The Edmonton Elks (6-1) visited Mosaic Stadium on Thursday night to start Week 8 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-2). Before the game, the Roughriders honored the lives of linebacker Jayden Dalke and Bhishma Rajyaguru, who died in a car accident last Saturday.
Edmonton got the ball to start the first quarter at the 39-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin had three carries for 10 yards, and quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 38 yards to the 16-yard line. Then, Fajardo threw the ball to Brendan O’Leary-Orange, who sprinted toward the endzone for the touchdown. The Elks took a 7-0 lead with 10:24 left to conclude a seven-play drive for 71 yards.
Midway through the first quarter, Saskatchewan had the ball on the two-yard line after a holding penalty during a punt return. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 46 yards, including a 37-yarder to Kian Schaffer-Baker, and running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for six yards to the 54-yard line. Two plays later, Harris threw a 56-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker, tying the game 7-7 heading into the second quarter on a five-play drive for 108 yards.
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan had the ball on the 54-yard line. On the third play, Trevor Harris threw a 19-yard pass to Samuel Emilus, plus a roughing the passer penalty on Edmonton moved the ball to the eight-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw a quick slant pass to Samuel Emilus for the touchdown. The Roughriders took a 14-17 lead with 12:43 left on a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
Edmonton started on the 31-yard line after Javon Leake returned the kickoff for 23 yards. Cody Fajardo threw a 68-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant to the 11-yard line. Two plays later, he threw a short pass to Javon Leake, who avoided a couple of tackles for a 12-yard touchdown. The game was tied 14-14 on a three-play drive for 79 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 38-yard field goal to give the Elks a 17-14 lead with 2:03 left. Saskatchewan had the ball for the rest of the second quarter. Trevor Harris threw two passes for 30 yards to the 40-yard line.
Two plays later, he threw a 24-yard pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker to the 12-yard line. A.J. Ouellette rushed for nine yards, and Tommy Stevens rushed for a yard to the two-yard line. Then, Harris threw a touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson for a 21-17 lead at halftime to conclude an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 275 yards. Trevor Harris went 13 of 19 for 231 yards, three touchdowns, and one carry for five yards. Running back A.J. Ouellette had eight carries for 39 yards. Wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker made three catches for 117 yards and one touchdown, while Samuel Emilus made five catches for 55 yards and one touchdown, and KeeSean Johnson made four catches for 47 yards and one touchdown.
Edmonton’s offense had 220 yards. Cody Fajardo went 11 of 13 for 196 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for one yard. Running back Justin Rankin had seven carries for 24 yards. Wide receiver Kaion Julien-Grant made one catch for 68 yards, and Brendan O’Leary-Orange made three catches for 40 yards and one touchdown.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter on the 35-yard line. The Roughriders moved the ball to the 46-yard line. On the next play, Trevor Harris’s pass intended for KeeSean Johnson was deflected by Kobe Williams and intercepted by Gavin Meyer on the 41-yard line.
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw three passes for 50 yards to the 19-yard line. After Saskatchewan linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. sacked Fajardo for a seven-yard loss, kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 33-yard field goal. It was now 21-20 with 9:17 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 40-yard line. They gained 20 yards before the drive stalled. Edmonton had the ball on the 17-yard line. Justin Rankin started the drive with three carries for 15 yards to the 32-yard line, followed by Cody Fajardo throwing a 21-yard pass to T.J. Luther at the 53-yard line.
On the next play, Fajardo threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Austin Mack for a 27-21 lead with 3:23 left on a five-play drive for 93 yards. Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan moved the ball to the seven-yard line heading into the fourth quarter. Before the quarter ended, the Roughriders lost A.J. Ouellette, who was holding his right knee after a four-yard run.
In the fourth quarter, Trevor Harris threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby for a 28-27 lead with 14:31 left on a seven-play drive for 73 yards. Edmonton got the ball on the 29-yard line. Cody Fajardo faked a handoff to Javon Leake before throwing the ball to Austin Mack for an 81-yard touchdown. They attempted a two-point conversion and did not get it. The Elks led 33-28 with 13:35 left.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Alex Hale made a 48-yard field goal. It was now 33-31 with 7:26 left. Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 24 yards, while Justin Rankin lost a couple of yards. Edmonton had the ball on the 48-yard line when Fajardo fumbled the snap, and it was recovered by Antoine Brooks Jr. for a six-yard return to the 24-yard line.
Two plays later, Trevor Harris threw a 21-yard pass to Samuel Emilus, but it was called back on an offensive pass interference penalty on Emilus. Edmonton defensive lineman Malik Carney sacked Harris for a seven-yard loss, bringing up third down. Kicker Alex Hale attempted a 46-yard field goal and missed it wide left. Edmonton returner Javon Leake returned it for 29 yards to the 20-yard line. Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line. On third down, Saskatchewan’s defense stopped Cole Snyder short of the first down. The Roughriders moved the ball to the three-yard line before Alex Hale made an 11-yard field goal for a 34-33 lead with 1:46 left.
Edmonton had the ball for the rest of the game. Cody Fajardo threw four passes for 56 yards and was sacked for a four-yard loss by Mike Rose. The ball was on the 50-yard line, where kicker Vincent Blanchard kicked the game-winning 57-yard field goal as the Elks beat the Roughriders 36-34.
Edmonton’s offense had 526 yards (510 passing yards, 43 rushing yards, 27 yards lost), 19 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 27 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 25 of 32 passes (78.1%) for 510 yards, four touchdowns, and two carries for five yards. Justin Rankin had 12 carries for 39 yards.
Wide receiver Austin Mack made four catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns, while T.J. Luther made 10 catches for 157 yards. The defense made 42 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 448 yards (386 passing yards, 69 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 23 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 12 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 26 of 36 passes (72%) for 386 yards, four touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for four yards. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 12 carries for 52 yards.
Wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker made eight catches for 185 yards and one touchdown, while KeeSean Johnson made seven catches for 88 yards and one touchdown, and Samuel Emilus made eight catches for 84 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 39 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and one fumble recovery.
The two teams will meet in a rematch next Saturday at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
