The Edmonton Elks (5-7) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (8-4) on Saturday night from Commonwealth Stadium to conclude the home-and-home series in the second round of the battle of Alberta.
Calgary did not have defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings (groin) for this game, and Edmonton was without defensive lineman Jake Ceresna (knee) and linebackers Nick Anderson (abdominal) and Nyles Morgan (leg).
First Quarter:
Calgary got the ball to start the game on the 44-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 20-yard line. On the next play, Adams Jr. initially threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Philpot. After further review, the ball dislodged from Philpot’s arm and hit the ground for an incomplete pass. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 27-yard field goal to give the Stampeders a 3-0 lead with 11:06 left.
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo began the drive by throwing two passes for 31 yards. He led the offense down to the 38-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 45-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 with 7:42 left.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed two passes for 57 yards, including a 55-yarder to Erik Brooks to the 13-yard line. Running back Dedrick Mills rushed for nine yards, and third-string quarterback Quincy Vaughn rushed for three yards to the one-yard line.
On the next play, Calgary’s offensive linemen pushed Vaughn into the endzone. Kicker Rene Paredes missed the extra point, and the Stampeders led the Elks 9-3 with 4:49 left to cap off a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 52-yard line before the drive stalled. On third down, Edmonton punter Jake Julien punted the ball 77 yards into the endzone, where Calgary returner Erik Brooks took a knee in the endzone for a single point. It was now 9-4 with 1:59 left.
On the last play of the first quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo completed a three-yard pass to Binjimen Victor to the 15-yard line. The Elks trailed the Stampeders 9-4 heading into the second quarter.
Calgary’s offense had 99 yards (87 yards passing, 20 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), and Edmonton’s offense had 62 yards (54 yards passing, 8 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
Edmonton began the second quarter with quarterback Cody Fajardo running for four yards before punting the ball to Calgary with 14:27 left.
Later, Edmonton’s offense had the ball on the 20-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo handed the ball off to Justin Rankin. Rankin made a couple of jump cuts before sprinting toward the endzone for a 90-yard touchdown. The Elks took an 11-4 lead with 9:29 left.
Rankin was not done. When Edmonton got the ball back, Rankin had two carries for 12 yards, while quarterback Cody Fajardo completed two passes for 15 yards to the 31-yard line. On the next play, Edmonton’s offensive linemen opened up a hole for Rankin, and he was breaking tackles on his way into the endzone. The Elks extended their lead to 18-9 with 5:03 left to cap off a five-play drive for 58 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 24-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 31-yard field goal. The Stampeders trailed the Elks 18-12 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton’s offense had 199 yards (66 yards passing, 145 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 7 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized two times for 21 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 9 of 12 passes (75%) for 66 yards and one carry for four yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had six carries for 141 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver O.J. Hiliare made three catches for 40 yards, while Kaion Julien-Grant made three catches for 22 yards. The defense made one sack.
Calgary’s offense had 163 yards (113 yards passing, 58 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 9 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for six yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 8 of 17 passes (47%) for 113 yards and three carries for 27 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had six carries for 25 yards. Wide receiver Erik Brooks made four catches for 95 yards, while Tevin Jones made two catches for eight yards. The defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 23 yards, and Justin Rankin had two carries for 24 yards to the 35-yard line. The drive stalled after Calgary defensive lineman Shaun Peterson Jr. sacked Cody Fajardo for a five-yard loss. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 47-yard field goal. The Elks extended their lead to 21-12 with 8:29 left.
For the rest of the third quarter, Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. struggled. He was throwing a lot of high passes and not connecting with his receivers. He completed 2 of 6 passes for 37 yards. Edmonton defensive lineman Brandon Barlow sacked Adams Jr. for a 10-yard loss. Calgary’s offense had the ball on the 29-yard line to begin the fourth quarter trailing Edmonton 21-12.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the three-yard line. Then, third-string quarterback Quincy Vaughn rushed into the endzone for the touchdown. The Stampeders trailed the Elks 21-19 with 11:37 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 64 yards.
Edmonton responded. Running back Justin Rankin began the next drive with three carries for 37 yards, including a 26-yard run to the 39-yard line. Four plays later, Calgary’s defense blitzed Fajardo. Fajardo absorbed a hit after throwing a 19-yard touchdown pass to Kaion Julien-Grant in the corner of the endzone. The Elks extended their lead to 28-19 with 7:14 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 76 yards.
Later, Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 42-yard line. Kicker Rene Paredes attempted a 49-yard field goal. He missed it wide left, and Edmonton returner Javon Leake returned it out of the endzone for 86 yards before getting pushed out of bounds to the 34-yard line. Edmonton’s offense would get nine yards before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 32-yard field goal for a 31-19 lead with 3:29 left.
Late in the game, Edmonton’s defense was all over Vernon Adams Jr., sacking him two times by Noah Taylor and Jonathan Kongbo. With the game out of reach, P.J. Walker replaced Vernon Adams Jr. with under two minutes left.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 35-yard line. Then, quarterback P.J. Walker’s pass intended for Erik Brooks was intercepted in the endzone by Chelen Garnes to end the game. The Elks defeated the Stampeders 31-19 to split the home-and-home series. After the game, there was pushing and shoving, which quickly got broken up.
Final Stats:
Edmonton’s offense had 377 yards (153 yards passing, 245 yards rushing, 21 yards lost), 16 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 76 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 16 of 21 passes (76.2%) for 153 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 25 yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had a monster game with 16 carries for 204 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver O.J. Hiliare made four catches for 51 yards, while Kaion Julien-Grant made five catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 40 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, and one interception.
Calgary’s offense had 308 yards (267 yards passing, 80 yards rushing, 39 yards lost), 19 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 36 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 15 of 29 passes (51.7%) for 229 yards and four carries for 27 yards.
Backup quarterback P.J. Walker completed 4 of 6 passes (66%) for 38 yards and one interception. Running back Dedrick Mills had eight carries for 38 yards. Wide receiver Erik Brooks made six catches for 115 yards, and Clark Barnes made five catches for 58 yards. The defense made 39 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Next week, the Edmonton Elks visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 3 pm on CTV, TSN, and CFL+. The Calgary Stampeders are on a bye week.
