The Hamilton Tiger-Cats came up short again, and this one stings a little more than usual. Head coach Scott Milanovich and veteran Jordan Crook both walked into their post-game media availabilities searching for the right words, and neither pretended the outcome didn’t hurt.

“This one hurt,” Crook said. “I don’t know, kind of at a loss for words right now. You know, you go out there, you give your all and come out with the outcome like this, could go either way. Kind of want some plays back.”

Harrison Frost’s First Start Brings Mixed Results

The big story of the night was Harrison Frost getting his first CFL start under center, and Milanovich didn’t hide from the moment. He liked what he saw for the most part, but there was one costly stretch in the third quarter that stuck out.

“I thought he was composed. I thought he made good decisions with one exception there in the third quarter. We didn’t protect him very well. That was a function of that play. But that one happened to be a poor decision.” — Scott Milanovich

Milanovich pointed to the third quarter as the moment the wheels came off for Hamilton’s offense overall, not just for Frost specifically. “The offense had some good moments there. Hit a wall in the third quarter. A couple of mistakes, a couple of busts. They weren’t letting us run the ball. We’re going to be better,” he said.

When pressed on whether Frost’s performance gave him confidence going forward, Milanovich kept things brief, signaling the team’s focus right now is less about individual evaluation and more about correcting mistakes as a group. “Let’s go back to work,” he said.

Second Downs Were the Difference

Crook, who had a big night on special teams, pointed to the numbers that told the real story of this game — Hamilton’s inability to get off the field on second down, especially as the game wore on.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s just a matter of we gotta get off the field. We talk about it every week, the details, the discipline. Coming down into the fourth quarter, we know we gotta hone in on all the details and the little stuff. That’s what you see. We just gotta keep on improving.” — Jordan Crook

Crook was chasing his own milestone too. His coaches let him know a special teams record was in play, and he came up just short of it. “I was trying to get 4 more to try to break the single-game record too for special teams, but I didn’t get it. But it was a good one on special teams,” he said. He was quick to point out where he thought he left something on the table as well. “I thought in the return game I could have been better, but covering-wise, definitely made a lot of plays.”

Halfway Point, Same Message: Look in the Mirror

With the season reaching its midpoint, Crook didn’t sugarcoat where the Tiger-Cats stand. He talked about individual accountability being the only way out of this stretch.

“When you get to this point in the season, you got to see the problem, and you got to take it head on. Everybody got to take an individual effort and go out there and say, you know what, I’m going to give 10% more this week. I’m going to do something different this week to get a different outcome. Ultimately, that’s what it comes down to.” — Jordan Crook

Despite the frustration, Crook made sure to note this locker room isn’t losing faith in each other. “Oh yeah, no doubt, no doubt at all. I mean, it’s football. These are my brothers. I know who we got in the locker room. It’s just a matter of going out there and fighting every single play and going out there and give it all for your brother,” he said.

What’s Next

Hamilton is working with a short week and Crook says the group is already looking ahead. “We got a short week. Just come out here and give our all,” he said. For a team at the season’s halfway mark still trying to find consistency on both sides of the ball, that short turnaround gives little time to dwell on the loss — and Milanovich’s message was clear that the fixes start in practice, not in press conferences.

Watch the Full Videos

Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Scott Milanovich | Media Availability | August 8, 2026

Hamilton Tiger-Cats: Jordan Crook | Media Availability | August 8, 2026