Can the Ticats open Tim Hortons Field with a Labour Day Classic win, or will the Argos solidify their hold on first place in the East?
With Tim Hortons Field's partial occupancy permitfinally approved late Sunday night, the focus ahead of Monday's Labour Day Classic between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts (1 p.m. Eastern, TSN/ESPN3) can turn to the on-the-field action. Both 3-6 Toronto and 1-6 Hamilton could desperately use a win in this one, with the Argonauts looking to solidify their hold on first place in the struggling East Division and the Tiger-Cats hoping to move up into a tie for second. Which team is more likely to come out ahead, though?
From an offensive perspective, the answer is Toronto. Heading into this weekend's action, the Argos led the league in offensive yards per game (365.6) and first downs (190) and were tied for second in total points (223). That success comes primarily from their passing attack; they were first in the CFL in passes attempted (351; Winnipeg was second with 290) and completed (236; Winnipeg was again second with 189), completion percentage (67.2 per cent), passing yards per game (289.6) and passing touchdowns (121). Those numbers are all way ahead of what the Ticats have done to this point. Toronto's ground game isn't as spectacular, but it's also ahead of Hamilton's in most categories, so the Argos would appear to have the offensive edge.
However, there are some elements that would seem to favour the Ticats. For one, their passing attack might get a shot in the arm from the return of quarterback Zach Collaros, who began the year as their starter but has been out since suffering a concussion July 4 against Edmonton. Collaros wasn't spectacular when he did play so far this year, completing just 56.4 per cent of his passes for 212 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, but that's a relatively small sample size, and he has far more experience than any other option they have since Dan LeFevour's season-ending torn ACL. Getting him back will be a boost, and his return may come at a good time; Collaros was an Argonauts' backup in 2012 and 2013, so he's got some familarity with the opposition here.
Hamilton also should have the defensive edge. Their defence hasn't been great this year, but it's ahead of Toronto's in most categories, including points allowed per game (26.4 versus 27.7), yards allowed per rush (5.1 versus 5.8), and yards allowed per pass (7.8 versus 7.9). The concern for the Ticats comes in overall pass defence, as they've given up a lot of short completions (and the Argos excel at those). Hamilton's allowing 277.7 passing yards per game with a completion percentage of 66.1 per cent (both second-worst in the league).
The Hamilton defence has been generally better than Toronto's, though, and it might get a boost from many of their fans being able to lend their vocal support for the first time this year Monday; Tim Hortons Field will only hold about 18,000 of its normal capacity of 24,000, but that's a big step up from the 6,500 capacity at McMaster's Ron Joyce Stadium where the Ticats played their first three home games. The new stadium should be rocking, and that may give Hamilton a boost. We'll see if that proves to be enough to put them over the top in what should be a great Labour Day Classic.
