The Edmonton Elks (2-0) hosted the Montreal Alouettes (1-1) on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.
In the first quarter, Montreal running back Travis Theis rushed for 20 yards to the 53-yard line. Quarterback Davis Alexander threw a 10-yard pass to Tyson Philpot, followed by a one-yard run from Dustin Crum to the 42-yard line. Kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 50-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 8:28 left.
The rainy conditions made it hard for both teams to move the ball. Edmonton had the ball for the final 43 seconds of the first quarter. Cody Fajardo threw two passes to Austin Mack for 27 yards to the 54-yard line. The Alouettes remained ahead of the Elks 3-0 to end the first quarter. The Alouettes had 99 yards on offense, and the Elks had 30 yards on offense.
In the second quarter, Cody Fajardo threw a 19-yard pass to T.J. Luther. Montreal defensive back Lorenzo Burns forced the ball out, and it was recovered by Nate Beauchemin on the 25-yard line. Davis Alexander threw a 17-yard pass to Tyson Philpot to the 42-yard line before the drive stalled. Edmonton would get the ball back on the 13-yard line.
Later in the second quarter, Montreal had the ball on the 32-yard line. Davis Alexander threw two passes for 15 yards to the 47-yard line. Alexander would rush for 11 yards before throwing two more passes for 25 yards to the 16-yard line. Running back Travis Theis finished the drive with two carries for 16 yards, including a five-yard touchdown for a 10-0 lead with 5:02 left to conclude a seven-play drive for 71 yards.
On the second play for Edmonton, Cody Fajardo’s pass was intercepted by Nate Beauchemin for a 15-yard return to the 50-yard line. The ball would be moved to the 45-yard line on an unnecessary roughness penalty on Edmonton. Travis Theis rushed for two yards and caught a five-yard pass, while Tyler Snead caught an eight-yard pass to the 30-yard line. Kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 38-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead with 2:13 left.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin started the next drive with four carries for 45 yards to the 25-yard line. Four plays later, Fajardo threw a 10-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant to the nine-yard line. On the next play, Fajardo threw the ball to the corner of the endzone, where Austin Mack extended his arms to make the catch for the touchdown. The Elks trailed the Alouettes 13-7 at halftime to conclude a nine-play drive for 70 yards.
The Alouettes had 217 yards on offense. Davis Alexander completed 12 of 18 passes for 132 yards and two carries for 20 yards. Running back Travis Theis had 11 carries for 65 yards and one rushing touchdown. The Elks had 167 yards on offense. Cody Fajardo completed 10 of 17 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for five yards. Running back Justin Rankin had six carries for 53 yards.
In the third quarter, it was the Justin Rankin show. Edmonton had the ball on the 38-yard line. Justin Rankin started the drive with a 10-yard run to the 48-yard line. The Elks moved the ball to the 36-yard line. On the next play, Edmonton’s offensive line cleared a path for Justin Rankin, who took off for a 36-yard touchdown. The Elks took a 14-13 lead with 12:13 left to cap off a five-play drive for 72 yards.
Edmonton would get the ball again on the 40-yard line. Justin Rankin rushed for six yards to the 46-yard line. Cody Fajardo rushed for nine yards and threw an eight-yard pass to T.J. Luther to the 47-yard line. On the next play, Rankin avoided two tackles on his way to scoring a 47-yard touchdown. Kicker Vincent Blanchard missed the extra point. The Elks led the Alouettes 20-13 with 6:23 left to cap off a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Edmonton got the ball on the 38-yard line. Justin Rankin caught a pass for 21 yards as the Elks moved the ball to the 28-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 36-yard field goal for a 23-13 lead with 14:53 left. Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw three passes for 44 yards to the 28-yard line before kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 37-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Elks 23-16 with 11:28 left.
Later, Davis Alexander completed a pass to Tyler Snead for 21 yards before J.J. Ross forced the ball out, and it was recovered by Chelen Garnes at the 33-yard line. Edmonton went two-and-out, but recovered a Mario Alford fumble at the 11-yard line. Justin Rankin had two carries for five yards before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 13-yard field goal for a 26-16 lead.
Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw two passes for 11 yards, and a 15-yard run by Shomari Lawrence to the 44-yard line. A defensive pass interference penalty on Edmonton gave Montreal a first down at the 34-yard line. Two plays later, Alexander threw a 34-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead in double coverage. The Alouettes trailed the Elks 26-23 with 2:57 left to cap off a six-play drive for 54 yards.
Montreal’s defense forced a two-and-out, giving the offense the ball with two minutes left. Montreal moved the ball to the 23-yard line. Kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 31-yard field goal to send the game to overtime tied 26-26.
Montreal got the ball to start overtime. They moved the ball to the 25-yard line before Jose Maltos Diaz made a 33-yard field goal for a 29-26 lead. When Edmonton had the ball, Justin Rankin lost the ball when Najee Murray punched the ball out. There was a scramble before Edmonton touched the ball at the six-yard line. Cody Fajardo threw a 13-yard pass to Austin Mack to the six-yard line. Fajardo ended the game with a six-yard rushing touchdown. The Elks defeated the Alouettes 32-29. It was Davis Alexander’s first loss as a starter.
Edmonton’s offense had 425 yards (231 passing yards, 201 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 21 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 60 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 19 of 29 passes (65.5%) for 231 yards, one touchdown, one interception, four carries for 20 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Justin Rankin had 18 carries for 179 yards, two rushing touchdowns, and five catches for 51 yards.
Wide receiver T.J. Luther made four catches for 50 yards, while Austin Mack made four catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 53 tackles, three tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Montreal’s offense had 481 yards (356 passing yards, 126 rushing yards, 1 yard lost), 30 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 25 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 29 of 44 passes (66%) for 356 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 20 yards. Running back Travis Theis had 19 carries for 91 yards, one rushing touchdown, and nine catches for 47 yards.
Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made eight catches for 120 yards, while Tyler Snead made five catches for 80 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Next Thursday, the Edmonton Elks visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 8:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Montreal Alouettes host the Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
