TICATS UPSET BLUE BOMBERS 48-31

HAMILTON – Dane Evans threw a career-high five touchdown passes to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a stunning 48-31 home win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton (4-9) snapped a three-game losing streak with its biggest victory of the CFL season. The Ticats took sole possession of third in the East Division, two points behind idle Montreal (5-7).

Winnipeg (12-2) suffered its first loss in four games and fell to 7-1 on the road. The Bombers will also have to wait to clinch a home playoff game, something they would’ve done with a win over Hamilton and a Calgary loss to B.C. on Saturday night.

Evans finished 25-of-32 passing for 327 yards in his best and most complete game of the season before a Tim Hortons Field gathering of 22,288. Evans came in with a dismal 2-7 record as the starter and leading the CFL in interceptions (13), fumbles (seven) and fumbles lost (six).

Winnipeg made things real interesting in the fourth. Dakota Prukop scored on a two-yard TD run 33 seconds in. Zach Collaros then hit Rasheed Bailey on a 14-yard TD pass at 5:24 to cut Hamilton’s lead to 41-31.

But Evans capped an impressive 90-yard, 14-play drive with a six-yard TD pass to David Ungerer at 13:03. More importantly, the march took seven minutes 20 seconds off the clock.

(The Canadian Press/Photo: Hamilton Tiger-Cats)