BC Lions wary of game vs. struggling Tiger-Cats

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will take another swing at landing their first victory of the season when they host the BC Lions on Sunday night.

The Tiger-Cats (0-4) are off to a slow start for the third straight season. They lost their first three games last season and dropped their first four games in 2022.

Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell said the club has to stay upbeat while searching for its first victory of the campaign.

"You've got to keep fighting and keep going," Mitchell said Thursday. "The energy is going to be huge. At 0-4, you have to keep going, you can't stop. You don't want to look back at the season and say ‘Hey, we gave up at the 0-4 point.'"

Hamilton lost 24-22 to the host Ottawa Redblacks on June 30 when Lewis Ward booted a 46-yard field goal as time expired. The Tiger-Cats had taken a 22-21 lead on Mitchell's 4-yard scoring pass to Shemar Bridges with 28 seconds remaining.

The Lions (3-1) aren't looking down at Hamilton, and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. insists the Tiger-Cats are a tough foe.

"Whatever their record is, it doesn't matter," Adams said of the Tiger-Cats. "They have been in every game they've played."

Adams is off to a strong start and leads the CFL with 1,369 passing yards and is tied for second with seven touchdown passes. BC averages a league-best 408.3 yards per game and ranks fourth in scoring at 25.8 points per game.

"The team's doing good, guys are making me look good and we're going to keep rolling with it," Adams said.

Mitchell is tied for the league lead with eight touchdown passes and is second in passing yardage (1,297). But he's also tied for the interception lead with five.

BC won its last game on the final play as Sean Whyte kicked a 42-yard field goal to give the Lions a 24-21 win over the Edmonton Elks on June 28 in Vancouver. Adams passed for 331 yards and one score.

BC lost linebacker Josh Woods to a season-ending knee injury against Edmonton. Woods was second on the team with 22 tackles.

Hamilton running back James Butler is listed as available after a head injury caused him to miss the Ottawa game. He has rushed for a team-high 156 yards.

Hamilton fired special teams coach Paul Boudreau after allowing an average of 30 yards on three kickoffs and 14.8 yards on eight punts during the Ottawa loss. Former NFL offensive lineman Dennis McKnight was tabbed as his replacement.

--Field Level Media