Ticats linebacker Simoni Lawrence knew quarterback Dane Evans was ready when he saw him just prior to last Sunday’s CFL East final.
“He was drenched in sweat, just getting ready for the game and stuff, getting his warm-ups in,” said Lawrence. “He’s the ultimate pro. He goes about it every day like he’s a starter. That’s like how all our quote-unquote backups are.”
Jeremiah Masoli started for Hamilton last weekend in Toronto but it was Evans, coming off the bench, who sparked the comeback that got the Ticats to Sunday’s Grey Cup versus Winnipeg. Evans completed all 16 passes he attempted in Hamilton’s 27-19 comeback victory over the Argonauts.
He also made a key play in the second quarter, fighting off a block to strip the ball from Argos defensive back Shaquille Richardson after a Hamilton fumble.
On Wednesday, Hamilton coach Orlondo Steinauer confirmed Evans will be his starter Sunday at Tim Hortons Field.
“Right out of the chute, huh?” Steinauer stated in answering the second question of the coaches’ news conference. “Dane will start for us.”
Evans made three starts this season compared to nine for Masoli and two for David Watford for the 8-6-0 Tiger-Cats.
Still the decision to start Evans was no surprise, given his performance against the Argos. Evans also has Grey Cup experience, having started in the 2019 championship game, completing 16 of 27 passes for 203 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 33-12 loss to the Bombers.
Evans said he didn’t watch video of the 2019 game for a month.
“And then it seemed like when the world shut down, that’s all freaking TSN wanted to play was the Grey Cup. And I was like ‘Jesus Christ, do we have any other things to put on here?”‘ he said, drawing laughs.
“But in the same breath, obviously Winnipeg came to play and they got after us that day. I’m not taking anything away from them. They were the better team that night and they’ve been a great team this year too.”
Evans stated four months into lockdown, “when I saw it for the 40th time,” he moved past the 2019 game.
“It took a while to digest,” he said.
Evans, 28, took over the team in 2019 after Masoli tore his anterior cruciate ligament six games into the season — a July victory over the visiting Blue Bombers. But the 33-year-old Masoli has seen more action than Evans since returning to action.
“They understood only one was going to be able to start. And the other one was going to be disappointed,” Steinauer said. “I remember the first time when I brought them in, Dane was definitely disappointed. Jeremiah was humbled, he wasn’t jumping for joy. It was a highly competitive camp.”
