Hamilton didn't lose to Saskatchewan because of its quarterback. That much was clear from the visitors' locker room after the Tiger-Cats fell apart late, with wide receiver Kiondre Smith standing up for Jake Dolegala before anyone could pile on him, and head coach Scott Milanovich pointing to a defense that "played their guts out" before the wheels came off.
The story of the night wasn't a bad performance from one guy. It was drops, turnovers, and a short field that turned a winnable game into another loss column entry for a Hamilton team still trying to find its footing.
Smith Takes the Blame Off Dolegala's Shoulders
Smith didn't wait to be asked about his quarterback. He led with it, unprompted, and made sure everyone in the room — and everyone back home — got the message loud and clear.
"I want everybody to understand one thing. This game was not on Jake. We have to do a whole lot better as a unit to help that boy out. He came in, he was very prepared, he executed, he led us, and we have to do a better job for him," Smith said.
He didn't stop there. Smith made it personal, putting the failure on the receiver room specifically, and on himself most of all.
"He dealt with 6, 7, 8, 9 drops that we have to do better for him as a unit for. Don't put any of that on him. Our running back tried his hardest, our O-line did what they had to do, and our defense stepped up until the game fell apart on us. That's not on anybody but that receiver group, especially myself," Smith said.
Smith also made sure the defense got its credit. Hamilton's defense held up for three quarters against a Saskatchewan offense that eventually pulled away, and Smith pointed to what happened after that as the real issue.
"They kept them stuck that whole first half and they played a fantastic job. And then we gave them turnovers, we gave the other team a short field. That's not on the defense. That's on us as a whole, and we gonna fix that. I promise everybody back in Hamilton that we will fix that come next week," Smith said.
Dolegala: "Just Didn't Execute the Way I Wanted To"
Dolegala wasn't interested in excuses, even with his own receiver group throwing itself in front of the bus for him. Asked about the outing, he kept it simple and put the responsibility on himself to finish plays.
"Never got settled in. I don't know. Just didn't execute the way I wanted to. The Riders were forcing a lot on defense out there," Dolegala said.
He said Saskatchewan sat in shell coverage for much of the night, and that the answer wasn't complicated — take what's there.
"I mean, they were playing shell coverage. I just, you know, I got to take what's given. You know, Scott put me in really good spots. I just got to make the plays when they're there," Dolegala said.
Dolegala pointed to one specific short-yardage situation as a potential turning point, a spot where Hamilton rarely misses.
"Very rare that this team misses on short yardage and that might have been — who knows where it goes from there if that happens. That was a good drive put together. So that was tough for sure," Dolegala said.
Asked about taking a hit on one particular play, Dolegala didn't sugarcoat it: "I got rocked. You saw it." As for holding onto the starting job going forward, he framed it as a matter of continuing to prepare and lead.
"I just got to keep preparing the way I did this week. And, you know, I think the guys are behind me. I just got to lead the team. And like I said, if I execute, we'll be fine," Dolegala said.
Milanovich Credits the Defense, Downplays the Heat
Milanovich echoed Smith's read on the defensive effort, saying his group held up well for most of the game before Hamilton's offense put too much strain on them by staying on the field.
"I thought they played really well. We kept them on the field too long offensively. Obviously a hot night, but it was a hot night for both teams. I thought they played their guts out there for about 3 quarters," Milanovich said.
Milanovich waved off the heat as a factor, noting Hamilton had dealt with similar conditions in practice recently.
"I don't really think it affected us. We've had a lot of hot weather in Hamilton the last 2 weeks, so I felt like we were pretty prepared for it, to be honest with you," Milanovich said.
On the quarterback situation, Milanovich wasn't ready to commit to anything postgame, saying he'd review the tape before deciding how to move forward: "Yeah, I'll watch the film tonight. We'll make a decision going forward."
What's Next
Smith made a promise on behalf of the receiver group, and it's one Hamilton will need to cash in fast given where the Tiger-Cats sit in the standings. "We all gotta look ourselves in the mirror and figure out what we did wrong and come attack the problem and not each other," Smith said. "This group will not turn on each other. We will stay tight knit and we will come back next week. You will see a brand new team that looks a lot better than they did today."
Whether that brand new team lines up behind Dolegala is the only real question left hanging after this one. Milanovich's film session will answer it — but based on how his locker room talked, the quarterback isn't who they think needs fixing.