The Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ character will be tested this coming Thursday, as they are set to play their first game without quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, who suffered a season-ending injury last week. They will be up against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are looking to avenge their loss earlier this season to Hamilton. Read on for more about this intriguing CFL Week 8 matchup.
The Tiger-Cats are seemingly back to their dominant form. After suffering a 36-29 road loss to the Montreal Alouettes in Week 4, the Tiger-Cats have managed to bounce back by taking down the Calgary Stampeders (30-23) in Week 5 before becoming the first team this season to beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in a 23-15 home victory in Week 7. The Tiger-Cats can make it three in a row, as they pay the Saskatchewan a visit this coming Thursday. Hamilton has already defeated the Roughriders this season, as the team scored a 23-17 win over Saskatchewan at home back in Week 1. In that game, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli passed for 169 yards and a touchdown on 17-for-28 completions. Masoli will not play anymore this season due to an injury. Instead of Masoli, the Ticats will have former Roughriders quarterback David Watford (or backup Dane Evans) under center, and he’ll face a leaky Saskatchewan defense that only has three interceptions to date this season and ranks second-worst in the CFL with 222.3 passing yards allowed per contest.
The over is 7-0 in the Tiger-Cats last seven road games.
Betting on Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-3)
After starting the season with a 1-3 record, the Roughriders have gained stability, thanks in large part to two consecutive wins over the whipping boys of the West division, the BC Lions. The Roughriders beat BC at home in Week 6, 38-25, then again at home in Week 7 to the tune of a 45-18 score. Those wins gave Saskatchewan a much-needed boost in the standings and in their morale as well. Against the Lions in Week 7, quarterback Cody Fajardo passed for 169 passing yards and a touchdown on 21-of-26 completions. The start of that game for the Roughriders, however, was no other than running back William Powell, who turned on his boosters and finished the contest with 146 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 carries. Powell was also effective in the first meeting with the Tiger-Cats, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown on 20 attempts. He should find plenty of gaps to run through in Hamilton’s defense that allows the third-most rushing yards per game this season.
The Roughriders are 4-2 against the spread (ATS) in their last six home games.
