BC Lion teams. The same could happen this week against an even more injury-depleted Saskatchewan Roughrider team.

The Riders will enter this game without the services of Quarterback Darian Durant, Receiver Andy Fantuz and Linebacker Barrin Simpson, all of whom have been shut down for the year. Saskatchewan was going to have a tough time against the Cats to begin with, but losing three key players (to be fair, Fantuz hasn't been much of a factor since his return from the NFL) will make it even tougher for the Riders.

Hamilton enters this game coming off a very impressive showing against BC. The Cats hammered the Lions to the tune of 42-10. The score masked a somewhat poor offensive showing, but the Defense and Special Teams came to play.

The biggest positive to take from last week's game, was the improved play of the Secondary. The group of Carlos Thomas, Woodny Turenne, Marcel Young, Bo Smith and Dee Webb put the clamps on two Hall of Fame Receivers, giving the team hope that the Secondary is no longer a concern. Their play also allowed the Front Seven to get pressure and make plays. If that performance can be repeated, the Cats will have success.

Neither of these teams have anything to play for. Saskatchewan is already eliminated from playoff contention, and Hamilton's seeding is already set. Rider players will be playing for jobs in 2012, and Ti-Cat players will be looking to sharpen their games for a post-season run.

This game has the peculiar start time of 3:00PM EST on Saturday. If you want to catch the game, tune into TSN or AM900 CHML. And don't forget to follow Dief on Cats on Twitter as he provides his unique take on the action.

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