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The momentum the Hamilton Tiger-Cats built with a modest two-game win streak was dealt a tough blow in Thursday night’s 18-13 loss to the Saskatchewan Rough Riders in a Canadian Football League game played at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan.
The Tiger-Cats’ high-powered offense didn’t score a touchdown, instead settling for four field goals by Lirim Hajrullahu with a long of 39.
He also had one miss early in the game from 32 yards.
Down 4-0 at the end of the opening quarter, the Rough Riders rallied with nine points in the final period that included a 34-yard touchdown run by Marcus Thigpen with 1:50 left in the game that gave Saskatchewan the lead for good.
The win leveled the Rough Riders’ season mark at 2-2. The Tiger-Cats, who have played three of their first four games on the road, dropped to 2-2 for the season.
For the fourth straight game, backup quarterback Johnny Manziel did not take a snap. Hamilton head coach June Jones, the former University of Hawaii coach, instead stuck with starter Jeremiah Masoli, who played at Saint Louis School in Honolulu and had Division I stints at Oregon and Ole Miss.
Masoli completed 23 of 43 passes for 333 yards with no touchdowns and one interception. Masoli also was the leading rusher for the Tiger-Cats with five carries for 60 yards.
Points were hard to come by for both teams in the low-scoring affair. Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther hit both of his field goals, including one of 52 yards.
A key series came early when the Tiger-Cats faced a first-and-goal from the 4 but had to settle for a field goal. Saskatchewan quarterback Brandon Bridge hit 11 of 13 passes for 101 yards and no touchdowns.