Well, the Eskimos managed to squeak out a win over the lowly Tiger-Cats tonight. Was it overly impressive? No, but it was nice to see the Eskimo Defense rebound after a brutal outing in Toronto last week.
Defense
Holding Jesse Lumsden to 55 yards is no easy task, but the Eskimos D got it done. Sure, Lumsden probably isn’t 100% yet, and he still averaged 5.5 yards per carry, but most of those yards came later in the game. The Esks managed to throw him off his game early and he never got into much of a rhythm. Sure, Hamilton’s offense wasn’t exactly firing on all cylinders, but the D put a ton of pressure on Casey Printers, and it paid off. Printers was scrambling all night, and was the recipient of a number of sacks for his trouble.
Offense
Another 300+ yards night from Ricky Ray. When he’s good, he’s good. It was also nice to see the ball get back into Kelly Campbell’s capable hands. After a plethora of dropped balls early on (including a potential Fred Stamps touchdown), I was a bit worried. However, the recieving corps came through, especially Kelly Campbell, who had the only touchdown of the game. If the last few games are any indication, when Campbell gets involved, the Eskimos win. Still, Ray threw 47 passes, and the Eskimos only managed 73 yards on 14 carries. Not bad, but not great. Our offense is still pretty one-dimensional, and I’d like to see the ball in AJ Harris’ capable hands a bit more.
On a serious note, I hope Jason Tucker is alright. He he didn’t return after a nasty helmet-to-helmet collision in the 3rd quarter. He was able to move his hands and feet later on, so that’s a good sign. Here’s to a speedy recovery.
Special Teams
Mr. Prefontaine goes 4 for 4, Tristan Jackson has another competent game, and they managed to hold Hamilton to very few return yards. Again, special teams may have won us the game here.
Final:
Edmonton Eskimos: 19
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: 13
Game Ball:
Noel Prefontaine, K, Edm
-Another near-perfect performance including 4 field goals and a nice 10-yard dash to avoid a potentially blocked punt. Well played, sir.
