Bo Levi Mitchell helps Hamilton Tiger-Cats blitz winless Edmonton Elks

EDMONTON — The Hamilton Tiger-Cats appear like they’re lastly discovering their footing.

Bo Levi Mitchell handed for 316 yards and 5 touchdowns, together with two to vast receiver Tim White, because the Tiger-Cats received their second recreation in a row, defeating the hapless Edmonton Elks 44-28 on Sunday.

“It felt like the primary time this 12 months the place we’ve come collectively on offence, defence and particular groups, and performed nicely on either side. Hopefully that’s an instance of what we are able to do after we convey all three phases,” mentioned Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich.

“It’s simply given us confidence. That locker room is feeling quite a bit completely different than it was three weeks in the past.”

The Tiger-Cats improved to 2-5.

“It’s a lengthy highway, however I feel we’ve taken one other step towards turning into the soccer group we need to be,” Mitchell mentioned. “The blokes we’ve on this roster are particular. I do know we began 0-5, however we’re a particular group.

“We will do one thing harmful as a result of we’ve a whole lot of expertise in that room. We’re younger and we’ve to seek out our approach and our id, however now that it’s there, I feel we perceive who we’re.”

The Elks are nonetheless winless on the 12 months, falling to 0-7, and 0-2 underneath interim head coach Jarious Jackson, who changed Chris Jones.

“Within the second quarter we gave up a punt block, I feel it was a one-point recreation on the time, and it simply looks like the underside fell out after that,” Jackson mentioned. “We now have to be higher at dealing with adversity.”

Edmonton now has a miserable 2-28 file at dwelling since Oct. 26, 2019.

The Elks acquired on the board with their opening drive, getting a 26-yard discipline objective from Boris Bede.

Hamilton’s first possession was not as profitable, as Mitchell was intercepted by Elk Marcus Lewis on the Edmonton 49, eventual resulting in a 47-yard discipline objective by Bede.

The Ticats responded with a 45-yard discipline objective by Marc Liegghio with three minutes remaining within the opening body, and he added one other one from 47 yards to shut out the quarter and tie the sport 6-6.

Edmonton regained the lead on a pair of punt singles, with Hamilton then getting a single of its personal off of a kickoff.

The Tiger-Cats lastly stopped the scoring by dribs and drabs when Kobe Jones blocked a punt which was recovered by DQ Thomas with 2 1/2 minutes left within the first half. That led on to a 12-yard landing move from Mitchell to Jevoni Robinson.

Hamilton utterly took cost virtually instantly after as Jamal Peters picked off Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson. That led to a monster 66-yard passing play from Mitchell to Luther Hakunavanhu for a landing with a minute to play within the second quarter and a 21-8 lead at halftime.

The Ticats continued the onslaught to start out the third, as Mitchell discovered White down the sidelines for a 12-yard passing main.

The drubbing continued with three minutes left within the third, as Mitchell went deep for a 59-yard landing move to Kiondre Smith.

Hamilton made it 41-8 to start out the fourth on a seven-yard landing move to White.

A lot to the delight of the Edmonton crowd, the Elks lastly introduced in backup QB Tre Ford and he engineered a protracted drive, culminating in a five-yard TD move to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. The 2-point convert try failed.

Liegghio added a 35-yard discipline objective.

Ford’s second possession was simply as profitable, one other lengthy drive capped off by a 20-yard landing move to Gavin Cobb. The 2-point convert move to Eugene Lewis was good.

Edmonton’s Darrius Bratton recovered a fumble on the Hamilton 20, main to a different Ford TD move, a 12-yarder to Lewis.

Ford ended up with 121 passing yards and three TDs in lower than 1 / 4 of play, to Bethel-Thompson’s 85 yards passing.

“It was simply enjoyable once more,” mentioned Ford, who didn’t get right into a single recreation this season underneath Jones as coach. “I haven’t performed soccer in a very long time. It was enjoyable simply to go on the market and play good and attempt to gel with the fellows on the go.”

NOTES

The groups cut up their seasonal sequence final 12 months, with every profitable within the different group’s stadium … Hamilton accidents included OL Dayton Black (Achilles), DB Stavros Katsantonis (leg), DL Luke Brubacher (hamstring) and WR Branden O’Leary-Orange (hamstring) … Out for Edmonton had been DL Sam Acheampong (knee), DB Scott Hunter (knee), LB Michael Brodrique (groin) and OL Hunter Steward (head) … The final dwelling win for Edmonton over Hamilton was on Aug. 4, 2017 … Edmonton got here into the sport with 10 consecutive losses. All six of their earlier losses this season had been one possession video games, together with 5 consecutive defeats by six factors or much less … Cats QB Mitchell is off to a terrific begin. His 12 landing passes coming into the competition had been already probably the most he’s thrown since 2019.

UP NEXT

Tiger-Cats: Host the Montreal Alouettes (6-1) on Friday.

Elks: Go to the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2) on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first printed July 28, 2024.