The Edmonton Elks (1-3) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (1-4) on Sunday night from Commonwealth Stadium to conclude Week 5 of the CFL season. Dru Brown returned as the starting quarterback for Ottawa. He missed the last couple of weeks with a hip injury.
First Quarter:
Edmonton returner Arkell Smith returned the opening kickoff for 24 yards to the 42-yard line. Quarterback Tre Ford completed two passes for 22 yards, backup quarterback Cody Fajardo rushed for one yard, and running back Justin Rankin was stopped for a one-yard loss to the 45-yard line.
On the next play, Ottawa’s defense pressured Ford and he dumped the ball to Justin Rankin. Rankin got a good block in front of him speeding his way into the endzone. Edmonton led 7-0 with 11:19 left to cap off a six-play drive for 68 yards. Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard kicked the ball 71 yards to Ottawa returner DeVonte Dedmon, who took a knee in the endzone to give up the single point. Edmonton now led 8-0.
Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw three passes for 39 yards. He had completed another pass to Kalil Pimpleton for 15 yards, but that was called back on an offside penalty on Pimpleton. The offense moved the ball up to the 34-yard line, where kicker Lewis Ward made a 42-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 8-3 with 7:13 left.
Later in the first quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford tossed the ball to Kurleigh Gittens Jr., who followed his blockers into the endzone for an eight-yard touchdown. Edmonton extended their lead to 15-3 with 3:36 left to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Ottawa defensive lineman Bryce Carter sacked Tre Ford for an 11-yard loss to force third down. Ottawa had the ball on the 30-yard line to begin the second quarter down 15-3. Edmonton’s offense had 129 yards (126 yards passing, 14 yards rushing, 11 yards lost), and Ottawa’s offense had 52 yards (43 yards passing, 9 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa went two-and-out. Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball 54 yards in the direction of Edmonton returner Javon Leake. Leake caught it on the 17-yard line. He avoided several tackles and got a couple of nice blocks up front. Once he got past everyone, Leake sprinted toward the endzone for a 94-yard touchdown. It was now 22-3 with 10:09 left.
Later in the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw four passes for 32 yards and running back William Stanback rushed for 13 yards to the six-yard line. On the next play, Brown threw the ball to a wide-open Eugene Lewis for the touchdown. Ottawa trailed Edmonton 22-10 with 2:53 left to cap off a six-play drive for 68 yards.
After Edmonton went two-and-out, punter Cody Grace punted the ball 56 yards to Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton. Pimpleton broke two tackles and followed his blockers speeding his way into the endzone for a 97-yard touchdown. Ottawa now trailed Edmonton 22-17 with 1:51 left.
Ottawa got the ball one more time looking to points on the board before halftime. They moved the ball to the 48-yard line. Brown would throw a 28-yard pass to Daniel Adeboboye to the 20-yard line, and that’s how the first half ended. Edmonton led Ottawa 22-17.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton had 185 yards on offense (165 yards passing, 31 yards rushing, 11 yards lost), 10 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 40 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 11 of 12 passes (92%) for 144 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for eight yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had five carries for 10 yards, three catches for 68 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. made four catches for 40 yards and one carry for 11 yards, while Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 24 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for a loss.
Ottawa had 194 yards on offense (147 yards passing, 47 yards rushing), 9 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 25 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 13 of 17 passes (76.4%) for 147 yards and one touchdown.
Running back William Stanback had three carries for 29 yards and one catch for six yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made five catches for 63 yards, three punt returns for 113 yards, and one touchdown, while Eugene Lewis made two catches for 12 yards and one touchdown. The defense made two tackles for loss and one sack.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford was using the pump fake and lost the ball in the process. Ottawa linebacker Frankie Griffin hit Ford on the head, scooped up the ball and scored the touchdown.
After further review, the command center determined that Griffin was down on the three-yard line, which led to Edmonton head coach Mark Kilam to challenge for roughing the passer. Edmonton won the challenge, giving the Elks a new set of downs.
Despite the new set of downs, Edmonton moved the ball to the 37-yard line facing third down. Backup quarterback Cody Fajardo tried the sneak, but Ottawa’s defense stopped, forcing a turnover on down.
Ottawa’s offense lost six yards, including a time count penalty backing them to the 43-yard line. Brown would complete an eight-yard pass to Andre Miller to the 35-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 42-yard field goal, and Ottawa trailed Edmonton 22-20 with 9:24 left.
Later in the third quarter, Edmonton quarterback Tre Ford threw a 46-yard pass to Javon Leake. Leake extended his arms to make the catch as Ottawa defensive back Adrian Frye tried to make the interception. Edmonton would move the ball to the 14-yard line, where kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 21-yard field goal for a 25-20 lead with 6:03 left.
Edmonton was not done. They were at the 36-yard line when quarterback Tre Ford handed the ball off to Justin Rankin. The offensive line opened the hole for Rankin, who sprinted toward the endzone for a 74-yard touchdown. It was now 32-20 with 3:34 left.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 43-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 32-23 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball up to the 20-yard line. After two incomplete passes, kicker Lewis Ward made his fourth field goal of the night for 28 yards. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 32-26 with 10:55 left.
Later in the fourth quarter, Edmonton’s offense gained four yards plus a defensive pass interference penalty on Ottawa defensive back Adrian Frye moved the ball up to the 28-yard line. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 35-yard field goal to make it 35-26 with 8:22 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made his third field goal of the night for 35 yards. It was now 38-26 with 1:18. On the kickoff, Blanchard kicked the ball 92 yards into the endzone to Kalil Pimpleton, who gave up the single point. It was now 39-26.
With the game out of reach, Edmonton’s defense did not put pressure on Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown. He completed five passes for 47 yards before throwing a 14-yard touchdown pass to Andre Miller. Ottawa trailed Edmonton 39-33 with 10 seconds left to cap off an eight-play drive for 61 yards.
Ottawa tried an onside kick, but it was recovered by Zach Mathis to end the game. The Edmonton Elks defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 39-33 for their first win of the season.
Final Stats:
Edmonton had 368 yards on offense (241 yards passing, 140 yards rushing, 13 yards lost), 15 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 80 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 15 of 17 passes (88%) for 212 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 14 yards. Backup quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 4 of 4 passes (100%) for 29 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin led the rushers with 12 carries for 105 yards, one touchdown, and led the receivers making four catches for 69 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 24 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, and one turnover.
Ottawa had 405 yards on offense (316 yards passing, 89 yards rushing), 20 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times for 118 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 31 of 43 passes (72%) for 316 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for one yard.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye led the rushers with nine carries for 39 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis led the receivers making eight catches for 75 yards and one touchdown, while Andre Miller made four catches for 29 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made six catches for 68 yards, five punt returns for 120 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 38 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and one turnover. Ottawa lost one of its best players in the game as DeVonte Dedmon was carted off the field with a left leg injury.
Next week, the Edmonton Elks host the B.C. Lions on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Ottawa Redblacks have a bye week.
