The Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-1) hosted the Edmonton Elks (0-5) on Thursday night at Mosaic Stadium. The Roughriders had a bye last week while the Elks were still searching for their first win of the season.
In the first quarter, there were a lot of running plays. Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius and running back Kevin Brown combined for seven carries for 37 yards and two Cornelius passes for 26 yards at Saskatchewan’s 26-yard line.
After two failed attempts to get the first down, Edmonton kicker Dean Faithful missed a 32-yard field goal but did get a single point out of it for a 1-0 lead with 7:07 left. Edmonton led 1-0 after one quarter.
In the second quarter, Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball twice, one for 85 yards, and the other for 68 yards to get two more points. It was now 3-0 Elks with 6:08 left. The two teams had scored touchdowns but were called back for penalties. The first went to Edmonton when Taylor Cornelius threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. but a holding penalty on David Foucault wiped out the touchdown.
The second came from the Roughriders when Edmonton kicker Dean Faithful missed a 46-yard field goal and Mario Alford returned it for a 125-yard touchdown. However, a holding penalty on C.J. Reaves took six points off the board. Late in the second quarter, the Roughriders tied the game 3-3 on a 16-yard field goal by Brett Lauther. The game remained tied 3-3 at halftime.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed 7 of 12 passes (58.3%) for 116 yards while running back Jamal Morrow had seven carries for 32 yards, and Mitchell Picton had two catches for 56 yards as part of the Roughriders’ 159 yards on offense.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius completed 6 of 13 passes (46.2%) for 75 yards and led the rushers with five carries for 37 yards. Running back Kevin Brown had seven carries for 18 yards and one catch for 14 yards.
Edmonton wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. had one catch for 23 yards, and wide receiver Vincent Forbes-Mombleau had two catches for 23 yards as part of the Elks’ 138 yards on offense.
In the third quarter, the Elks took a 4-3 lead when Jake Julien punted the ball 56 yards into the endzone for a touchback with 11:48 left. Then, Edmonton extended their lead several minutes later when Taylor Cornelius scored a one-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak. It was now 11-3 with 4:43 left. Saskatchewan’s defense could not stop the passing game on that drive with Cornelius throwing the ball four times for 52 yards that led to the touchdown.
Late in the third quarter, Edmonton’s defense came up with a big play when Marcus Lewis intercepted Trevor Harris’s pass intended for Shawn Bane Jr. Edmonton led 11-3 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, it looked like Edmonton was headed for their first win of the season. However, late in the game, Saskatchewan put together a drive that led to a touchdown. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 45 yards after getting sacked by A.C. Leonard on the first play. Then, Harris and Jamal Morrow each had a carry for a combined 23 yards.
The Roughriders marched down to the Elks’ four-yard line before Trevor Harris threw a touchdown pass to Mitchell Picton. Saskatchewan went for a two-point conversion and got it which tied the game 11-11 with 1:06 left.
Then, Edmonton kick returner C.J. Sims made a critical mistake. On the kickoff, Sims let the ball bounce into the endzone before picking the ball up and getting tackled in the endzone which gave Saskatchewan a single point. It was now 12-11 Saskatchewan with 1:03 left. Hopefully, Sims learned his lesson and won’t let that happen again. On the other hand, there is a good chance that he will not be on special teams anymore.
Edmonton needed to get into field goal range for a chance to win the game. Unfortunately, Taylor Cornelius’s pass was intercepted by Nic Marshall and the Roughriders went into victory formation and won the game. The Roughriders defeated the Elks by the final score of 12-11.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris did just enough to help them win the game. He completed 19 of 29 passes (65.5%) for 289 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for 13 yards. Running back Jamal Morrow had 11 carries for 52 yards, and two catches for nine yards.
Wide receivers Mitchell Picton and Samuel Emilus combined with seven catches for 139 yards and one touchdown. The Roughriders’ defense allowed 369 yards, with 45 tackles, and one interception.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius completed 17 of 29 passes (58.6%) for 226 yards, one interception, 11 carries for 58 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Kevin Brown had 15 carries for 65 yards and two catches for 26 yards.
Edmonton wide receivers Steven Dunbar Jr. and Kyran Moore combined with eight catches for 96 yards. Edmonton’s defense allowed 355 yards, with 37 tackles, four sacks (three of them by A.C. Leonard), one interception, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Next Thursday, the Edmonton Elks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 9 pm on CBS Sports Network, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Calgary Stampeders next Saturday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
