The Edmonton Elks (2-7) hosted the B.C. Lions (5-4) on Sunday night to conclude Week 10 from Commonwealth Stadium. This was the second meeting of the season. In their first meeting back in Week 4, the Lions won a close game 24-21 in B.C. A lot has changed since their first meeting and the game was entertaining.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, B.C. running back William Stanback and fullback David Mackie combined with three carries logging 23 yards to start the game. Next, quarterback Jake Dolegala threw three straight passes for 33 yards. Running back William Stanback got another carry for 10 yards to the Elks’ 1-yard line.
B.C. finished the drive when fullback David Mackie was lined up behind the center scoring a 1-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 10:08 left of the first quarter. The drive went 8 plays for 67 yards.
On Edmonton’s first possession of the game, quarterback Tre Ford and running back Javon Leake led the offense down to the Lions’ 28-yard line. The drive stalled when B.C. defensive lineman Christian Covington sacked Tre Ford for a 3-yard loss.
Kicker Boris Bede missed a 38-yard field goal wide right but B.C. returner Terry Williams conceded the single point. The Elks trailed the Lions 7-1 with 3:46 left of the first quarter. The drive went 9 plays for 52 yards.
The Lions had the ball for the final 3:31 of the first quarter. They marched down to the Elks’ 35-yard line before kicker Sean Whyte made a 43-yard field goal extending B.C.’s lead 10-1 as the first quarter ended. The drive went 6 plays for 35 yards.
B.C. had 102 yards on offense (45 yards passing, 57 yards rushing). Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 4 of 5 passes for 45 yards, and running back William Stanback had six carries for 44 yards. They had six first downs in the first quarter. Edmonton had 52 yards on offense (39 yards passing, 16 yards rushing, 3 yards lost). Quarterback Tre Ford completed 2 of 2 passes for 39 yards, and they had three first downs in the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford and running back Javon Leake led the offense down to the Lions’ 12-yard line. On the next play, Ford handed the ball off to Leake, who got an opening by the offensive line to score a 12-yard touchdown and the Elks trailed the Lions 10-8 with 12:25 left. The drive went 5 plays for 70 yards in a little over two minutes.
When B.C.’s offense went on the field, quarterback Jake Dolegala was sacked by Noah Curtis. On third down, B.C. elected to go for it instead of a field goal but Dolegala’s pass intended for Keon Hatcher was incomplete and Edmonton took over on their 40-yard line.
Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford rushed for a gain of 10 yards followed by throwing a 7-yard pass to Javon Leake to the Lions’ 53-yard line. Three plays later, Ford threw a deep pass intended for Dillon Mitchell was incomplete but a defensive pass interference penalty on B.C.’s Emmanuel Rugamba placed the ball on the 1-yard line.
Quarterback Dakota Prukop came in to score a 1-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak and the Elks took a 16-10 lead with 7:09 left of the second quarter. The drive went six plays for 72 yards.
On Edmonton’s next drive, quarterback Tre Ford tried to extend a play on second down but instead of throwing the ball away, he got hit on the helmet by Ryder Varga. Edmonton challenged the play for roughing the passer and they lost. Ford went to the tent and McLeod Bethel-Thompson filled in while Ford was getting checked out.
After Edmonton’s defense forced a two-and-out, the offense was back out on the field. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 18 yards and Javon Leake had two carries for 11 yards, plus a Dakota Prukop 1-yard run set up kicker Boris Bede for a 51-yard field goal. He made the field goal as time expired and the Elks headed to the locker room with a 19-10 lead. The drive went seven plays for 33 yards.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton had 192 yards on offense (114 yards passing, 87 yards rushing, 9 yards lost). Quarterback Tre Ford 6 of 6 passes (100%) for 96 yards, and two carries for 11 yards. Running back Javon Leake had 9 carries for 50 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for four yards.
Wide receiver Tevin Jones made four catches for 74 yards, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 36 yards. Edmonton’s defense made one sack, one tackle for loss, and one turnover. They were penalized three times for 25 yards.
B.C. had 136 yards on offense (81 yards passing, 63 yards rushing, 8 yards lost). Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 9 of 12 passes (75%) for 81 yards. Running back William Stanback had 8 carries for 50 yards and one catch for -3 yards.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis made two catches for 28 yards, while Keon Hatcher made two catches for 25 yards. B.C.’s defense made two sacks and two tackles for loss. They were penalized three times for 47 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Jake Dolegala threw a 26-yard pass to Justin McInnis, who ran to the Elks’ 37-yard line. Next, running back William Stanback rushed for a gain of one yard to the Elks’ 36-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 43-yard field goal and the Lions trailed the Elks 19-13 with 13:10 left of the third quarter.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson returned to the game in the second half as the Elks ruled Tre Ford out for the rest of the game. Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the Lions’ 11-yard line. On the next play, Bethel-Thompson scrambled to his right side before throwing the ball into the endzone intended for Hergy Mayala but Ciante Evans leaped up the air to make the interception.
