The Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0) visited Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday night against the Edmonton Elks (0-1). Both teams went under roster reconstruction during the offseason with guys like Trevor Harris going to Saskatchewan and Eugene Lewis to Edmonton.
This was a chance for both teams to make an early statement and the game did not disappoint. There were a lot of hard hits as both defenses played hard and made big plays.
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan punt returner Mario Alford returned the ball for 13 yards plus an unnecessary roughness penalty on Edmonton gave the Roughriders great field position on the Elks’ 30-yard line.
On the next play, Trevor Harris threw a pass to Samuel Emilus for the first down and Edmonton got hit with a pass interference penalty, moving the ball to the four-yard line. The Riders struck first when Harris threw a four-yard touchdown to Derel Walker for a 7-0 lead with 8:53 left.
Late in the first quarter, Edmonton got on the board on a 17-yard field goal by Dean Faithfull making it 7-3 Roughriders at the end of the first quarter.
On Edmonton’s first play of the second quarter, a top-ten catch unfolded. Quarterback Taylor Cornelius threw the ball in the direction of Eugene Lewis with Jeremy Clark on him and the two jumped for the ball as Lewis won the battle and took it for a 102-yard touchdown, putting Edmonton up 10-7 with 14:28 left.
Later in the second quarter, Saskatchewan tied the game 10-10 on a 13-yard field goal by Brett Lauther with 3:26 left. After Edmonton could not move the ball, they got another chance when Trevor Harris’s pass was intercepted by Kai Gray. However, Edmonton could not take advantage of the turnover. The game remained tied 10-10 at halftime.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius was 7 of 16 (44%) for 152 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for 14 yards, while wide receiver Eugene Lewis had three catches for 125 yards and one touchdown. Edmonton’s offense had 175 yards.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed 9 of 17 passes (53%) for 98 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for 19 yards, while wide receiver Samuel Emilus had one catch for 38 yards. The Riders had 142 yards on offense.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter. Kick returner Mario Alford ran for a 62-yard return. Saskatchewan made it to Edmonton’s 26-yard line before Brett Lauther missed a 33-yard field goal but they got a single point out of it for an 11-10 lead with 13:33 left.
On Edmonton’s possession, running back Kevin Brown rushed for 24 yards on the Riders’ 38-yard line. They went two-and-out as kicker Dean Faithfull made a 43-yard field goal, putting Edmonton up 13-11 with 11:18 left.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan retook the lead 14-13 on an 11-yard field goal by Brett Lauther with 3:23 left. After Edmonton went two-and-out, Saskatchewan had the ball for the rest of the quarter and began the fourth quarter with the ball.
Saskatchewan punted the ball to begin the fourth quarter. Then, they got the ball back when Taylor Cornelius’s pass was intercepted by Rolan Milligan. Saskatchewan took advantage of the turnover with a 46-yard field goal by Brett Lauther that made it 17-13.
Late in the fourth quarter, Edmonton linebacker Nyles Morgan intercepted Trevor Harris at the Riders’ 21-yard line. The biggest play of the game came from Saskatchewan’s defense. Edmonton had gotten to the Riders’ one-yard line and the defense stopped them three times.
Saskatchewan got the ball and ran the clock down with three seconds left. Edmonton had one last shot but Cornelius’s pass was intercepted by Charbel Dabire and the Roughriders beat the Elks by the final score of 17-13. The loss extends the Elks’ home losing streak to 18 games.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris finished the night completing 20 of 33 passes (61%) for 179 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and one carry for 19 yards. Running back Jamal Morrow had 14 carries for 80 yards.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made three catches for 51 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense allowed 243 yards, with 41 tackles, three turnovers, and five sacks.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius completed 13 of 25 passes (52%) for 202 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and one carry for 14 yards. Running back Kevin Brown had 11 carries for 59 yards and three catches for 22 yards.
Wide receiver Eugene Lewis had five catches for 148 yards and one touchdown. Edmonton’s defense allowed 305 yards, with 55 tackles, three turnovers, and two sacks.
This was a competitive game despite the low-scoring affair. I was impressed with both defenses in this game. If both of these teams can improve their offense this season, I think these two teams will have a chance at making the playoffs.
Next Friday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 9 pm on CBS Sports Network, while the Edmonton Elks visit the B.C. Lions next Saturday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
