The Edmonton Elks (6-9) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-4) from Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night to close out Week 17. Edmonton played with heavy hearts as their owner, Larry Thompson, passed away on Friday.
The Elks came into this game without linebackers Nick Anderson (Abdominal) and Eteva Mauga-Clements (Hamstring). The Roughriders did not have defensive backs Tevaughn Campbell (Head) and Jaxson Ford (Knee) in the lineup.
First Quarter:
Edmonton got the ball to start the game on the 47-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo started the drive by throwing two passes for 11 yards and rushing for four yards, while running back Justin Rankin rushed for one yard. Edmonton made it to the 47-yard line before punter Jake Julien punted the ball 57 yards. The ball bounced over Shawn Bane Jr., who retrieved it and took a knee to give up the single point. Edmonton led 1-0 with 12:24 left.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor started the drive by throwing two passes for 10 yards to the 50-yard line. On the next play, Harris’s pass intended for Ajou Ajou was intercepted by Kordell Jackson. Ajou came from behind to force the fumble, and it was recovered by offensive lineman Daniel Johson on the 53-yard line.
Two plays later, Trevor Harris intended to throw the ball to KeeSean Johnson, but it was intercepted by Brock Mogensen. He returned it for 12 yards to the 43-yard line. Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out.
Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 22-yard line. On the next play, Trevor Harris completed a pass to KeeSean Johnson. He tried to avoid a tackle, but Edmonton linebacker Brock Mogensen forced the ball out, and it was recovered by Kenneth Logan Jr. on the 15-yard line.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin started the drive with a 15-yard run, followed by Cody Fajardo throwing two passes for 21 yards to the 51-yard line. On second down, Cole Snyder came in to get the one yard as the first quarter ended with Edmonton leading 1-0.
Edmonton’s offense had 43 yards (32 yards passing, 20 yards rushing), and Saskatchewan’s offense had 73 yards (52 yards passing, 21 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Cody Fajardo threw a 31-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. before taking a sack two plays later by Saskatchewan defensive lineman Mike Rose on the 40-yard line. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 47-yard field goal for a 4-0 lead with 13:09 left.
Later, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 42-yard line. On third down, Kicker Brett Lauther missed a 50-yard field goal wide right. Edmonton returner Javon Leake returned it for 37 yards to the 27-yard line. Edmonton’s offense went two-and-out.
Late in the second quarter, Edmonton’s offense had the ball on the 49-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 60 yards, including a 47-yarder to Kaion Julien-Grant, who made a diving catch on the one-yard line. Cole Snyder came in on the next play to score the touchdown. Edmonton extended its lead to 11-0 with 34 seconds left.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 38-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw three straight passes for 36 yards to the 36-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 44-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Elks 11-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton’s offense had 123 yards (130 yards passing, 21 yards rushing, 28 yards lost), 8 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 8 of 11 passes (72%) for 130 yards and one carry for four yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had two carries for 16 yards. Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made three catches for 54 yards, while Kaion Julien-Grant made one catch for 47 yards. The defense made one sack, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 168 yards (116 yards passing, 59 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 11 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized two times for 30 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 14 of 18 passes (77%) for 116 yards, two interceptions, and one carry for nine yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had nine carries for 41 yards. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made four catches for 44 yards, while Ajou Ajou made two catches for 20 yards. The defense made three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Third Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter on the 39-yard line. Trevor Harris started the drive by completing two passes for 25 yards to the 46-yard line. Saskatchewan continued to move the ball until reaching the 48-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Brett Lauther missed a 55-yard field goal wide left. Edmonton returner Javon Leake returned the missed field goal for 23 yards to the 13-yard line with 12:03 left.
Later, Saskatchewan’s offense was pinned on the two-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette led the way with four carries for 53 yards, and Trevor Harris threw five passes for 50 yards to the five-yard line. On the next play, Harris handed the ball off to Ouellette, who was getting tackled, but managed to extend his arm to break the plane for the touchdown.
Saskatchewan attempted a two-point conversion, but did not get it. The Roughriders trailed the Elks 11-9 with 3:46 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 108 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Edmonton had the ball on the 26-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin had two carries for nine yards to the 35-yard line. The Elks led the Roughriders 11-9 with one more quarter to play.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Cody Fajardo completed a pass to Kaion Julien-Grant. Damarcus Fields popped the ball out of Julien-Grant’s arm, and it was recovered by Benny Sapp III. Sapp III ran into the endzone, but the refs blew the play dead. Saskatchewan challenged that the runner was not down by contact, and it was a fumble. They won the challenge and got the ball on the 41-yard line.
Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for eight yards, helping the offense move the ball to the 22-yard line. After the drive stalled, kicker Brett Lauther made a 30-yard field goal to give the Roughriders a 12-11 lead with 11:48 left.
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 26-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant to the 44-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin rushed for seven yards to the 37-yard line. On the next play, Fajardo handed the ball off to Justin Rankin.
Rankin cut to his left and sprinted toward the endzone, breaking a couple of tackles for a 37-yard touchdown. The Elks tried a two-point conversion, but did not get it. Edmonton led Saskatchewan 17-12 with 10:29 left to cap off a three-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Edmonton’s offense had the ball on the 28-yard line. Justin Rankin had two carries for one yard, and Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 21 yards to the 50-yard line. Three plays later, Fajardo threw a 44-yard pass to O.J. Hiliare to the five-yard line.
Then, Justin Rankin broke four tackles to score the touchdown. The Elks extended their lead to 24-12 with 3:36 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 82 yards.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris began the next drive by throwing four passes for 42 yards to the 25-yard line. Three plays later, Harris threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Nield. The Roughriders trailed the Elks 24-19 with 2:13 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 67 yards.
Edmonton had the ball on the 40-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin started the drive with a three-yard run, followed by Cody Fajardo throwing a 42-yard pass to O.J. Hiliare to the 25-yard line. Justin Rankin picked up two more yards before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 30-yard field goal for a 27-19 lead with 47 seconds left.
Saskatchewan’s offense made quick work when Trevor Harris threw five passes for 80 yards to the one-yard line with one second left. Tommy Stevens came in and scored the touchdown. They needed a two-point conversion to send the game to overtime.
However, Harris overthrew his receiver Ajou Ajou, and the game was over. The Elks held on to a 27-25 win over the Roughriders. It was Saskatchewan’s second straight loss, and Edmonton keeps its playoff hopes alive for another week.
Final Stats:
Edmonton’s offense had 366 yards (305 yards passing, 89 yards rushing, 28 yards lost), 19 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 20 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 18 of 23 passes (78.2%) for 305 yards and one carry for four yards.
Running back Justin Rankin had 14 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Kaion Julien-Grant made four catches for 89 yards, while O.J. Hiliare made two catches for 86 yards. The defense made 56 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 476 yards (351 yards passing, 134 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 29 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 59 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 33 of 46 passes (71.7%) for 351 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and one carry for nine yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 19 carries for 115 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made eight catches for 119 yards, while Tommy Nield made six catches for 64 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 37 tackles, two tackles for loss, three sacks, two force fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Next Friday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Ottawa Redblacks at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Edmonton Elks are off next week.
