The Edmonton Elks (5-1) hosted the B.C. Lions (1-4) on Friday night to kick off Week 7 of the CFL season. This was a rematch from a couple of weeks ago, where B.C. ended Edmonton’s unbeaten season. The Lions were looking to beat Edmonton again, but they had to do so without their starting quarterback.
B.C. had the ball on the 29-yard line to begin the first quarter. On the second play of the game, Edmonton brought pressure with Noah Taylor sacking Nathan Rourke for an eight-yard loss. After the play, Rourke injured his left shoulder and did not return. Chase Brice was the new quarterback for B.C.
After Edmonton went two-and-out, B.C. got the ball on the 34-yard line. On the second play, Edmonton pressured Brice with Noah Taylor batting the ball up in the air before it was intercepted by Gavin Meyer at the 30-yard line. Justin Rankin was stopped for a one-yard loss before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 38-yard field goal to put the Elks up 3-0 with 8:55 left.
Late in the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Chase Brice threw a 13-yard pass to Nick Cenacle, followed by a two-yard run from James Butler to the 41-yard line. On the next play, Brice threw a 40-yard pass to Keon Hatcher, who made a one-handed catch at the one-yard line.
Running back Zander Horvath scored the touchdown to give the Lions a 7-3 lead with 2:42 left on a four-play drive for 62 yards. Edmonton had the ball on the 36-yard line. They moved the ball to the 45-yard line to end the first quarter trailing 7-3. The Lions had 58 yards on offense, and the Elks had 38 yards on offense.
In the second quarter, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a 52-yard field goal wide right. B.C. returner Jaden Williams returned the missed field goal for 37 yards to the 25-yard line. Later, B.C. had the ball on the 25-yard line.
Chase Brice attempted to throw the ball to Justin McInnis. He overthrew him, and it was intercepted by Tyrell Ford for a 29-yard return to the 48-yard line. Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 43 yards to the five-yard line.
Running back Justin Rankin rushed for a yard, followed by Fajardo scrambling out of the pocket before throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Luther. The Elks took a 10-7 lead with 7:58 left to cap off a four-play drive for 62 yards.
For the rest of the second quarter, B.C. quarterback Chase Brice threw another interception to J.J. Ross, and Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 26-yard field goal, and a 26-yard field goal. The Elks led the Lions 16-7 at halftime.
Edmonton’s offense had 192 yards. Cody Fajardo went 18 of 21 for 201 yards and one touchdown. Running back Justin Rankin had three carries for -3 yards, while Javon Leake had one carry for three yards. Wide receiver Joshua Cephus made three catches for 75 yards, while T.J. Luther made two catches for 42 yards and one touchdown.
B.C.’s offense had 83 yards. Chase Brice went 7 of 13 with 93 yards and three interceptions. Running back James Butler had five carries for five yards, while Zander Horvath had one carry for one yard, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made two catches for 59 yards, and Nick Cenacle made two catches for 21 yards.
In the third quarter, B.C. had the ball on the 33-yard line. Chase Brice threw three passes for 22 yards to the 55-yard line. On the next play, James Butler picked up two more yards. Then, Chase Brice’s pass intended for James Butler was intercepted by Kenneth Logan Jr. for a 12-yard return to the 55-yard line. Edmonton went two-and-out.
Midway through the third quarter, Edmonton had the ball on the 39-yard line. Justin Rankin was stopped for a four-yard loss, and Fajardo’s pass intended for Austin Mack was incomplete. However, a roughing the passer penalty on B.C. defensive lineman Nathan Cherry gave the Elks a first down. The Elks moved the ball to the nine-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 16-yard field goal for a 19-7 lead with 1:10 left. Chase Brice threw two passes for 27 yards, and Zander Horvath rushed for five yards to the 38-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Brice threw two more passes for 27 yards to the 11-yard line. On the next play, Brice threw a touchdown pass to Keon Hatcher. The Lions trailed the Elks 19-14 with 12:52 left to conclude a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Edmonton had the ball on the 19-yard line. Cody Fajardo rushed for nine yards, and Cole Snyder rushed for one yard to the 29-yard line. On the next play, Fajardo completed a pass to T.J. Luther. B.C. defensive back Deontai Williams leveled Luther to force the ball out, and it was recovered by Matt Spatny on the 19-yard line. Chase Brice completed a seven-yard pass to Hergy Mayala before kicker Sean Whyte made a 19-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Elks 19-17 with nine minutes left.
Late in the game, B.C. had the ball on the 22-yard line. Edmonton’s defense took down Brice two times and stopped them on third down to end the game. The Elks got their revenge by holding on to beat the Lions 19-17 for their fifth win of the season.
Edmonton’s offense had 286 yards (282 passing yards, 27 rushing yards, 23 yards lost), 17 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 82 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 27 of 37 passes (72.9%) for 282 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 11 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had a quiet night with seven carries for nine yards, and six catches for 46 yards.
Wide receiver Joshua Cephus made five catches for 97 yards, and T.J. Luther made four catches for 37 yards and one touchdown. Edmonton’s defense had a good night with 34 tackles, two tackles for loss, four sacks, and four interceptions.
B.C.’s offense had 213 yards (226 passing yards, 15 rushing yards, 28 yards lost), 15 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 35 yards. Quarterback Chase Brice completed 20 of 34 passes (58%) for 226 yards, one touchdown, and four interceptions. Running back Zander Horvath had four carries for 11 yards, and one rushing touchdown, while James Butler had seven carries for four yards.
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made four catches for 81 yards and one touchdown, while Nick Cenacle made five catches for 62 yards. The defense made 44 tackles, five tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next Thursday, the Edmonton Elks visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 9 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the B.C. Lions host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
