The Edmonton Elks (4-10) visited Mosaic Stadium on Friday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-7) for the third and final time of the season. The Roughriders had won the two previous games.
A lot has changed since their last meeting. Since the change, Edmonton has been rolling as of late winning three of their last four games to stay in the hunt for a playoff spot. That trend would continue on Friday night.
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther converted a 26-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 8:21 left. Later in the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala’s pass was intercepted by Marcus Lewis. However, The Roughriders’ defense got the ball back when C.J. Reavis intercepted Tre Ford’s pass intended for Kevin Brown.
Three plays later, Jake Dolegala threw a pass to Shawn Bane Jr. for a 13-yard touchdown which made it 10-0 Saskatchewan with 1:20 left of the first quarter. Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford completed two passes for 21 yards.
On the last play of the first quarter, running back Kevin Brown rushed toward his left side for a gain of 32 yards before he was tackled on the Roughriders’ 19-yard line. Edmonton trailed 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
On the second play of the second quarter, Taylor Cornelius faked a quarterback sneak before throwing a pass to A.C. Leonard for a 10-yard touchdown. It was now 10-7 Roughriders with 13:27 left.
Later in the second quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther kicked a 30-yard field goal which made it 13-7 with 8:22 left. When Edmonton got the ball back, running back Kevin Brown took off for a gain of 15 yards. Four plays later, quarterback Tre Ford completed a short pass to Eugene Lewis for a gain of 16 yards before he was tackled on the Roughriders’ 25-yard line. The drive would lead to a Dean Faithfull 16-yard field goal which made it 13-10 with 2:59 left.
With 24 seconds left, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther had an opportunity to make a 56-yard field goal but came up short. However, the Roughriders led 13-10 at halftime.
Saskatchewan had 117 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 8 of 13 passes (61.5%) for 69 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Jamal Morrow had eight carries for 33 yards, and Shawn Bane Jr. had three catches for 28 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan’s defense had one interception and one sack.
Edmonton had 204 yards on offense. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 8 of 13 passes (61.5%) for 84 yards, one interception. Running back Kevin Brown had six carries for 69 yards and wide receiver Kyron Moore had four catches for 43 yards.
In the third quarter, Edmonton tied the game 13-13 on a 40-yard field goal by Dean Faithfull with 11:49 left. Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala completed three straight passes for 31 yards. Three plays later, Dolegala threw a quick slant to Tevin Jones for a 26-yard touchdown which made it 20-13 with 8:45 left of the third quarter.
Edmonton stormed back. Quarterback Tre Ford took off for a gain of 14 yards before running out of bounds. Four plays later, Ford would take off again for a 9-yard gain. On the next play, Ford handed the ball off to Kevin Brown, who swung to his right before scoring a 35-yard touchdown that tied the game 20-20 with 4:36 left of the third quarter.
Saskatchewan would get the lead back. Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed a 13-yard pass to Shawn Bane Jr. but a holding penalty on Saskatchewan moved them back ten yards. Two plays later, Dolegala completed a 19-yard pass to Mitchell Picton. Four plays later, Dolegala threw a short pass to Shawn Bane Jr. for a 12-yard touchdown. It was now 27-20 Roughriders at the end of the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton dominated. Running back Kevin Brown rushed for a gain of 18 yards before he was pushed out of bounds on the Roughriders’ 23-yard line. Three plays later, Saskatchewan blitzed Ford. Ford scrambled around for a bit before finding Eugene Lewis all alone for a 30-yard touchdown that tied the game again 27-27 with 12:36 left.
After Edmonton’s defense forced a two-and-out, the offense went to work. On the second play, quarterback Tre Ford threw a deep pass to Eugene Lewis for 38 yards. Three plays later, Ford took off for a gain of ten yards. Shortly after, Ford scrambled down the middle for a ten-yard touchdown to put Edmonton ahead 34-27 with 5:35 left of the game. It was Edmonton’s first lead of the game.
Late in the game, Edmonton defensive lineman Sam Acheampong sacked Jake Dolegala in the endzone for a safety that made it 36-27 with two minutes left of the game. Saskatchewan had one last chance to stay in the game but Jake Dolegala threw an incomplete pass on third down. The Elks went into victory formation to defeat the Roughriders by the final score of 36-27.
Edmonton have now won four of their last five games. Edmonton fought hard all night long and Tre Ford is a joy to watch. Seeing him get out of situations using his legs is something to watch. The Elks keep their playoff hopes alive and are right on Calgary’s tail for fourth place.
Edmonton had 437 yards on offense. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 13 of 20 passes (65%) for 173 yards, one touchdown, one interception, eight carries for 70 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Kevin Brown had a great game with 17 carries for 175 yards, one touchdown, and one catch for 12 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis had three catches for 84 yards, and one touchdown, and Kyron Moore had six catches for 59 yards. Edmonton’s defense had 34 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and a safety.
Saskatchewan had 317 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 20 of 34 passes (58.8%) for 213 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Jamal Morrow had ten carries for 46 yards, and two catches for 65 yards.
Wide receiver Tevin Jones had four catches for 72 yards and one touchdown, and Shawn Bane Jr. had six catches for 42 yards and two touchdowns. Saskatchewan’s defense had 46 tackles, two sacks, and one interception.
Next Friday, the Roughriders visit the Ottawa Redblacks at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network, while the Elks are on a bye week. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
