The Hamilton Tiger-Cats lost 35-37 in overtime at Edmonton on Saturday, September 26, a result that eliminated Hamilton from playoff contention. Reggie Stubblefield intercepted a pass in the second half, Hamilton took the lead on a 21-yard Marc Liegghio field goal with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter, and Vincent Blanchard tied the game with a 27-yard field goal with two seconds remaining. Edmonton won it in overtime on a Joshua Cephus two-point convert.
A reporter told head coach Scott Milanovich he had called Stubblefield's interception the biggest play of the year at the time, and asked whether the coach felt the same. Milanovich said he did.
"I thought we'd get down and score a touchdown and that'd be over, but give them credit. They fought back with whatever it was, 45 seconds left, and got a field goal and then beat us in overtime," Milanovich said.
Stubblefield was asked whether he thought the interception had won the game. "I definitely did," he said. "I knew just being a vet in this league, having the experience, that the game's never over in the CFL, but I felt that our offense, the running game was going, that they would kill the clock and we'll probably have an opportunity to have a walk-off field goal, win the game. But it's never over. So once we did kick the field goal, they had time. We tried to stop them, they tied it up, we went to overtime, and we just had to finish the game."
A Season on the Line
Stubblefield said what was riding on the game. "We was fighting for a playoff spot. We was fighting for our season. We fought hard all game. There were mistakes on all phases of the game — offense, defense, special teams — but we kept fighting. We kept giving ourselves a chance," he said.
"And to lose like that really hurts because I know every single person in that locker room, every player's story. I know why guys decide to suit up for this team. I know what guys are doing for their family, their friends, themselves. And just to lose like that, it hurts. But I'm still proud of everybody. I love everybody within this organization. It's just going through things like this, it's tough, but we just got to learn from it and just be better."
Pride in the Effort
Both Stubblefield and Milanovich pointed to how the team competed from start to finish. Edmonton improved to 11-4, the best record in the West Division; Montreal leads the league at 11-3 in the East Division. Hamilton fell to 4-11.
"That's why I'm so proud of the guys, because of the pride that we fought with throughout the game, throughout the adversity that we went through against the number 1 team by record in this league. It was ups and downs, but we kept competing. So it's definitely pride. Definitely proud of those guys. Love them. It's just tough to lose like that." — Reggie Stubblefield
Milanovich was asked about the team's resilience. "There's no words to make it feel any better in that locker room. And I thought they competed their hearts out. Just one play short."
What Comes Next
Asked how the next few weeks might play out, Stubblefield said the group is not looking far ahead. "It's tough, right? But I know the guys in the locker room, I know the coaches. I know what we're going to continue to try to put on tape and represent the city of Hamilton. And no matter what we're going through, we're just going to still suit up and fight and just compete. And just, if we're gonna take this into the next season, just figure out ways to get better and prepare ourselves for what's to come. That's all I could think of right now."
Milanovich was asked how he would address the team. "I'm gonna have to think about that, Steve. That's something that I've got 48 hours to consider."
Watch the Full Videos
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Reggie Stubblefield | Media Availability | September 26, 2026
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Scott Milanovich | Media Availability | September 26, 2026