The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-7-1) visited Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night against the Edmonton Elks (5-11) in their third and final meeting of the season. There was a lot on the line for this game.
A win for Saskatchewan would clinch a playoff spot for both the Roughriders and the B.C. Lions. Meanwhile, Edmonton needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive.
First Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the game from their 29-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris started the drive by completing three straight passes for 21 yards to reach their 50-yard line. Running back Frankie Hickson had two carries for five yards, and Harris threw another pass for six yards to Dhel Duncan-Busby to reach the Elks’ 48-yard line before the drive stalled.
Saskatchewan punter Adam Korsak punted the ball 38 yards to Loucheiz Purifoy for a seven-yard return to reach their 18-yard line with 10:58 left of the first quarter. Edmonton running back Justin Rankin started the drive with a six-yard run, followed by McLeod Bethel-Thompson throwing a 9-yard pass to Dillon Mitchell to reach their 32-yard line.
On the next play, Bethel-Thompson completed a short pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for a gain of 22 yards to reach their 54-yard line. Running back Javon Leake lost a yard on the next play setting up third down. Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 75 yards into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. It was 1-0 Edmonton with 7:50 left of the first quarter.
In the next two series, Saskatchewan gained eight yards to go two-and-out, and Edmonton gained 13 yards before they stalled. On the second play for Saskatchewan, quarterback Trevor Harris attempted to throw the ball to Samuel Emilus but he missed his route, and Edmonton defensive back Kordell Jackson was there for the interception with 1:59 left of the first quarter.
Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 24 yards, and running back Javon Leake had two carries for seven yards to reach their 48-yard line up 1-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Edmonton had 80 yards on offense (64 yards passing, 16 yards rushing), five first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team was penalized one time for 15 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 6 of 7 passes for 64 yards. Saskatchewan had 71 yards on offense (57 yards passing, 14 yards rushing), four first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team was penalized one time for 5 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Edmonton’s offense marched down to the Roughriders’ one-yard line. Running back Javon Leake finished the drive off with a one-yard touchdown for an 8-0 lead with 10:23 left of the second quarter to cap off a 12-play drive for 93 yards in over six minutes.
Saskatchewan started its next drive on their 22-yard line after an illegal blocking penalty. On the first play, quarterback Trevor Harris threw the ball to Mario Alford for a 69-yard touchdown. They successfully converted a two-point play and the game was tied 8-8 with 9:34 left before halftime.
Both teams went two-and-out on their next possessions with Edmonton’s defense sacking Trevor Harris twice for 16 yards. Edmonton had the ball again on their 42-yard line. Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson started the drive completing three straight passes for 28 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 40-yard line.
Edmonton backup quarterback Dakota Prukop had two carries for two yards to set them up on the Roughriders’ 38-yard line. On the next play, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson rolled to his right-side getting Saskatchewan’s secondary to follow him.
He threw the ball up in the air to Dillion Mitchell, who had Marcus Sayles on him to make a leaping catch in the endzone for a 38-yard touchdown. Edmonton took a 15-8 lead with 2:47 left before halftime capping off a six-play drive for 68 yards.
Saskatchewan began its next drive from their 35-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed three consecutive passes for 48 yards to reach the Elks’ 27-yard line. The offense continued to march down the field to reach the Elks’ two-yard line.
Then, backup quarterback Shea Patterson scored a two-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak, and the game was tied again 15-15 with 55 seconds left before halftime to cap off a seven-play drive for 75 yards in a minute and forty-two seconds.
Saskatchewan’s defense caught a lucky break when Edmonton wide receiver Eugene Lewis could not make a catch when the ball bounced off his right knee and into the hands of linebacker Adam Auclair for a three-yard return with 25 seconds left before halftime.
Quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 18 yards and rushed for a gain of two yards to reach the Elks’ 42-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 50-yard field goal giving the Roughriders an 18-15 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan had 240 yards on offense (214 yards passing, 38 yards rushing, 12 yards lost), 12 first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized three times for 30 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 12 of 14 passes (86%) for 214 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for two yards. Running back Frankie Hickson had seven carries for 34 yards.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made two catches for 109 yards, and one touchdown, while KeeSean Johnson made one catch for 30 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made three tackles for loss and one interception.
Edmonton had 240 yards on offense (231 yards passing, 9 yards rushing), 13 first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized five times for 45 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 17 of 21 passes (81%) for 231 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Justin Rankin had four carries for 13 yards.
Wide receiver Zach Mathis made five catches for 82 yards, while Dillon Mitchell made three catches for 55 yards and one touchdown. Edmonton’s defense made two sacks, one interception, and one tackle for loss.
