The Hamilton Tiger-Cats trailed the Montreal Alouettes 24-0 in the first half and lost 37-25 on Friday night at Tim Hortons Field. Afterward, quarterback Harrison Frost, defensive back Stavros Katsantonis and head coach Scott Milanovich each said that with four games left, everyone in the building is playing for their job.
Frost threw four interceptions. Milanovich pointed to the first two turnovers as the reason the deficit grew, saying what should have been a 7-0 game became a 14-point hole.
A 24-0 Hole Built on Turnovers
Milanovich broke down how the deficit piled up.
"I think it comes down to those first two turnovers. The interception, which was a nice play by their guy, that wasn't the worst of the interceptions for sure. And then obviously the fumble on the sneak, that's 14 points. And at that time, it should have been 7-nothing," Milanovich said.
The fumble Milanovich referenced came on a second-quarter quarterback sneak by Jake Dolegala. Nate Beauchemin recovered it and returned it 57 yards for a touchdown. Frost's four turnovers were all interceptions.
"I didn't have it today. Four turnovers is not going to win you a game. I missed countless other throws. The start of the season, we put ourselves in this position and I think guys are working, doing everything they can, working as hard as they can. Unfortunately the ball's just not bouncing our way this year," Frost said.
Katsantonis said Hamilton's three points at halftime, in a 24-3 game, were not where the team wanted to be, and that the room did not treat the game as lost.
"I don't think shocked is the right word. I think obviously disappointed at first, but I've been on the other end where we've been up 24 points and we've had that lead erased and lost the game. So I don't think any moment there was a falter of thinking we couldn't win the game," Katsantonis said.
The End-of-Half Field Goal Decision
Milanovich was asked about the decision to kick a field goal at the end of the first half rather than go for it, a call the crowd reacted to. Marc Liegghio made the 13-yard attempt on the final play of the half.
"I learned from Coach Dungy, especially in the CFL ... you saw it at the end. We got back into it and had a chance with two onside kicks. That could have changed the score, is that you just collect points. ... We needed to get some points on the board and get some momentum going for our guys a little bit," Milanovich said.
Milanovich said the players kept competing, and that he expects that.
"I did appreciate that they didn't quit. They kept fighting. They kept playing hard. But the score flattered us, right? I thought we got whipped for three quarters, and we made it something of a game there in the fourth quarter, which I appreciate, but I thought they handled us for most of the game there," Milanovich said.
Asked what changed offensively in the fourth quarter, Frost said: "I just started hitting the throws. Things were there. Just started completing them. That was it." Milanovich addressed Frost's night. "He did some really good things. Can't have four interceptions. We need to keep the three touchdown passes and drop the four interceptions," Milanovich said.
"Playing for Your Jobs"
All three used similar language when describing where the locker room stands with four games to go.
"Everyone's kind of playing for their jobs, right? Everything's being evaluated, scrutinized even more than probably what it normally would be if you're winning. For guys that aren't doing what they need to do, that's going to kind of get seen over these next couple weeks," Katsantonis said.
Katsantonis, who described himself as one of the team's longer-tenured leaders, said the losing stretch carries consequences beyond the scoreboard.
"A lot of people, they feed their families with this job. So it just sucks when you're losing, 'cause guys lose their jobs and people gotta find other work. The door may close for professional football for some people. And that's just the reality of this business at the end of the day," Katsantonis said.
Frost said the same when asked what was said in the room afterward: "Yeah, you're playing for your job pretty much. That's it." Milanovich described it as the nature of the profession.
"Anytime you're in professional football and you're having a season like this, there's four games left, you're coaching, you're playing for your jobs. And it's the way it should be. That's why we get paid to play a game, paid to coach a game. ... Results are expected and production is mandated. I think everybody's going to have to grasp that fact, and we'll see what we're made of," Milanovich said.
Facing the Montreal Defence
Frost was asked what the Montreal defence presented for a quarterback.
"You got a D-lineman dropping and jumps up as high as he can and picks off that first one. They show a lot of different looks. Well-coached, very talented. Yeah, it's tough," Frost said.
Katsantonis was asked whether the season is gone. "I think a lot has to go right for us to get in. We can't even talk about it because we got to win a game first. I don't know what loss number in a row this is for us, but as much as we want to say win five in a row, win four in a row, whatever, you got to win one game first," he said.
He said the belief inside the room was there heading into the week. "I believed if we went 9 and 9, we'd have a chance at the end of the day, depending on how it all works out. You'll probably kick yourself a little bit when you see the standings," Katsantonis said. "Right now it just boils down to, we just haven't finished. We haven't started very well either."
Watch the Full Videos
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Harrison Frost | Media Availability | September 18, 2026
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Stavros Katsantonis | Media Availability | September 18, 2026
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Scott Milanovich | Media Availability | September 18, 2026