Tiger-Cats force four turnovers, down REDBLACKS in regular season finale

HAMILTON — Tre Ford threw for a pair of touchdowns and Marc Liegghio made seven field goals as the Ticats defeated the Ottawa REDBLACKS 35-22 in the final week of the regular season. The Ticats scored 13 points off of four forced turnovers and limited the REDBLACKS to just seven points in the second half.

Hamilton made it six consecutive wins against Ottawa with Saturday's result, claiming a season sweep against their East Division opponent in back-to-back seasons. Ford got the nod at quarterbacks for the Tabbies, throwing for 170 yards and two touchdowns.

Hamilton's defence forced three consecutive turnovers in the second quarter to swing the game in the home team's favour. Philip Ossai stuffed Bryson Barnes on a third-down rush attempt to cause the game's first takeaway. Hamilton picked up three points off of the turnover after Liegghio's third make of the day.

Later in the quarter, Stavros Katsantonis recorded his team-high sixth interception of the year off of a deflected pass from Barnes, but Hamilton punted it away.

Wynton McManis then made it three straight turnovers for the Ottawa offence after jumping the route on a Barnes attempt and returning the interception 33 yards. A couple plays later Ford scrambled and found receiver Jaelen Gill in the end zone for the first touchdown of the day.

A 45-yard punt return from Isaiah Wooden Sr. helped Hamilton grab three more points before Ottawa responded with a field goal of their own, making it 19-9 at halftime.

Liegghio made two third-quarter field goals in quick succession after Robert Panabaker forced a fumble on a kickoff return, with Ante Milanovic-Litre recovering the football for the hosts. Another play on special teams, this time a punt deflection, allowed Hamilton to score their second touchdown. Ford found Larry Rountree III for a five-yard score to push Hamilton's lead to 35-9 through three quarters.

After dropping their first 16 games of the season, the REDBLACKS was unable to make it back-to-back wins to end the year. Barnes was handed another start after leading his team to victory last week but was unable to find the same success against a resolute Hamilton defence. Jake Maier came in at quarterback in the fourth and threw for a pair of touchdowns but the REDBLACKS were unable to pose a serious comeback threat. The REDBLACKS are now winless in their past nine games in Hamilton.

Ottawa's Kalil Pimpleton set a new single-season kickoff return yard record with his 98 yards on Saturday, totalling 1834 on the year.

SCORING PLAYS

Paul Geelen 28-yard field goal (11:05, Q1) | OTT 3, HAM 0
Marc Liegghio 34-yard field goal (7:45, Q1) | OTT 3, HAM 3
Marc Liegghio 46-yard field goal (3:36, Q1) | HAM 6, OTT 3
Paul Geelen 53-yard field goal (0:42, Q1) | HAM 6, OTT 6
Marc Liegghio 40-yard field goal (10:41, Q2) | HAM 9, OTT 6
Tre Ford 16-yard touchdown pass to Jaelen Gill (4:21, Q2) | HAM 16, OTT 6
Marc Liegghio 22-yard field goal (1:19, Q2) | HAM 19, OTT 6
Paul Geelen 28-yard field goal (0:31, Q2) | HAM 19, OTT 9
Marc Liegghio 53-yard field goal (00:00, Q2) | HAM 22, OTT 9
Marc Liegghio 37-yard field goal (9:58, Q3) | HAM 25, OTT 9
Marc Liegghio 42-yard field goal (8:21, Q3) | HAM 28, OTT 9
Tre Ford five-yard touchdown pass to Larry Rountree III (0:24, Q3) | HAM 35, OTT 9
Jake Maier five-yard touchdown pass to Ayden Eberhardt (5:51, Q4) | HAM 35, OTT 16
Jake Maier three-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hardy (1:22, Q4) | HAM 35, OTT 22

NEXT UP

The REDBLACKS and Tiger-Cats will regroup over the offseason after both clubs endured challenging 2026 campaigns. Ottawa has now missed out on playoff football in back-to-back years, while Hamilton will hope that it's just a one-year absence as they welcome back a healthy Bo Levi Mitchell in 2027.