Hamilton Tiger-Cats 9 Calgary Stampeders 37 (June 30, 2007)
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0 commentsMcMahon Stadium is no longer a field of dreams for Rob Cote. It's the real thing now.
The 20-year-old from Calgary scored a touchdown in his first CFL game to help Calgary to a 37-9 thrashing of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the season-opener for both clubs Saturday.
Cote, who played his high school football in nearby Cochrane, AL, caught an eight-yard pass from quarterback Henry Burris early in the third quarter to pad Calgary's lead.
"It's a great feeling man," Cote said. "I've been watching these guys score touchdowns all my life, so to get one of them in this stadium is a great feeling."
Joffrey Reynolds, Nik Lewis and Jermaine Chatman also scored for the hosts in front of 29,103 at McMahon.
Sandro DeAngelis, the CFL's top special teams player last season, contributed field goals from 48, 40 and 14 yards.
Rookie kicker Nick Setta was responsible for all of Hamilton's offence, which were three field goals from 21, 11 and 25 yards.
The Stampeders have been picked by many to finally win a Grey Cup this season after stalling in the last two West Division semifinals.
The Ticats are coming off a dismal 4-14 season and still have a ways to go to make up ground in the East Division, if their first game of the 2007 campaign is any indication.
Hamilton doesn't have Calgary's offensive depth, particularly at receiver, and struggled to convert drives into majors.
Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris managed to distribute the ball fairly evenly among his myriad of weapons, while leading the team in rushing with 99 yards.
Burris completed 17 of 26 passes for 230 yards and two touchdown throws.
Reynolds compiled 93 rushing yards and scored Calgary's fourth touchdown. He mustered 35 yards on four straight carries and finished the major with a one-yard effort on the fifth.
Hamilton pivot Jason Maas went 17-for-23 for 170 yards and was sacked twice.
He was replaced by rookie backup Timmy Chang with 10 minutes remaining in the game. The University of Hawaii product was 4-for-7 for 86 yards and was intercepted once.
"We didn't finish drives offensively with touchdowns," Hamilton head coach Charlie Taaffe said. "We had to settle for field goals, but in spite of all that coming out in the third quarter we were still within reach."
Hamilton used running back Jesse Lumdsen heavily. The former McMaster star had five carries for 78 yards and nine receptions for 46.
Cote played for the B.C. junior league's Victoria Rebels last summer and Calgary signed him as a free agent in April. He turns 21 on Thursday and is the youngest player on Calgary's roster.
Ken-Yon Rambo set the stage for the young fullback's touchdown with the longest reception of the game, which was a 57-yard pass from Burris.
Cote then hauled in Burris's eight-yard pass at 3:45 of the third quarter for the TD. He made sure he kept the ball.
"I ran off with that thing. It's coming home with me," Cote said.
The Stampeders led 17-6 after the first half.
Hamilton wasted two long punt returns by Jo Jo Walker with penalties in the second quarter.
The second foul - an illegal block by Dwight Anderson - was particularly costly as the Ticats were taken back to their own goal-line where disaster struck.
Under pressure by Calgary's Cornelius Anthony, Maas was nearly picked off attempting a pass to Richard Alston.
Maas called a time out and connected on his next pass with Brock Ralph, who tried to bring the ball out of the end zone. But Calgary's Crance Clemons knocked the ball out of Ralph's hands and Chatman recovered it for Calgary's second TD of the game.
Calgary scored on its first possession off the opening kickoff. From their 25-yard line, Burris marshalled the Stamps to Hamilton's doorstep then connected on a 10-yard pass with Lewis just before he stepped out the back of the end zone.
The second quarter was delayed twice by a rabbit that made its way onto the field from underneath the McMahon Stadium stands. Cheered on and spooked by the spectators, it raced up and down the field and crossed the goal-line three times.
"Every year there's a rabbit," Lewis said. "I don't know if it's the same one."
courtesy of cfl.ca
Date
June 30, 2007
