Tiger-Cats 28 Eskimos 21
HAMILTON — If there were any questions about Quinton Porter’s ability to lead Hamilton, the Ticats’ quarterback silenced his critics on Saturday.
Porter threw one touchdown pass and scored on a quarterback sneak with 46 seconds left in the game as the Tiger-Cats defeated the Edmonton Eskimos 28-21 in front of 19,206 on a rainy night at Ivor Wynne Stadium.
“It feels great,” said the 26-year-old starter, who has been pulled twice this season and replaced by veteran Kevin Glenn. “It doesn’t feel great because I’m proving anything, it feels great because this team is winning. We’re putting in all the work we can right now to get this team on track and now we’re 4-2. We’re right where we want to be.”
Porter’s one-yard run broke a tie game as the Ticats overcame a 12-point first-quarter deficit to win their second game in a row. He completed 26 of 37 pass attempts for 211 yards and no interceptions, while engineering scoring drives of 43, 75 and 93 yards.
The Ticats scored a touchdown off a pass, a rush, an interception return and a quarterback sneak. Running back DeAndra’ Cobb, defensive back Geoff Tisdale and receiver Chris Davis each scored for Hamilton before Porter’s clincher.
Noel Prefontaine hit all four of his field-goal attempts: from 25, 10, 38 and 20 yards for the Eskimos (3-3).
Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray completed 23 of 37 pass attempts for 335 yards and one touchdown. He was intercepted twice. Edmonton’s Fred Stamps led all receivers with 136 yards on seven catches and Calvin McCarty was Edmonton’s top rusher with 49 yards on nine carries.
Stampeders 31 Bombers 23
CALGARY — After Joffrey Reynolds’s two touchdowns helped beat the Blue Bombers, Calgary quarterback Henry Burris had some high praise for his running back.
Reynolds scored one touchdown on the ground and another through the air to lead the Stampeders to a 31-23 victory over Winnipeg in front of 35,650 fans at McMahon Stadium on Saturday night.
“Joffrey, he’s been an animal,” said Burris, who completed 22-of 38 passes for 356 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. “He’s a proven professional. To me, he’s the best running back in the league and he shows it game in and game out.”
The running back now has 44 touchdowns in his five-year career, moving him into ninth place on the Stamps’ all-time list past both Herm Harrison and Terry Evanshen (43 each).
Titus Ryan also had a touchdown catch, while Sandro DeAngelis added three field goals for the Stamps (3-3), who are now tied atop the CFL’s West Division with the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Fred Reid rushed for a pair of touchdowns for the Blue Bombers (2-4), while Alexis Serna kicked three field goals. Reid, who had just four carries for 17 yards in the first half, finished the game with 167 rushing yards and 23 more through the air.