Tiger-Cats scratch out first victory against winless Redblacks

HAMILTON — This time, quarterback Dane Evans and his Hamilton Tiger-Cats overcame a late-game collapse to win in front of their faithful on Saturday.

Evans connected with receiver Tim White for a three-yard touchdown strike on third and goal with 19 seconds remaining to pull out a 25-23 CFL victory before 20,411 against the winless Ottawa Redblacks (0-5).

The Tiger-Cats' come-from-behind win came on the heels of second-half collapses in their first two games at Tim Hortons Field in 2022.

"We kind of got a little funk again, as we had been," Evans said. "But it's what we've talked about all week is that we're done with that, like, whatever it is. We're just moving forward, and I'm glad we got to finish."

White was the primary target on the game-winning play.

"It depended on the coverage," White said. "Obviously, it was about the coverage, and we liked it. Dane just made a great read."

The Ticats enjoyed an 18-10 advantage at halftime thanks to a 15-yard touchdown pass from Evans to newcomer Anthony Johnson late in the second quarter.

But the visitors scored on their first possession of the second half on a one-yard plunge from quarterback Caleb Evans, who was in for an injured Jeremiah Masoli. The latter was knocked out of action for 10 to 12 weeks with a knee injury in Ottawa's previous game.

The offences struggled until midway through the final quarter. Redblacks defensive lineman Davon Coleman had Evans locked up at Hamilton's 24-yard line when the ball came loose. The pigskin squirted to the one-yard line, where Ottawa's Lorenzo Maudlin recovered it.

Caleb Evans scored on another one-yard run for a 23-18 lead, only to see his two-point conversion attempt fail.

When Dane Evans returned to the sidelines, he was given