Ticats regroup for Lions

Time to check in with the Tiger-Cats who suffered a gut-wrenching last second loss to the Blue Bombers last Thursday. But it’s a long season and the Ticats have put it behind them, looking to bounce back this Friday against the B.C. Lions.

10 plays, 94 yards in the 90 seconds. Saturday’s loss to Winnipeg was clearly Hamilton’s most agonizing of the season, especially for those on the defensive side.

Linebacker Simoni Lawrence: “When you’re on the field and you have to make a play for your team, you have to make the play and we understand that. When it’s time to make a play, you gotta’ make a play, and they made their plays.”

Linebacker Rico Murray: “It was really gut wrenching, especially being a defensive player, us being the last players on the field, it was a situation that we embraced and it just didn’t fall our way.”

The focus now for Kent Austin and company is the B.C. Lions. And as they try to bounce back from a third loss this season of four points or less, there seems to be a common denominator in mind.

Coach Kent Austin: “We can’t get the loss back. What we can control is our level of preparation, our commitment to that preparation, how hard we practise, attention to detail, the discipline with respect to penalties.”

Running Back C.J. Gable: “Just keep doing what we’re doing, execute and try to eliminate the penalties. That’s what was killing us. We gotta’ eliminate the penalties and make plays when we get the opportunities.”

Once again the Ticats will use frustration as their motivation as they get set to take on the Lions in B.C. — a scenario that hasn’t boded well in the division. In 2014, the east is 2-13 against the west.