Glenn puts Tiger-Cats in win column

Kevin Glenn wasn't about to let quarterback counterpart Buck Pierce outshine him a second time this season.

Glenn threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns, propelling the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to an impressive 28-7 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday night at Ivor Wynne Stadium.

Completing his first 14 passes, Glenn finished the game 29-for-36.

The victory gives Hamilton (1-2) its first victory of the season, while Winnipeg drops to 1-2 in the East Division.

Glenn piled up his second consecutive 300-yard game as he continually shredded the Winnipeg secondary.

"I don't think we put any added pressure on ourselves," said the veteran pivot. "I think the thing was that everybody understood the ramifications of this game, especially being at home, being a team we had actually lost to."

Pierce injured

Pierce, the reigning CFL offensive player of the week, hammered the Ticats in the season opener, throwing for 291 yards and two touchdowns.

But Pierce, who has been plagued by an assortment of injuries during the previous five seasons, was knocked out of the game in the third quarter with a right knee injury after taking a hit from Tiger-Cats defensive tackle Demonte' Bolden.

Pierce concluded his night completing only 10-of-19 passes for 117 yards and one interception.

Pierce would not talk to the media after the game.

"We had a good talk before the game," said Winnipeg coach Paul LaPolice. "Everybody was riled up. We get out there and had a lot of 2-and-outs. We knew we had to start fast. We didn't. We let them get momentum."

While receiver Maurice Mann scored a pair of touchdowns on Friday, it was Dave Stala who hauled in 124 yards on nine catches.

Running back DeAndra Cobb also scored two TDs for the Ticats in front of 21,408 fans.

"It was a pretty good night," Glenn said. "I credit the offensive line because this doesn't happen if your offensive line doesn't give you time to play."

The Ticats opened the scoring at 8:03 of the first quarter following an impressive 10-play, 94-yard touchdown march.

The drive ended when Glenn found Cobb alone for a two-yard TD pass.

Glenn on target

Glenn was brilliant on the scoring drive, picking apart the Blue Bombers by completing all six of his passes for 85 yards.

Glenn continued to thrive, putting Hamilton in front 14-0 more than a minute into the second quarter after connecting with Mann on a 17-yard scoring strike.

Pierce appeared to find his groove late in first half, but he was intercepted by Hamilton linebacker Markeith Knowlton in the end zone, snuffing out a Winnipeg scoring drive.

"The difference is we had a better practice this week," said Knowlton. "We came out and limited our mistakes. We played as a team, and communication was a big part of that."

Glenn then hooked up with Mann again for a 19-yard TD pass at 10:16 of the third quarter, giving the Ticats a comfortable 21-0 lead.

However, the 99-yard drive was not without controversy.

Moments early, it appeared Glenn was stripped of the ball at the Winnipeg 22-yard line before his knee hit the ground. Yet video review didn't reverse the call on the field, infuriating the Blue Bomber bench.

Tom Higgins, the CFL's director of officiating, explained that Blue Bombers defensive lineman Don Oramasionwu recovered the ball after the whistle blew, which negated the fumble.

Backup quarterback Steven Jyles got Winnipeg on the board early in the fourth quarter when he bulled his way into the end zone on a one-yard run.

But Glenn wouldn't let the game get away from the Ticats as he guided the team on a 10-play, 87-yard drive, ending in a Cobb six-yard TD run.

The scoring drive lasted 5:44, killing any hope of a Blue Bomber comeback.

Hamilton kicker Sandro DeAngelis continued to struggle for his new team as he missed on both field-goal attempts in the first half — from 40 and 42 yards — much to the disapproval of the Ivor Wynne crowd.