The Edmonton Elks (1-7) visited Mosaic Stadium on Saturday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-3). Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford made his first start of the season and the team made a statement in this game.
First Quarter:
The game got off to a fast start in the first quarter. Saskatchewan wide receiver/kick returner Mario Alford returned a 101-yard kickoff for a touchdown putting the Roughriders up 7-0 with 14:30 left.
On Edmonton’s first possession of the game, quarterback Tre Ford and Javeon Leake led the offense down to the Roughriders’ 18-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Boris Bede made a 25-yard field goal and the Elks trailed the Roughriders 7-3 with 8:45 left of the first quarter.
When Saskatchewan’s offense went for their first series of the game, they made it to the Elks’ 16-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther missed a 42-yard field goal wide right but Gavin Cobb conceded the single point. The Roughriders led 8-3 with 6:38 left of the first quarter.
Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford threw two passes for 37 yards and Javon Leake rushed for a gain of two yards before the drive stalled. Kicker Boris Bede made a 38-yard field goal and the Elks trailed the Roughriders 8-6 with 3:52 left of the first quarter.
After Saskatchewan’s offense went two-and-out, they almost got the football back when returner Gavin Cobb lost the ball but Edmonton defensive back Josh Hagerty was there for the recovery. On the second play, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford threw a 93-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Jones putting the Elks up 13-8 with 1:44 left of the first quarter. The drive went two plays for 99 yards.
On second down, Edmonton defensive lineman Shawn Oakman sacked Shea Patterson to force third down. On the final play of the first quarter, Saskatchewan punter Adam Korsak punted the ball 61 yards to Jevon Leake. Leake returned the ball for 11 yards running out of bounds to their 31-yard line. The Elks led the Roughriders 13-8.
Edmonton had 141 yards on offense (88 yards passing, 53 yards rushing). Quarterback Tre Ford completed 5 of 7 passes for 88 yards, and one carry for 23 yards. Saskatchewan had 28 yards of offense (30 yards passing, 7 yards rushing, 9 yards lost). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 2 of 5 passes for 30 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Edmonton’s offense led by quarterback Tre Ford and running backs Javon Leake and Justin Rankin led the team down to the four-yard line. Edmonton running back Javon Leake finished a 10-yard drive for 72 yards by scoring a four-yard touchdown. The Elks extended their lead 20-8 with 4:45 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense responded by going on a 9-play drive for 93 yards ending when quarterback Shea Patterson scored a one-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak. The Roughriders trailed the Elks 20-15 with 1:50 left before halftime.
Saskatchewan’s offense had one more shot to get some points but they could not get into field goal range before time ran out. The Elks led the Roughriders 20-15 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton had 306 yards on offense (190 yards passing, 129 yards rushing, 13 yards lost). Quarterback Tre Ford completed 10 of 13 passes (77%) for 190 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 28 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had seven carries for 57 yards, and two catches for 10 yards, while Javon Leake had six carries for 43 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for 20 yards.
Wide receiver Tevin Jones made one catch for 93 yards, and one touchdown, while Eugene Lewis made one catch for 35 yards. Edmonton’s defense made one sack and one tackle for loss. They were penalized one time for 10 yards.
Saskatchewan had 153 yards on offense (113 yards passing, 49 yards rushing, 9 yards lost). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 9 of 13 passes (69.2%) for 113 yards, two carries for eight yards, and one touchdown. Running back Frankie Hickson had five carries for 43 yards and one catch for 10 yards.
Wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. made two catches for 47 yards, while Samuel Emilus made three catches for 25 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made one sack. They were penalized one time for four yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, it was all defense. Edmonton had three first downs, while Saskatchewan only had two first downs. When Edmonton’s offense was on the field with 8:23 left, quarterback Tre Ford attempted to throw the ball to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. but Rolan Milligan Jr. was there for the interception on their 15-yard line.
Saskatchewan could not take advantage and punted the ball back to Edmonton. Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Ajou Ajou. They went for a two-point conversion but did not get it. The Roughriders led the Elks 21-20 with 1:13 left of the third quarter.
Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out. On the last play of the third quarter, Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 57 yards rolling out of bounds on the Roughriders’ one-yard line. The Elks trailed the Roughriders 21-20.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball near their 33-yard line. Edmonton’s defense stepped up when Romero McKnight sacked Shea Patterson for an 8-yard loss forcing third down. Saskatchewan punter Adam Korsak punted the ball 36 yards to Gavin Cobb, who returned it for 10 yards to the Roughriders’ 51-yard line.
On the next play, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford handed the ball off to Javon Leake. The offensive line made a path for Leake and he took off for a 51-yard touchdown. The Elks converted a two-point play and they went up 28-21 with 10:39 left in the game.
Saskatchewan’s offense went to work. They went on a five-play drive for 52 yards at the Elks’ 19-yard line. However, quarterback Shea Patterson was sacked on second down by Loucheiz Purifoy for 14 yards. Kicker Brett Lauther kicked a 37-yard field goal and the Roughriders trailed the Elks 28-24 with 6:36 left in the game.
Late in the fourth quarter, Edmonton running back Javon Leake waited for his offensive line to open a hole before scoring a 61-yard rushing touchdown extending the Elks lead 35-24 with 2:20 left in the game. Next, Edmonton defensive back Kordell Jackson intercepted Shea Patterson’s pass for a 15-yard return to the Roughriders’ 33-yard line.
On the second play for Edmonton, quarterback Tre Ford threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tevin Jones putting the game away 42-24 with 1:30 left. Saskatchewan did make things interesting in the final seconds of the game.
On the final play of the game, Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Picton. Picton had Kai Gray on him when he made the touchdown catch. They got the two-point conversion to end the game. The Elks defeated the Roughriders 42-31 for their first win of the season.
Final Stats:
Edmonton had 515 yards on offense (252 yards passing, 276 yards rushing, 13 yards lost). Quarterback Tre Ford completed 18 of 22 passes (81%) for 252 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and five carries for 46 yards. Running back Javon Leake had a big night with 12 carries for 169 yards, three touchdowns, and three catches for 26 yards.
Wide receiver Tevin Jones made three catches for 123 yards, and two touchdowns, while Eugene Lewis made two catches for 41 yards. Kicker Boris Bede made two field goals with a long of 38 yards. Edmonton’s defense made 38 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, one interception, and eight tackles on special teams. The Elks were penalized six times for 47 yards.
Saskatchewan had 392 yards on offense (306 yards passing, 117 yards rushing, 31 yards lost). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 22 of 38 passes (58%) for 306 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, four carries for 30 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Frankie Hickson had 12 carries for 89 yards and one catch for 10 yards.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made six catches for 72 yards, while Ajou Ajou made three catches for 60 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made 1 of 2 field goals with a long of 37 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 40 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, and 11 tackles on special teams.
Final Thoughts:
Tre Ford is a franchise quarterback. He provided a spark that this team was missing this season. The offense and defense played exceptionally well. Edmonton’s offensive line did a good job protecting him and creating holes for Leake to score three touchdowns. Without that offensive line, the Elks would not have scored 42 points.
Saskatchewan did not have a good game plan tonight. They had opportunities to make big plays but could not capitalize on them. Shea Patterson was not bad but he had pressure in his face for the majority of the game despite throwing two touchdowns.
They needed to change the play calling because Edmonton’s defense picked up on their plays and for the most part, shut them down. The wide receivers need to help their quarterback by coming back for the ball instead of waiting for Patterson to throw it to them.
Finally, Saskatchewan’s defense had problems containing Ford and the Elks’ offense. They got pushed around and had no answers. The Roughriders have been getting roughed up lately losing two of their last three games. Saskatchewan needs to make some changes to the starting lineup because what they have out there for the last two weeks is not working. Give other guys a shot at playing time and there is a good chance they can get back to their winning ways.
Next week, The Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Edmonton Elks host the B.C. Lions on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
