HAMILTON — They're opponents now, but Simoni Lawrence still has a soft spot in his heart for Jeremiah Masoli.
Masoli will make his season debut when Ottawa (1-2) visits the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-3) on Saturday night. Masoli's return will come a year to the day when he suffered a season-ending leg injury versus the Saskatchewan Roughriders -- a span of 17 games that saw the Redblacks go 5-12.
"Honestly, Jeremiah is one of those guys that even though he's on the other side you kind of root for him," Lawrence said following the Ticats' walkthrough Friday at Tim Hortons Field. "(That's) because he's such a great person and you know how much he loves football.
"For him to go through all of that and now have the opportunity to do something he loves, I'm happy for him, his wife and his children."
Masoli, 34, was Lawrence's teammate for nine seasons in Hamilton before Masoli signed with Ottawa as a free agent following the 2021 campaign. The former Oregon star appeared in 114 regular-season games (starting 51) with the Ticats, passing for 15,555 yards and 80 touchdowns while rushing for 1,507 yards and 18 TDs.
However, that won't stop Lawrence from doing all he can to make life miserable for both Masoli and the Redblacks' offence.
"He knows how we're built," Lawrence said. "I'm sure he'll try to embarrass me and that's the same thing on this side.
"(Masoli) is a rhythm guy. We've just got to get him off rhythm. He knows CFL football, he's their star player."
Masoli completed 84-of-126 passes (66.7 per cent) for 1,083 yards with two TDs and two interceptions before his injury. Masoli was hurt after taking a low hit from Saskatchewan defensive lineman Garrett Marino, who received three suspensions totalling four games — the longest ban for in-game behaviour in CFL history — for his conduct during the contest.
Masoli was the East Division's outstanding player in 2018 after passing for 5,209 yards and 28 TDs with Hamilton. He made three Grey Cup appearances with the Ticats (2014, 2019, 2021).
Orlondo Steinauer, Hamilton's head coach/president of football operations, had nothing but praise for what Masoli brought to the Ticats during his time with the franchise.
"It was always just a sense of quiet confidence," Steinauer said. "He's not an overly boisterous person.
"He's a pro, he's a winner, he's just Jeremiah. He's always authentic in who he is. His preparation was meticulous and it was fun to watch him develop."
Masoli will make his first career start against Hamilton and is 13-12 at Tim Hortons Field.
Ottawa is coming off a 26-7 win over Edmonton last week that snapped a 13-game home losing streak. Tyrie Adams finished 14-of-20 passing for 185 yards and a TD in his first CFL start and also ran three times for 31 yards.
But Adams suffered a season-ending knee injury in the contest. Running back De'Montre Tuggle rushed for 126 yards and a TD on 17 carries, becoming the first Ottawa player to crack the 100-yard plateau since 2019, a span of 53 games.
Ottawa is looking to register consecutive wins for the first time since September 2022.
Hamilton and Ottawa will meet for the first time this season. The Ticats swept the season series 3-0 last year.
Hamilton has won four straight home games against Ottawa. Despite losing their home opener 38-12 to Montreal on June 23, the Ticats are 6-2 in their last eight games at Tim Hortons Field.
"It's really important, especially in front of our home crowd," Lawrence said. "For a long time we've been known to play great at home and we've got to get back to that, for sure."
But Hamilton has been a slow starter this season, having been outscored 72-19 in the first half. In all three games, Ticats have entered the second half facing double-digit deficits.
Conversely, Ottawa stormed to a 16-0 halftime lead versus Edmonton.
Steinauer said he'd like to see more plays from his defence Saturday night.
"It's never going to go exactly as planned but you've just got to see improvement every week," he said. "We always emphasize to make your play . . . some people are going to have 10 opportunities to make plays, some people are going to have one.
"You can't make somebody else's, just make your play. When those opportunities come, we want to see those people seize those and not just once, but consistently."
The good news for the Ticats is they're coming off a bye week. Hamilton has won its last five games following a week off and is 9-2 since 2018.
Canadian Coulter Woodmansey returns to the lineup and will start at right guard for Hamilton. And Canuck Stavros Katsantonis starts at safety in place of the injured Tunde Adeleke.
Matthew Shiltz will make a second straight start for Hamilton. He finished 25-of-47 passing for 345 yards with two interceptions versus Montreal as the Ticats' offence failed to score a TD.
Shiltz has made 10 career CFL starts with a 4-5 record. But he is 2-0 versus Ottawa
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 7, 2023.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
