Photo: David Friederich
Article by Josh Thomas
It’s going to take four complete quarters to beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2025.
This was the message delivered to the CFL by the Tabbies as they pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind 37-33 win over the B.C. Lions on Sunday.
Kiondre Smith had a monster night, the defence provided key stops, and Bo Levi Mitchell added another fourth quarter comeback to his illustrious career.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Catch of the year
It wouldn’t be fair to start this off talking about anything but Robert Carter Jr.’s highlight-reel interception.
At full stride and a step behind Hamilton receiver Brandon O’Leary-Orange, Carter laid out to make one of the nicest grabs you will ever see.
Another look at Robert Carter Jr.’s INCREDIBLE INTERCEPTION! 🔥@BCLions | #CFL pic.twitter.com/mReYEQc0oY
— CFL (@CFL) July 28, 2025
The defender laid out backwards, extended with one arm, and absolutely robbed O’Leary-Orange of a touchdown before somersaulting to secure the ball. Untouched, he got up and eventually slid to take a touchback.
Words do not do it justice. What an incredible effort and catch. This play alone was worth the price of admission.
Have a day, Kiondre
The Lions game-plan was evident from the opening kickoff: they were not going to let Kenny Lawler beat them deep.
They came out in an umbrella with extra attention being sent Lawler’s way on a regular basis. This opened up space for Kiondre Smith to pick up 14 receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Smith seemingly found himself open every time he ran a route, and was rewarded for the performance when the Lions lined up on their own goal line with two defensive backs covering a three-receiver set late. The miscommunication left him uncovered for the game-winning touchdown.
It was a fitting end to Smith’s best-ever performance in black and gold.
Next man up
Philip Ossai made the most of his opportunity after getting the call to play in his first career CFL game for the Tiger-Cats on Sunday. Ossai impressed on the defensive line, picking up two sacks and causing problems for Nathan Rourke on multiple occasions.
In his last season at Northern Alabama University, Ossai collected 63 tackles to rank third on his team, including 33 solo tackles. He led the team with 9.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. He also led the squad with five QB hurries and two fumble recoveries.
Ossai signed with the Tiger-Cats in March and didn’t get his first taste of regular-season action until Sunday. I’m excited to see more of him going forward.
Turnovers giveth, turnovers taketh away
Usually, Hamilton is the team using stolen possessions to put pressure on their opponents. The interception of the year coupled with a severe case of fumble-itis nearly cost the Tiger-Cats a win in B.C.
The interception I won’t put on Bo, but both of the fumbles were the result of a lack of ball security. There is simply no reason Keaton Bruggeling couldn’t have covered up the football in wide open space up the sideline. One-on-one with his defender, he has to cover up there.
The same thing can be said of Greg Bell on his fumble. He survived the initial contact to have the ball ripped out a second or two later.
Some of the damage was mitigated by the fact that Hamilton was able to create turnovers of their own.
Escaping with a win is great, but I suspect ball security will be a priority at practice this week.
Elevating his QB’s game
Scott Milanovich and Bo Levi Mitchell are becoming one of the scariest duos in the CFL. It’s hard to imagine a player with all the accolades Mitchell has having room to improve.
Still, analysts across the CFL and Mitchell himself say he is playing the best football of his career. He was ruthlessly efficient on Sunday, finding eight different receivers at least two times over the course of the game.
He threw for a total of 389 yards and three touchdowns, completing 34-of-41 attempts. Most importantly, though, Mitchell looked more comfortable than he ever has taking what the defence was giving him.
The B.C. secondary was patient and didn’t want to give up the deep ball. Mitchell was happy to dink and dunk for the majority of the contest and when Hamilton needed a deep ball, he once again proved there is nobody better.
Milanovich has also installed a better run game than Hamilton has had in previous years, which is aiding the Tiger-Cats potent passing game. Greg Bell ran for 56 yards and was active catching the ball out of the backfield as well.
It seems the relationship between Milanovich and Mitchell has become symbiotic, spelling danger for the rest of the CFL.
BOO!
After getting robbed by Carter Jr., it was only fitting for Brendan O’Leary-Orange to take his revenge and kickstart the Tiger-Cats comeback.
B.C. and Hamilton traded punches all night, but a fumble by Greg Bell looked to be the difference as it gave the Lions a 33-23 lead with just over four minutes to go.
Hamilton went to work with a beautiful play design. Using Kenny Lawler to draw attention on the outside, O’Leary-Orange did a great job of bending his stem to freeze the Lions safety just enough before breaking his route to the corner while Lawler drew the Lions halfback out of position.
The 44-yard touchdown grab gave Hamilton life as they trailed the Lions 33-30 with a chance to get the ball back.
Have you ever seen a pack of Lions get hosed?
Now you have.
Following O’Leary-Orange’s touchdown to make it a three-point game, Hamilton promptly stopped the Lions on first down to force a second-and-long.
Hamilton went offside on second down, which was clear as day in the middle of the defensive line. It just wasn’t called.
Nathan Rourke looked like he thought he had a free play. He did not and his pass attempt sailed long and the Lions were forced to punt.
The B.C. defence still had plenty of opportunities to win the game on the ensuing drive, but there’s no question the Lions offensive possession should have been extended by at least one set of downs. It was a fortunate missed call for the Tiger-Cats.
‘Send the Lions home’
Methodical is the only word to describe Steeltown’s game-winning drive. Mitchell went 10-for-12, overcoming two penalties and a handful of second-and-long situations.
Hamilton drove the ball from their own 23 to the B.C. goal line before Mitchell found Kiondre Smith wide open in the end zone with 16 seconds left on the clock.
An animated Smith celebrated the touchdown on the sideline by sharing a message with fans across the league.
“Send the Lions home,” Smith said into TSN’s sideline camera. “The East is weak? Nah, the West is weak.”
No easy weeks
Don’t let their record fool you, the Edmonton Elks have the ability to stun the Tiger-Cats next week if they don’t bring the same intensity they brought to B.C.
Hamilton travels to Edmonton to take on the Elks on Saturday. Edmonton just lost a three-point thriller to the Riders after going down 17 early. Hamilton cannot afford a let down with a rematch against the Lions with a tilt against the Riders in Saskatchewan looming.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Commonwealth Field on Saturday.