The Edmonton Elks (3-7) visited Tim Hortons Field on Saturday night against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-8). Taylor Powell was the new starting quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while McLeod Bethel-Thompson started for the Elks as Tre Ford was out with a chest injury. What looked to be an even matchup turned into a beatdown.
First Quarter:
On the first play of the first quarter, Hamilton quarterback Taylor Powell completed a 15-yard pass to Luther Hakunavanhu. Edmonton linebacker Nick Anderson and linebacker Nyles Morgan tackled Hakunavanhu forcing the ball out and Darrius Bratton recovered the ball for an 8-yard return to the Ticats’ 43-yard line.
Hakunavanhu was motionless after the play and an ambulance was called to the field. It was a scary situation, but he did move his hands once before being placed upon the stretcher. He was secured with a neck brace along with his hands and feet. He was then transported to the local hospital. The game was delayed for over 30 minutes as a new ambulance had to arrive at Tim Hortons Field.
Hamilton released a statement on X saying “Hakunavanhu suffered a head injury but was conscious as he left the field with full movement in his extremities.”
When the game resumed, Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, backup quarterback Dakota Prukop, and running back Jevon Leake led the offense down to the Ticats’ 4-yard line. On the next play, Bethel-Thompson handed the ball off to Justin Rankin as he rushed up the middle to score a 4-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 9:35 left of the first quarter.
On Hamilton’s third possession of the first quarter, quarterback Taylor Powell scrambled for a 17-yard run before getting hit by Nyles Morgan causing a fumble recovered by Edmonton while Powell was down on the field. The command center reviewed the play and ruled Powell was down by contact as he left the game. Powell was transferred to a local hospital and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Bo Levi Mitchell was the new Hamilton quarterback.
Mitchell led the team down to the Elks’ 7-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell’s pass went off the hands of running back Greg Bell and was intercepted by Derrick Moncrief. Edmonton had the ball for the final 3:11 of the first quarter. On the final three plays, running back Justin Rankin had three carries for 20 yards to the Ticats’ 48-yard line. The Elks led the Ticats 7-0.
Edmonton had 110 yards on offense (86 yards passing, 24 yards rushing) and two first downs. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 6 of 8 passes for 62 yards.
Hamilton had 92 yards on offense (62 yards passing, 30 yards rushing) and 8 first downs. Quarterback Taylor Powell completed 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards, and one carry for 17 yards, while Bo Levi Mitchell completed 2 of 3 passes for 66 yards, and one interception.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hamilton’s defense stopped Edmonton to force third down. Edmonton was attempting a field goal but an offsides penalty on Hamilton gave Edmonton a fresh set of downs on their three-yard line. On the next play, Edmonton running back Jevon Leake scored a three-yard touchdown extending Edmonton’s lead 14-0 with 12:46 left. The touchdown capped off a 13-play drive for 106 yards in over five minutes.
On Hamilton’s second possession of the second quarter, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw three passes for 41 yards before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 32-yard field goal and the Ticats trailed the Elks 14-3 with 6:52 left of the second quarter.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin started the next drive with a 40-yard run, followed by McLeod Bethel-Thompson throwing a 28-yard pass to Tevin Jones to the Ticats’ 2-yard line. The next play saw Edmonton running back Justin Rankin score a two-yard touchdown for a 21-3 lead with 5:40 left of the second quarter.
Edmonton kicker Boris Bede kicked the ball 90 yards into the endzone where Jonathan Moxey conceded the single point. Edmonton led 22-3 with 5:28 left. Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and running back Greg Bell led the offense down to the Elks’ 54-yard line before the drive stalled and punted the ball back to Edmonton.
Edmonton’s offense gained six yards on their next drive short of the first down. Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 63 yards toward Hamilton returner Jonathan Moxey. Edmonton linebacker Eteva Mauga-Clements stripped Moxey of the football and Joel Dublanko recovered it on the Ticats’ 11-yard line.
On the second play, Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw an 11-yard touchdown to a wide-open Dillon Mitchell for a 29-3 lead with 2:05 left before halftime. The crowd at Tim Hortons Field was quiet. You could hear a pin drop at the stadium.
After a two-and-out by the Tiger-Cats, Edmonton’s offense was back out on the field. They gained 12 yards before kicker Boris Bede made a 32-yard field goal for a 32-3 with 17 seconds left. On the final play, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw the ball into the endzone to Steven Dunbar Jr. but was incomplete.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton had 237 yards on offense (159 yards passing, 87 yards rushing, 9 yards lost) and 15 first downs. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 11 of 15 passes (73%) for 159 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Justin Rankin had 9 carries for 79 yards, two touchdowns, and one catch for four yards.
Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made four catches for 79 yards, while Dillion Mitchell made two catches for 19 yards and one touchdown. The defense had one interception, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. They had no penalties in the first half.
Hamilton had 215 yards on offense (141 yards passing, 74 yards rushing) and 7 first downs. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 8 of 14 passes (57.1%) for 121 yards, and one interception. Running back Greg Bell had six carries for 53 yards and three catches for 78 yards.
Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made four catches for 40 yards, and Steven Dunbar Jr. made one catch for 5 yards. Hamilton’s defense made two sacks. They were penalized 7 times for 62 yards.
Third Quarter:
Hamilton got the ball to start the third quarter. They went on a nine-play drive for 76 yards capping it off with running back Greg Bell scoring a two-yard touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion and missed it. The Ticats trailed the Elks 32-9 with 9:40 left.
Hamilton’s defense shut out Edmonton’s offense in the third quarter not giving up any points. On Hamilton’s second possession of the quarter, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 47 yards and Greg Bell rushed for a gain of 12 yards to the Elks’ 44-yard line. However, a holding penalty on Hamilton’s offense backed them up 10 yards to the Elks’ 44-yard line.
On the next play, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass intended for Felix Garand-Gauthier was intercepted by Kordell Jackson. He returned the ball 29 yards to their 24-yard line. The offense could not take advantage of the turnover and punted the ball back to Hamilton with 3:25 left of the third quarter.
Hamilton’s offense went on an 8-play drive for 60 yards. The drive concluded when quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Greg Bell and the Ticats cut the Elks lead 32-16 to end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two passes for 58 yards to the Ticats’ three-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin finished the drive scoring a three-yard touchdown for a 39-16 lead with 7:47 left of the game capping off a four-play drive for 59 yards.
Harrison Frost was the new quarterback for Hamilton with 4:52 left of the game. He led the Ticats down to the Elks’ 12-yard line before throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to Shemar Bridges. They missed the two-point conversion and trailed 39-22 with 3:37 left of the game. The drive went 10 plays for 82 yards.
Hamilton attempted an onside kick which was recovered by Edmonton wide receiver Tevin Jones. He returned it for 37 yards before getting pushed out of bounds at the Ticats’ 7-yard line. On the next play, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for a 46-22 lead with 1:15 left of the fourth quarter.
On the kickoff, Edmonton kicker Boris Bede kicked the ball 85 yards into the endzone where Tim White conceded the single point. It was now 47-22 Edmonton with 1:12 left of the game. Hamilton ran four plays for 31 yards to run out the clock and the game was over. The Elks defeated the Tiger-Cats 47-22 for their third straight win for the first time since 2018. The Ticats have now lost three straight games.
Final Stats:
Edmonton had 347 yards on offense (234 yards passing, 122 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 6 for 6 in the red zone, and 21 first downs. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 15 of 23 passes (65.2%) for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Justin Rankin had a nice game with 17 carries for 108 yards, three touchdowns, and one catch for four yards.
Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made 5 catches for 93 yards, while Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made four catches for 35 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Boris Bede made one field goal for 32 yards. Edmonton’s defense made 44 tackles, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and 9 tackles on special teams. They were penalized four times for 53 yards.
Hamilton had 521 yards on offense (409 yards passing, 112 yards rushing), 3 for 4 in the red zone, and 25 first downs. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 23 of 34 passes (68%) for 294 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Third-string quarterback Harrison Frost completed 8 of 12 passes 66%) for 95 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Greg Bell had 12 carries for 85 yards, one touchdown, 6 catches for 88 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Shemar Bridges made 7 catches for 100 yards, and one touchdown, while Kiondre Smith made 9 catches for 86 yards. Kicker Marc Liegghio made one field goal for 32 yards. Hamilton’s defense made 37 tackles, two tackles, one tackle for loss, six tackles on special teams. They were penalized 11 times for 100 yards.
Final Thoughts:
First things first, I hope that wide receiver Luther Hakunavanhu makes a full recovery. Hamilton’s offense fell flat after both Hakunavanhu and Taylor Powell were injured and the teams struggled on both sides of the ball.
The Hamilton players looked like they did not want to play the game after the injury of Hakunavanhu and the team failed to adjust the gameplan. Bo Levi Mitchell did his best but the one standout for them was Greg Bell. He had a good game despite the blowout loss and the team should factor him in more on the offense.
Lastly, for Hamilton, it looks like Head Coach Scott Milanovich has lost the locker room. It is becoming a trend that coaches who leave the CFL and return later don’t do well the second time and I think Milanovich is on the hot seat. Hamilton needs to undergo a makeover. It’s not just Milanovich, it’s also the front office and some of the players who need to be traded or let go after the season.
Don’t look now, but the Edmonton Elks are back in the West Division race. If the Winnipeg Blue Bombers lose to the B.C. Lions on Sunday, then the Elks will tie the Blue Bombers for fourth place. This team is playing its best football in years and with the new owner Larry Thompson in attendance, everyone should be playing their best football right now. If the Elks somehow make the playoffs, I won’t be surprised if Jarious Jackson is named the head coach.
Lastly, Edmonton running back Justin Rankin is a star in the making. He is taking advantage of every snap he gets and producing solid numbers. This guy already has 34 carries for 245 yards, three touchdowns, 6 catches for 35 yards, and one touchdown in three games. The Elks need to keep feeding him the football because he is a staple on this offense.
Next Friday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 8:30 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network, while the Edmonton Elks visit the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
