THE CANADIAN PRESS
HAMILTON — Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Andy Fantuz figures he doled out just under $2,000 in tickets for 86 of his closest friends and family to come watch him play the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Ivor Wynne Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Putting on a three-touchdown, 240-yard show for them: priceless.
"I think they had a good time," said the 23-year-old from nearby Chatham, Ontario who had a career day as the Roughriders rolled over the Ticats 40-23. The win improves their record to 10-5 as they position themselves for their first home playoff game since 1988. Fantuz made the first two catches of the game, a 53-yard catch to set up his ensuing 36-yard TD score. He later made touchdown catches of 72 and 27 yards.
"It just happened to be Kerry making good reads and throwing nice balls,"
said Fantuz, estimating a total 94 people made the trip to watch him.
Quarterback Kerry Joseph threw four touchdown passes in alluthree to Fantuz, one to D.J. Flickuand then ran a score in himself from 14 yards out in front of 22,167 disgruntled fans at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
"It was a good game," agreed Joseph, who completed 18 of 28 pass attempts for 392 yards. "With the talent I have and the offensive line I have, it makes my job easy. I can just go out there and just deliver the ball and let those guys make plays."
The Roughriders already had a playoff spot locked up, but needed the win, coupled with a Calgary loss, to secure a home game in the post-season.
Hamilton’s record falls to 2-13. The teams meet again next Sunday in Regina.
Luca Congi hit his lone field goal attempt from 50 yards.
Saskatchewan had already been playing without top receiver Matt Dominguez, who is out the rest of the season with an injured knee. Flick, who leads the league in touchdown receptions (10), drove up for the game from his home in Montgomery, PA where his wife just gave birth prematurely to twins.
Terry Caulley scored two touchdowns for Hamilton, on a five-yard run and a seven-yard catch and run from QB Casey Printers. Kicker Nick Setta hit his three field goal attempts from 45, 38 and 27 yards. .
Printers left the game late in the first half with back spasms, having completed 12 of 18 pass attempts for 124 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He was replaced by Richie Williams as Hamilton stood first-and-goal on the Roughrider eight-yard-line with time running out. On his second play, Williams was sacked as the clock ran out and the Ticats came away with no points.
Setta’s 38-yarder was the only scoring in the third as the teams entered the final quarter with Saskatchewan up 25-20. Then it got messy when Hamilton defensive back Tony Tiller tackled a scrambling Joseph and began tussling for the ball. When the pushing, shoving, challenging the officials and throwing the helmet had ended, eight penalties were handed out, Tiller was ejected as well as two Saskatchewan offensive linemen, Mike Abou-Mechrek and Jermese Jones. Play continued and the Roughrider 108-yard drive ended with Joseph’s touchdown run and the 32-20 lead.
A field goal pulled Hamilton to 32-23, but when Setta later had to punt from his end zone, Saskatchewan ended up with the ball in Hamilton territory.
Joseph eventually found Fantuz for a 27-yard touchdown pass and the 39-23 score. Boreham added a punt single to end the game.
In the first half, Joseph’s three touchdown passes gave Saskatchewan a 25-17 lead going into the locker room. He hit Fantuz on the game’s opening scrimmage for a 53-yard gain, and then again on the next play for a 36-yard touchdown. Fantuz burned Hamilton cornerback Lawrence Gordon on the first play and then Dwight Anderson for the score.
Hamilton responded with a 60-yard drive ending in Caulley’s five-yard TD run, but the Roughriders took the lead again on their next possession when a 65-yard drive ended with a 15-yard touchdown reception by Flick.
Setta’s field goal in the first quarter and a Hamilton 74-yard scoring drive in the second quarter, ending with a seven-yard TD catch and run by Caulley, gave the Ticats a brief 17-14 lead.
Again, Saskatchewan answered on its very next play from scrimmage when Joseph found Fantuz, this time for a 73-yard touchdown pass and run. Congi’s 50-yarder and Jamie Boreham’s punt single ended scoring in the half.
