Danny Mac looked like a guy having some fun at BC Place on Friday night, he was tossing the ball with some zip, his receivers were making the big catches and most importantly of all, the scoreboard kept showing the Ti Cats in the lead. Considering the hell that he went through in 2003, he must feel like a rookie QB at his first camp out of college ball. Throughout Friday night McManus remained calm and guided with a steady hand as Hamilton edged the BC Lions 38-36, in a game that was not as close as the score indicates.
McManus took the BC corner backs to school on Friday night, turning each side over time and time again as he lofted precision passes to the corners, cut them inside to the post and launched some rockets to the end zone. It was probably the best performance McManus has had in a couple of years and by far the best offensive show the Ti Cats have put on for years. For new owner Bob Young, the result must have given him some satisfaction, his rookie coach got his first win of his career, his veteran QB shined and the various pieces added to the mix by Ron Lancaster in the off season showed that the long wait for respectability in Steel town may be coming to an end. Ticket sales should spike again after the road win by the Tabbies.
Hamilton managed to overcome a great many penalty calls as the Ti Cats again and again were called for penalties that stalled their drives and set them back in field position. They had fifteen penalties for 119 yards in the first half, kept the defence busy and tested the patience of the coach. Yet McManus kept it going, finding DJ Flick, Craig Yeast and Dimitrius Breedlove for TD passes. Defensively the Ti cats held their own as well, Sandy Beveridge returning a fumble for a touchdown to add to the total. All in all it was a fairly decent total team performance by the Black and Yellow.
The Lions had a horrid game and yet stayed close until the end. Dave Dickenson started but removed himself in the second quarter, not feeling up to the standard needed to succeed. Casey Printers took over and accounted well for himself with as he led the Lions up the field putting points on the board along the way. Missed field goals by Duncan O’Mahony cost the Lions, had they been able to connect on one of the two missed attempts then they would have been walking out of BC place as winners and not the Ticats.
The Lions also found themselves in the position to win the game with two minutes to go, but a fumble sealed there fate when Printers coughed up the ball with only 44 seconds to go. At which point the Ti Cats gave a rather proud Coach Greg Marshall his first Gatorade shower as a pro coach.
The panic won’t be settling in Vancouver just yet, as Wally Buono figures out how to fix Wallyball, Buono who is one of the most recognized coaches in the CFL will rebuild his cornerback’s confidence, fill in the holes and be ready to play again on Saturday night against the Eskimos. For Hamilton, the regular season debut is a Friday Night Football clash with the Big Blue. Football seems fun again for the Ti Cats, a great kickoff to the regular season and a chance to entertain the home fans coming up, Bob Young must feel like he’s hit the jackpot already.
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