Third Quarter:
Edmonton got the ball to start the second half from their 20-yard line. On the second play, Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson attempted to complete a pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. However, Saskatchewan defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. was there to make the interception returning it for 21 yards but an unnecessary roughness penalty on Saskatchewan placed the ball on the Elks’ 35-yard line.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed 3 of 4 passes for 32 yards to reach the Elks’ 5-yard line setting up kicker Brett Lauther to make a 13-yard field goal. Saskatchewan led Edmonton 21-15 with 10:21 left of the third quarter.
Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson started the next drive throwing four straight passes for 61 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 10-yard line. Then, he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis. Unfortunately, Boris Bede missed the extra point off the left upright and the game was tied 21-21 with 6:22 left capping off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan started its next drive on their 45-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris was initially sacked by Nyles Morgan but an offsides penalty by Edmonton gave Saskatchewan 15 yards placing the ball on their 40-yard line.
Harris did not waste time on the next play throwing a 34-yard pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker, followed by a Frankie Hickson three-yard run to reach the Elks’ 28-yard line.
On the following play, Harris patiently waited for one of his receivers to get open absorbing a hard hit as he threw the ball to KeeSean Johnson. Johnson made a leaping 28-yard touchdown catch for a 28-21 lead with 3:48 left of the third quarter to cap off a five-play drive for 80 yards.
Saskatchewan’s defense forced Edmonton to go two-and-out. Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball with 1:52 left of the third quarter. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed three consecutive passes for 36 yards, and Frankie Hickson rushed for a gain of one yard to reach the Elks’ 52-yard line. Saskatchewan faced third down as the third quarter came to an end with the Roughriders up 28-21.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, both defenses made quick work to get their offenses back on the field. With 10:06 left of the game, Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed two passes for 27 yards to reach the Roughriders’ 47-yard line.
He would complete three more passes for 14 yards, and running back Javon Leake gained four yards before kicker Boris Bede made a 36-yard field goal and the Elks trailed the Roughriders 28-24 with 5:46 left of the game.
Saskatchewan’s offense was back out on the field from their 40-yard line. On the second play, Trevor Harris tried to complete a pass to Jerreth Sterns when Edmonton defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy made a nice interception returning the ball for 15 yards to reach their 53-yard line. Edmonton’s offense could not take advantage and punted the ball back to Saskatchewan with 3:12 left of the game.
Moving ahead into the action, Edmonton had the ball with 2:14 left of the game. On the third play, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed a pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. He ran with the football before Saskatchewan defensive back Amari Henderson punched the ball out and C.J. Reavis recovered it on their 36-yard line. The fans in Edmonton began to leave the stadium.
Saskatchewan had the ball with 1:41 left of the game. They were able to run the clock out and secured a 28-24 win over the Edmonton Elks. With the win, Saskatchewan and the B.C. Lions have punched their tickets to the playoffs, while Edmonton and Calgary are officially eliminated.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan had 386 yards on offense (358 yards passing, 53 yards rushing, 25 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized six times for 65 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 22 of 28 passes (79%) for 358 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and two carries for six yards. Running back Frankie Hickson had 15 carries for 46 yards.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made four catches for 126 yards, and one touchdown, while KeeSean Johnson made five catches for 103 yards and one touchdown.
Kicker Brett Lauther made 2 of 2 field goals with a long of 50 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 46 tackles, four tackles for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 10 tackles for loss.
Edmonton had 409 yards on offense (379 yards passing, 30 yards rushing), 21 first downs, 2 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 93 yards.
Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 33 of 41 passes (80.4%) for 379 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Running back Javon Leake had 9 carries for 15 yards, and one touchdown, while Justin Rankin had four carries for 13 yards.
Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made five catches for 87 yards, and one touchdown, while Dillion Mitchell made four catches for 55 yards and one touchdown. Edmonton’s defense made 43 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, two interceptions, one fumble recovery, and nine tackles on special teams.
Final Thought:
This game was entertaining. It felt like watching an old-school football game. The receivers on both teams were making some ridiculous catches with some of them catching the ball with only their fingertips before hauling it in.
Saskatchewan defensive back Amari Henderson is a player that all defensive back players should study. One thing he does so well is punching the ball out of the receiver’s arms. He focuses on tackling the football and getting it away from the receivers. He is a hell of a player.
Next week, the Edmonton Elks visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 3 pm on CTV and CFL+, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the B.C. Lions on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+ with the winner getting a home playoff game. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub.
