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Montreal Alouettes vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Pre-Season Game #1

Before starting this analysis of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats performance in their first pre-season game in 2022, it is important to make note that the purpose of pre-season football games is to give the coaching staff and opportunity to evaluate talent in a real-game environment.

Winning and losing pre-season games do not generally reflect on how well a team will perform for the regular season, but through some analysis of this first pre-season game some points can be made about the status of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats going into the 2022 season.

Defensively, the Tiger-Cats seemed to focus their efforts on stopping the Alouettes run game and attempt to contain their passing game in a bend-but-not-break strategy. What were the results of this defensive game plan? The Alouettes attempted 46 passes and completed 37 (80.4% completion rate) of those passes to gain 363 yards, resulting in 7.9 yards per pass attempt.

The Tiger-Cats defensive front did product 3 quarterback sacks. Alouettes did run the football 12 times for 16 yards (1.33 yards per rush). Overall, the Tiger-Cats defense did a nice job of stopping the run game, but they need to work to disrupt the passing game or produce turnovers when facing a team that intends on relying on an efficient passing game.

Offensively, the Tiger-Cats did seem to struggle with regards to moving the ball consistently. The passing game was efficient, 12 completions on 17 attempts (70% completion rate) to produce 118 passing yards. One standout statistic is that, starting quarterback Dane Evans, was able to complete 4 out of 5 passes (80%) for 46 yards. The other two quarterbacks also performed well, Jalen Morton 5 for 8 (62.5%) for 52 yards, and Matt Schiltz 3 out of 4 (75%) for 20 yards.

With regards to the running game the Tiger-Cats did run for 132 yards on 23 rushing attempts, but the majority of these yards were a result of quarterback runs, Morton had 4 rushes for 52 yards and 1 touchdown, and Schiltz had 4 rushes for 33 yards for 1 touchdown. Running backs accounted for 54 rushing yards on 17 attempts. Anthony Johnson did standout at receiver with 2 catches for 31 yards (15.5 yards/catch). Overall, the Tiger-Cats offense did struggle for consistency and did benefit from a few well-timed explosive plays.

The Tiger-Cats special teams did have a few standout performances. Three Tiger-Cats kicked field goals and had a 4 out of 4 success rate. Joel Whitford had a solid game punting with 33.3 yards per punt on 3 attempts. Punt Returner Dejoun Lee did have 3 returns for 22 yards (73 yards/return).

Coming into the 2022 season it is easy to see that Defense and Special Teams will be the strength of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The offense needs to show improvement each week. The Tiger-Cats will take the next step in their 2022 journey when they face the Toronto Argonauts this Friday, June 3rd in Toronto.

Follow me on Twitter: @AaronSauter7

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Aaron Sauter Reporter
Aaron Sauter is a 23-veteran high school football coach that is also an fan of all levels of football. He is especially interested in alternative football leagues like the CFL, UFL, and IFL. Aaron enjoys analyzing innovative schemes on offense and defense during his free time.
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