Hamilton Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich indicates that the key message he’s been sharing with his players leading up to Saturday’s game against Edmonton is the same one he’s stressed consistently for weeks. In fact, it was the primary focus during the team’s very first training camp meeting: eliminate turnovers and penalties.
So, when his team incurs a penalty before even executing a single offensive play last week against Montreal—something that’s happened multiple times this season—and then turns the ball over on their very first play, what is he thinking?
“Fury,” he responds.
He’s not smiling.
It’s too simplistic to blame the team’s 2-7 record solely on this issue, but it’s definitely a good starting point.
When you lead the league in penalty yards (678) and interceptions (10), you’re creating unnecessary challenges for yourself. Halfway through the season, still making the same mistakes you’ve been working to eliminate is definitely frustrating—if the coach had any hair left, he’d probably be pulling it out by now.
“It’s very frustrating,” he says. “I brought this up in our team meeting. These are the fundamental values needed to win football games.”
Given that this is a young team with many new players learning various aspects, he allowed for some leniency at first. That grace period, however, has now ended.
This was evident in the last game, particularly at the crucial quarterback position, where Milanovich benched veteran Bo Levi Mitchell after only two series due to an interception.
The message was unmistakable. While Mitchell had impressive stats—leading the league in passing yards and touchdowns, including a career-high of five just weeks ago—the turnovers were detrimental.
Milanovich began breaking it down.
Last week, the Ticats had 12 possessions, which is standard for most teams. However, they averaged about four offensive penalties and two turnovers per game.
“You’re eliminating yourself from about five of those 12 possessions,” he noted. “That’s nearly half. We’re essentially giving them away.”
When framed this way, it’s quite revealing.
Adding to the problem, Hamilton is at the bottom of the league in creating turnovers, meaning they aren’t recovering from their own mistakes by forcing errors from their opponents.
But it wasn’t just Mitchell who made mistakes—he didn’t single-handedly cost the Ticats the game. His errors were the most visible, but he was far from the only one to blame.
Could this signal further changes to come?
“There will be other changes this week,” the coach confirmed.
Soon after, he acted on that, bringing in six new players while sidelining six from the depth chart. Some changes were due to injuries, but the message was clear.
It will be interesting to see how the team reacts and what adjustments they make if the issues persist. Milanovich’s response time will be crucial, especially with such an important matchup ahead.
With Montreal and Ottawa pulling away in the East—and Toronto likely getting back its MVP quarterback—Hamilton can’t afford to lose to other 2-7 teams, especially at home. This is a must-win situation.
While the Elks have improved and won their last two games, they are no longer the easy target they were a few weeks ago. At this stage, defeating teams near them in the standings is essential.
To help themselves, the Ticats must avoid giving the Elks easy opportunities, which frustrates Milanovich. They need to clean up their game and take their best shot.
“Once we mature and realize we need to protect the ball and keep our emotions in check to avoid penalties, I think we’ll see more consistent play over time,” he said. “As long as these issues persist, we’re going to face problems.”
In other news, Edmonton’s QB Tre Ford is out for Saturday’s game due to an injury, with McLeod Bethel-Thompson starting and Dakota Prukup backing him up. This change could benefit the Ticats, especially since Ford had a strong performance in their last matchup, throwing three touchdowns late in the game.
Hamilton’s running back James Butler will not play, but the secondary will be strengthened by the return of DB Jamal Peters and S Stavros Katsantonis. The team that loses this game will end up at the bottom of the league standings.
The last time Hamilton defeated Edmonton at Tim Hortons Field was on October 4, 2019. This matchup has the potential to be a high-scoring affair, as the Elks are the second-highest scoring team (27.4 points per game), while the Ticats rank third (24.7 points). However, both defenses have struggled, with Edmonton allowing the second-most points (29.2) and Hamilton the most (31.9).
On a side note, McMaster will kick off its season at home next Saturday at 7 p.m. against Laurier.
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