Ticats are real contenders By BILL LANKHOF, QMI Agency

Kevin Glenn looks for a pass in the first half of action between the Hamilton Tiger-cats and the Montreal Alouettes at Ivor Wynne Stadium in Hamilton, July 29, 2011. (Dave Abel/QMI Agency)

HAMILTON, ONT. - It’s a weird and wonderful world to be a Hamilton Tiger-Cat today.

Considered Grey Cup pretenders for some time, the Tiger-Cats Friday night became contenders. At least in their minds.

“I think it’s a big step for our team. We’ve been preparing for this for a long time,” said Ticats’ receiver Dave Stala, after catching two touchdown passes in a 34-26 win over defending Grey Cup champion Montreal. “They’ve been the better team in this league for a while so it was important to beat them early in the season and make a statement.”

It’s the first time Montreal has lost back-to-back games since the end of the 2008 season. So, he might have a point.

Dahman Diedrick’s one-yard run with 1:04 to play made it close. But for one night Hamilton quarterback Kevin Glenn out-played Anthony Calvillo, the Ticats secondary neutralized perhaps the CFL’s best pass attack, and they survived a flurry of penalties, weird bounces and an emotional outburst by Avon Cobourne that cost them a shot at a game-clinching field goal.

The Ticats seemed home and cooled, leading 33-19, after Stala turned a short screen pass into a 58-yard TD with 3:58 to play.

But, a bizarre final five minutes pretty much summed this one up. Just before the Stala score, Glenn had fired what appeared would be a TD pass that deflected off the crossbar. No play. So the Als had life.

The 24,068 didn’t know whether to cheer, boo, laugh or cry when Alouettes’ Brian Bratton’s touchdown with 1:07 was over-turned and Bo Smith ran to the bench celebrating his interception. Except, Smith was called for interference. So Montreal didn’t get the TD. But Hamilton didn’t get the ball, either. And Deidrick ran it in from the one to cut Hamilton’s lead to 33-26.

It was that kind of night. Hectic. Harsh. The teams combined for 28 penalties. None were more glaring than the one by Cobourne who, with 36 seconds remaining was tackled for a two-yard loss by Chip Cox. He came up pushing and flailing.

“It got emotional because it got kind of dirty. If it wasn’t for the dirty play it would be fun,” said Cobourne, “The penalty was selfish on my part. They did get the best of me and I apologized to the guys.”

Quinton Porter ran for Hamilton’s other TD and they got three Medlock field goals.

Montreal got an eight-yard TD pass from Calvillo to Jamel Richardson but the Ticats limited their big-play potential. Ryan Hinds ripped a pass from Richardson’s hands with less than 10 minutes to play.

“I always thought we could win,” said Cobourne, who had a combined 126 yards passing and receiving in his first game against his former club.

They were ahead, too, 17-13 at the half. But could’ve and should’ve been up by so much more. It was a zoo out there. The half took two hours to play. The Als had only one practice this week and it showed in time count violations, offsides, dropped balls and mental meltdown.

The Ticats had issues of their own. It wasn’t looking good when three series into the game they’d had a chance at two interceptions and didn’t get them. There were two fumbles and they didn’t get either of those.

Montreal scored on an opening drive in which it appeared Hamilton twice had them stopped. Jason Shivers stripped the ball from Richardson but the Als’ Brandon London recovered.

Calvillo threw on a second-down play and had the ball deflect off Hamilton halfback Bo Smith.

That allowed Sean Whyte to kick a 44-yard field goal.

On Hamilton’s first play, Matt Carter fumbled.