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The Hamilton Tiger-Cats will start Jake Dolegala at quarterback against the Saskatchewan Roughriders this week, head coach Scott Milanovich told the media on Wednesday.
“(Dolegala) just has more experience with what we’re doing right now,” said Milanovich. “My hope when we brought Tre (Ford) in was that he could kinda learn from Bo (Levi Mitchell) for a year, and then if Bo chose to retire — I know there was talk of that last season — that he’d be ready to compete next year. I just think Jake has a little bit more experience with what we’re doing right now.”
Ford came into the game first after Mitchell was carted off the field early in the third quarter on Sunday against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The native of Niagara Falls, Ont. completed three-of-seven pass attempts for 12 yards and one interception. He was also limited along the ground, rushing once for one yard.
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1900 Rose St, Regina SK S4P 0A9.
Dolegala also took a few reps, throwing two incompletions and taking one sack. According to Milanovich, Dolegala’s play-style being similar to Mitchell’s was not part of his decision regarding who will start this week.
Mitchell underwent ankle surgery on Monday, ruling him out for the foreseeable future. It’s also possible he’ll miss the rest of the year, though Milanovich indicated that remains unclear.
“Whether it’s a season-ending injury or not, I think it’s gonna be close, but I don’t have a firm timeframe,” he said.
Dolegala dressed for 13 regular-season games with the Tiger-Cats in 2025 in a depth role behind Mitchell and Taylor Powell, who left for the Edmonton Elks in free agency. He didn’t attempt any passes but was active at times in short-yardage, rushing 22 times for 50 yards and one touchdown.
“(Dolegala) is big, strong. He has more mobility than you might think, big arm. He’s had a history of getting hot in games, and he can push the ball down the field,” said Milanovich.
“He’s had experience, he’s played well in this league, he’s had big games. He has experience playing in this stadium. There’s a number of good qualities that we like in Jake.”
Dolegala first broke into the CFL in 2022 as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The native of Hamburg, N.Y. spent two seasons with the team, completing 63.0 percent of his passes for 2,795 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. He made 10 starts, posting a 2-8 record.
The six-foot-seven, 242-pound passer spent the first part of the 2024 season with the B.C. Lions, throwing for 158 yards and losing his only start. He was released in August after Nathan Rourke returned to B.C. following a stint in the NFL and signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he dressed for five regular-season games in a depth role.
The 29-year-old was a collegiate standout at Central Connecticut and spent the entire 2019 season with the Cincinnati Bengals, though he didn’t dress for any regular-season games. He had subsequent NFL stints with the New England Patriots, Green Bay Packers, and Miami Dolphins.
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-2) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-1) on Sunday, July 12 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Tiger-Cats are coming off a 14-13 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers during which Bo Levi Mitchell was carted off in an ambulance, while the Roughriders beat the Ottawa Redblacks by a score of 27-22.
The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 27 degrees and sun. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton and 620 CKRM in Regina.
