The Edmonton Elks (2-9) closed out Week 12 on Sunday night hosting the Ottawa Redblacks (3-8) from Commonwealth Stadium. This was the second meeting of the season between these two teams. They met back in Week 4 when the Redblacks won 26-7.
Earlier this week, the Elks gave away free tickets to the families of the ongoing Northwest Territories Forest fires. This was awesome to see a professional sports team give back to the fans and for the time being take their minds off the devastating wildfires. The Elks wanted to give these fans a show and they did in a big way by breaking the 22-game home losing streak.
In the first quarter, Ottawa kick returner Jackson Bennett returned the kickoff for 36 yards before he was tackled on their 48-yard line. The offense went two-and-out and punter Richie Leone punted the ball 74 yards into the Elks’ endzone for a single point. It was 1-0 Ottawa with 13:32 left.
After two unsuccessful drives, the Elks started to put together its longest drive late in the first quarter. On the third play, quarterback Tre Ford threw a deep pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. for 30 yards before he was tackled on the Redblacks’ 34-yard line. Two plays later, Ford completed a short pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux for a gain of 15 yards.
On the last play of the first quarter, Tre Ford went for a deep pass to Dillon Mitchell but it was incomplete. However, an unnecessary roughness penalty on Ottawa gave them an automatic first down to the Redblacks’ ten-yard to start the second quarter down 1-0.
Two plays into the second quarter, Tre Ford scrambled to his left side before scoring an 8-yard touchdown. It was 7-1 Elks with 13:34 left. On the next series for Ottawa, running back Devonte Williams had three carries for 25 yards which led to a Lewis Ward 46-yard field goal to cut the Elks lead down to 7-4 with eight minutes left.
On the second play for Edmonton, Tre Ford used his legs to rush for a gain of 22 yards before he was tackled on the Redblacks’ 38-yard line. The Elks got to the Redblacks’ 10-yard line before Dean Faithfull converted a 17-yard field goal for a 10-4 lead with 3:17 left.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward missed a 34-yard field goal but did get a single point which made it 10-5 Edmonton with 2:12 left. Just before halftime, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford threw a deep pass to Eugene Lewis. Lewis had an Ottawa defender on him while he was trying to make the catch. He broke the tackle and ran for a 66-yard touchdown and a 17-5 lead with 22 seconds left.
Ottawa running back Devonte Williams had two carries to close out the first half for 17 yards. The Elks led 17-5 at halftime.
Edmonton had 257 yards on offense. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 9 of 11 passes (81.8%) for 174 yards, one touchdown, five carries for 42 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Kevin Brown had six carries for 32 yards, and one catch for nine yards, and wide receiver Eugene Lewis had two catches for 81 yards and one touchdown.
Ottawa had 146 yards on offense. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 7 of 10 passes (70%) for 79 yards, and three carries for 14 yards. Running Devonte Williams had eight carries for 51 yards and wide receiver Shaq Evans had two catches for 41 yards. The defense had one sack.
In the third quarter, Quarterback Tre Ford completed a deep pass to Gavin Cobb for a gain of 68 yards before he was tackled on the Redblacks’ two-yard line. Three plays later, backup quarterback Taylor Cornelius scored the touchdown with a quarterback sneak. It was now 24-5 with 12:41 left.
Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum completed three passes for 33 yards which led to a Lewis Ward 53-yard field goal. It was now 24-8 with 10:16 left. On the sixth play for Edmonton, quarterback Tre Ford completed a short pass to Kyran Moore for a gain of 12 yards.
After Ford was sacked by Douglas Coleman, kicker Dean Faithfull kicked a 38-yard field goal for a 27-8 lead with 4:08 left. The Redblacks had the ball late in the fourth quarter. Running back Devonte Williams had a couple of carries for nine yards. On the last play of the third quarter, quarterback Dustin Crum completed a short pass to Bralon Addison for nine yards before he was tackled on the Elks’ 37-yard line. Edmonton led 27-8 heading into the fourth quarter.
Three plays into the fourth quarter, Ottawa running back Devonte Williams broke several tackles to score a 23-yard touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion but did not get it. The score was now 27-14 Edmonton with 13:56 left.
Later in the fourth quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford completed a 20-yard pass to Emmanuel Arceneaux. Then, Tre Ford and Kevin Brown led the Elks down to the 29-yard line.
A sequence of events happened when kicker Dean Faithfull kicked a 37-yard field goal but it was wiped off because of unnecessary penalties on both teams, two of them were against Edmonton which forced them out of field range.
Next, Edmonton punter Jake Julien got roughed up on the punt and Ottawa was called for a roughing the kicker penalty which resulted in an automatic first down for Edmonton. Three plays later, Dean Faithfull made a 29-yard field goal for a 30-14 lead with 2:40 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Ottawa backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome scored a one-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak. They tried a two-point conversion but did not get it. It was now 30-20 with 1:10 left.
Edmonton finished off the Redblacks when Tre Ford ran for nine yards, and Taylor Cornelius sealed it with a two-yard run. The Elks defeated the Redblacks by the final score of 30-20. The last time they won a home game was October 12, 2019, against the B.C. Lions.
The Elks have finally done it. They ended the home losing streak. Tre Ford has provided a spark to this team which is nice to see. Edmonton has now won two straight games and is starting to get on a roll. I wonder had the Elks started Ford earlier this year would they have a better record right now?
Edmonton’s offense had 469 yards on offense. Ford finished the night completing 15 of 18 passes (83%) for 317 yards, one touchdown, and led the rushers with ten carries for 74 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Kevin Brown had 14 carries for 68 yards, and wide receiver Eugene Lewis had three catches for 112 yards and one touchdown. Edmonton’s defense had 39 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
Ottawa had 287 yards on offense. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 17 of 26 passes (65.4%) for 172 yards, and five carries for 28 yards. Ottawa’s offense struggled for the majority of the game and did not get going until the late third quarter. Running back Devonte Williams did not have a bad game with 12 carries for 84 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Shaq Evans led the receivers with three catches for 51 yards, and Jaelon Acklin had four catches for 44 yards. Ottawa’s defense had 46 tackles and two sacks.
Despite their record, Ottawa is still not out of the playoff hunt. However, they need to start win games and be consistent. With the NFL cutdown happening this Tuesday, the Redblacks should pay close attention to see who is getting released. Once the list is out, they need to go sign some of these players.
Next Monday, the Edmonton Elks visit the Calgary Stampeders at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network, while the Redblacks are on a bye week. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
