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Ticats score 51 straight in win over Eskimos

Sep 15, 2012 - 11:06 PM Hamilton, ON (Sports Network) - After getting down 8-0 early in the game, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats ripped off 51 unanswered points to rout the Edmonton Eskimos, 51-8, at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Henry Burris completed 23-of-33 passes for 418 yards and three touchdowns for the Tiger-Cats (4-7), who snapped a five-game losing streak. Chris Williams was Burris's favorite target, hauling in eight catches for 125 yards and a touchdown. Avon Cobourne helped control the clock late in the game, carrying the ball 18 times for 121 yards and a score.

For Edmonton (5-6), Kerry Joseph went 21-of-33 for 290 yards with an interception. Jerome Messam had just eight yards on five rushes, but scored the lone touchdown for the Eskimos.

"It was embarrassing," Joseph said of his team's performance. "We started off well in a tough environment against a good football team. The momentum changed at halftime when they blocked the field goal and we couldn't get it back. They wanted it more than we did."

After a Grant Shaw missed field goal landed in the end zone, Edmonton got off to a 1-0 lead less than three minutes into the game.

The Eskimos extended their lead to 8-0 following a one-yard touchdown run from Jerome Messam later in the first. A 59-yard pass from Joseph to Fred Stamps set up the short score.

The Ticats drove inside Edmonton's five-yard line early in the second quarter, but they had to settle for a 10-yard field goal from Luca Congi to make it 8-3.

Congi added another field goal with eight minutes to play in the first half to bring Hamilton to within two, 8-6.

Congi's impressive first half continued with just under two minutes left in the half, adding a 45-yard field goal to give the Ticats the lead, 9-8.

Brody McKnight lined up for a long field goal attempt in the waning seconds of the half for the Eskimos, but the kick was blocked by the Ticats and returned by Bakari Grant 57 yards for a touchdown, extending Hamilton's lead to 16-8 before intermission.

The Ticats opened up the second half with Burris connecting on an 87-yard touchdown pass to Dave Stala to go up 23-8.

Deep in their own territory, the Eskimos went for it on 3rd-and-1, but they were stood up by the Ticats defense. On the very next play, Burris tossed a touchdown pass to Andy Fantuz to give Hamilton a 30-8 advantage.

Hamilton continued its scoring onslaught late in the third quarter when Williams reeled in a 25-yard touchdown pass from Burris.

The score ballooned to 44-8 midway through the fourth quarter following a 12- yard touchdown run by Cobourne.

To add insult to injury, Demetrice Webb picked off a Steven Jyles pass late in the game and returned it 98 yards for the final score of the game.

"We started off slow in the first couple of drives, but in the second half we got our rhythm and put points on the board," Burris said. "(The win) is something that can snowball. We have to be able to keep this going."

Game Notes

Hamilton had been outscored 103-50 in the third quarter this year prior to this game when it outscored Edmonton, 21-0...With two more interceptions today, Edmonton leads the CFL with 20 and Joe Burnett leads the league with five picks...The Eskimos are 2-7 in their last nine games in Hamilton...Congi is now 24-of-26 on field goal attempts this year and he has hit 16 in a row.