Hamilton needed a reset button, and it got one in the ugliest, most emotional way possible. A one-handed, spun-around touchdown grab from Keric Wheatfall, a surprise fourth-quarter quarterback switch, and a coach admitting his team had something to prove \u2014 that’s how the Tiger-Cats snapped their funk against the reigning Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders. Three separate media sessions after the win all point back to the same thing: Hamilton finally got what head coach Scott Milanovich had been begging for all week.<\/p>\n
Wheatfall’s Catch Was Never Just About Football<\/p>\n
Wheatfall’s touchdown grab was the play of the game, and Milanovich didn’t hold back describing it. “I thought Wheat had an amazing game. That catch in the end zone, he got spun around. Like, I can’t even explain to you how difficult that catch was. And it was the play of the game for us,” Milanovich said.<\/p>\n
But for Wheatfall himself, the moment carried weight that had nothing to do with X’s and O’s. He lost his grandmother last week and missed her funeral to be with the team. “This one was kind of special to me because I lost my grandma last week. I missed the funeral yesterday, and yeah, this one was just one of the ones that was just special to me,” Wheatfall said. “You could see that I took my helmet off and I looked up in the sky. This was all for her.” Her name, he said, was Grandma Rose.<\/p>\n
Asked to rank the grab against a one-handed touchdown he had in college, Wheatfall put this one right there with it \u2014 for reasons that went well beyond the degree of difficulty.<\/p>\n
The Quarterback Switch Nobody Saw Coming<\/p>\n
Harrison Frost started, but an upper-body injury forced Hamilton into a change, and Tre Ford answered the call. Milanovich made clear it wasn’t a strategic quarterback rotation \u2014 it was necessity, and Ford was ready for it.<\/p>\n
“When we found out Frosty wasn’t going to be able to go, I said to JB before that… Trey worked his ass off this week. He was in there early. I never said anything. Every time Frost was in there running plays, I could hear Trey behind me saying the play… so he was prepared when the opportunity came up and I thought he did an amazing job.” \u2014 Scott Milanovich<\/p>\n
Ford has been through this before \u2014 starting, getting benched, waiting for his number to get called again \u2014 and he’s made peace with all of it. “Yeah, I got benched. I’m not going to boohoo or whatever. I go out there to practice with my teammates, try to give them the best looks I can in scout, but I get my name called and I got to be able to step up and help my teammates,” Ford said. “The guys that were putting the work in day in and day out \u2014 so happy I could get the win for them.”<\/p>\n
His legs gave Saskatchewan problems all night, extending plays the Roughriders clearly weren’t ready to defend. “I don’t think they were prepared for it, but I think I did play them a couple of times in Edmonton… I was able to extend some plays with my legs there and get the ball down the field and make some plays,” Ford said.<\/p>\n
Milanovich was asked directly whether the mobility shift caught Saskatchewan off guard, and while he agreed there’s something to it, he was careful not to overstate a philosophy change. “There’s something to be said for that, but the thing that people don’t understand is how hard it is for the guy that’s starting to lose the rhythm and the vision of the game,” Milanovich said. “It’s different if a guy’s banged up, and so I wouldn’t rule it out, but my philosophy on that hasn’t changed a whole bunch.”<\/p>\n
Carrick’s Breakout Moment<\/p>\n
Ford’s near-miss of the night was a deep ball to Carrick that could’ve been a touchdown instead of a field goal. “Did you think Carrick was going to catch that ball? I actually did,” Ford said. “I thought he was going to get the other one too, but I think I threw it a little bit far. I wish I could get that one back and obviously put 7 points on the board there instead of 3, but a win’s a win.”<\/p>\n
Ford credited the receiver room as a whole rather than pointing to one guy stepping up out of nowhere. “I think all of our receivers are capable of making plays. Out of the 5 we have, it’s just pick which one \u2014 somebody has a chance to go off and today was his day.”<\/p>\n
Milanovich: “We’re Not As Bad a Football Team As Y’all Think We Are”<\/p>\n
The bigger story is where this Hamilton team has been. Milanovich had said this week his group needed a win just for the psyche, and after the game, he confirmed it landed exactly like that.<\/p>\n
“That we’re not as bad a football team as y’all think we are. They see what I see and that means nothing until you show it on game day. We’ve had some adversity obviously, but the guys haven’t stopped believing in the guys that are still playing and what we can do. I’m happy that they got that reward.” \u2014 Scott Milanovich<\/p>\n
Wheatfall echoed the same sentiment from inside the locker room afterward. “This is very important. You know, it’s a big confidence booster for the team. And you can hear the music in the locker room right now. Everybody’s excited right now and everybody’s excited to actually go back and look at the film… get ready to flush this game and get ready for Toronto next week.”<\/p>\n
He also pointed to a slow start turning into a complete flip after halftime. “0-0 in the second half \u2014 I don’t think we really played our best in the first half. So we flipped that around in the second half, and we displayed that as a whole, as a team.”<\/p>\n
What’s Next<\/p>\n
Milanovich singled out a few more contributors postgame, including praise for a player he referred to as Stubbart, who he felt was all over the field and more comfortable in the scheme this season, plus a nod to pressure up front that forced Trevor Harris into uncomfortable spots. As for who starts under center against Toronto next week, Milanovich wasn’t tipping his hand. “As far as the quarterback situation, I’ll let you know next week.”<\/p>\n