B.C. quarterback Jake Dolegala threw three passes for 32 yards and rushed for a gain of 5 yards to the Elks’ 43-yard line. Running back William Stanback had three carries for 32 yards before the drive stalled. Kicker Sean Whyte made an 18-yard field goal and the Lions trailed the Elks 19-16 with 4:40 left of the third quarter. The drive went seven plays for 69 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Edmonton running Justin Rankin carried the ball for three yards before catching a 23-yard pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson at the Lions’ 27-yard line. On the final play of the third quarter, Bethel-Thompson’s pass to Rankin was incomplete. The Elks led the Lions 19-16.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton kicker Boris Bede made a 34-yard field goal for a 22-16 lead with 14:30 left to cap off a two-play drive for 26 yards. On their next possession, Edmonton moved the ball to the Lions’ 35-yard line. Edmonton got a break when punter Jake Julien was hit by Juliano Falaniko giving the Elks a fresh set of downs at the Lions’ 48-yard line.
Six plays later, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a short pass to Justin Rankin, who broke three tackles to score a 17-yard touchdown. They successfully converted a two-point play and the Elks extended their lead 30-16 with 5:32 left of the game.
Edmonton’s defense forced a two-and-out and the offense was back on the field with 4:05 left in the game. They went on a four-play drive for 19 yards before kicker Boris Bede made a 30-yard field goal for a 33-16 lead with 2:32 left.
With 1:42 left of the game, Edmonton defensive lineman Shawn Oakman sacked B.C. quarterback Chase Brice causing a fumble which was recovered by B.C. for a 13-yard loss. The Lions faced a third and 23. Brice completed an 8-yard pass to Alexander Hollins well short of the first down and Edmonton took over with 1:04 left of the game.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin carried the ball twice for 47 yards before the team took two kneel downs to end the game. The Elks defeated the Lions 33-16 for their second straight win. With the win, the Elks snapped an 8-game losing streak against B.C. The last time they beat B.C. was August 19, 2021, in B.C.
Final Stats:
Edmonton had 456 yards on offense (267 yards, 200 yards rushing, 11 yards lost). Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 14 of 18 passes (77%) for 171 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Javon Leake had 21 carries for 97 yards, one touchdown, and four catches for 37 yards, and running back John Rankin had 7 carries for 77 yards, one catch for 17 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Trevin Jones made 6 catches for 123 yards, while Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made 6 catches for 70 yards. Kicker Boris Bede made 3 of 4 field goals with a long of 51 yards. Edmonton’s defense made 38 tackles, two sacks, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and seven tackles for loss. They were penalized 5 times for 35 yards.
B.C. had 271 yards on offense (187 yards passing, 105 yards rushing, 21 yards lost). Quarterback Jake Dolegala completed 14 of 23 passes (61%) for 146 yards, and one carry for five yards, while Chase Brice completed 4 of 4 passes (100%) for 41 yards. Running back William Stanback had 13 carries for 87 yards and three catches for 9 yards.
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made four catches for 62 yards and Justin McInnis made three catches for 54 yards. Kicker Sean Whyte made three field goals with a long of 43 yards. B.C.’s defense made 53 tackles, two sacks, five tackles for loss, one interception, and five tackles on special teams.
Final Thoughts:
McLeod Bethel-Thompson fits the role of a backup quarterback very well. The crowd did not boo him after Tre Ford left the game with an upper-body injury. While Ford was warming up hoping to get back into the game, you could see he was favoring his ribs so we’ll see what the actual injury is later this week.
Tre Ford should know to get rid of the football instead of trying to extend plays. He’s only going to get hurt and the coaches need to pound it into his head to get rid of the football and play another down.
Bethel-Thompson showed his leadership on the field and the team was able to handle business to secure the win. The running game was good for Edmonton. Both Javon Leake and John Rankin posted solid numbers and if Ford has to miss time, they should continue to factor in the running game.
As for the Lions, they did a good job in the first quarter but after that struggled along the way. While most of the players had good numbers. They went 1 for 2 in the red zone and were shut out in the second and fourth quarters. Late in the game, the team played with no urgency.
My biggest complaint of this game was 4th and 23. I get they were down by 16 points, but quarterback Chase Brice knew he needed to get the ball for more than 23 yards and instead threw a short pass for 8 yards.
Every second counts and this was Brice’s chance to show the league what he can do. With many quarterbacks getting near retirement, Brice needs to put on a show and let the league know he deserves a chance to play a full game. If he gets another opportunity to play, he needs to make the most of it.
Next week, the Edmonton Elks visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network, while the B.C. Lions host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 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.
