The Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2) visited Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday night against the Edmonton Elks (6-2) in a rematch from last week. It is their second of three meetings this season.
Edmonton got the ball to start the game from the 48-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw three passes for 35 yards, and rushed for two yards, while Justin Rankin had two carries for seven yards, and a roughing the passer penalty on Saskatchewan moved the ball to the three-yard line. Justin Rankin rushed up the middle to score the touchdown to put the Elks up 7-0 with 11:06 left on a seven-play drive for 62 yards.
On the kickoff, Saskatchewan returner Johnny Johnson III returned a 66-yard kickoff for 87 yards to the nine-yard line. Tommy Stevens had two carries for three yards, including scoring a one-yard touchdown, tying the game 7-7 with 8:52 left.
Late in the first quarter, Edmonton had the ball on the 23-yard line. They moved the ball to the 17-yard line to end the first quarter tied 7-7. Edmonton’s offense had 117 yards, and Saskatchewan’s offense had 23 yards.
In the second quarter, Edmonton kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 24-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead with 14:47 left. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw four passes for 60 yards to the two-yard line. Tommy Stevens finished the drive with two carries for two yards, including scoring a one-yard touchdown. The Roughriders took a 14-10 lead with 9:48 left on an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Edmonton moved the ball to the 37-yard line. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 44-yard field goal. The Elks trailed the Roughriders 14-13 at halftime.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 114 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris went 8 of 10 for 84 yards, and one carry for four yards, while running back Quali Conley had five carries for 25 yards, and Tommy Stevens had six carries for 10 yards, and two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker made two catches for 37 yards, while Dhel Duncan-Busby made two catches for 25 yards.
Edmonton’s offense had 132 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo went 11 of 15 for 115 yards and two carries for five yards. Running back Justin Rankin had six carries for 14 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Austin Mack made two catches for 42 yards, and Kaion Julien-Grant made two catches for 30 yards. The game went into a one-hour and seven-minute lightning delay.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter. On the second play, Trevor Harris’s pass intended for KeeSean Johnson was intercepted by Tyrell Ford at the 38-yard line. Edmonton went two-and-out. Later, Saskatchewan had a chance to add to their lead, but kicker Alex Hale missed a 42-yard field goal wide left and out of bounds.
Edmonton running back Justin Rankin started the next drive with a four-yard run, followed by Cody Fajardo throwing four passes for 47 yards to the nine-yard line. After Fajardo was sacked for a four-yard loss, kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 13-yard field goal for a 16-14 lead with 4:40 left.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan had the ball on the 40-yard line. They moved the ball to the one-yard line, where Tommy Stevens scored a touchdown. The Roughriders attempted a two-point conversion, but did not get it. The Roughriders led the Elks 20-14 to end the third quarter on a nine-play drive for 73 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton had the ball on the 36-yard line. The Elks moved the ball to the four-yard line before kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 22-yard field goal. The Elks trailed the Roughriders 20-19 with 10:20 left.
Later, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes for 63 yards, while Quali Conley had two carries for three yards to the four-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw a touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson. The two would connect again for two points. The Roughriders led 28-19 with 6:17 left on a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Edmonton would get the ball again on the 38-yard line. Cody Fajardo threw a 51-yard pass to Justin Rankin to the 21-yard line. He threw a 17-yard pass to Austin Mack before throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Luther. It was now 28-26 with 4:27 left on a three-play drive for 72 yards.
Late in the game, Edmonton punted the ball with 2:38 left. Tommy Stevens had three carries for 12 yards that helped Saskatchewan run out the clock to end the game. The Roughriders beat the Elks 28-26.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 319 yards (239 passing yards, 94 rushing yards, 14 yards lost), 22 first downs, 4 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 80 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 19 of 24 passes (91.6%) for 239 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for four yards. Running back Quali Conley had 14 carries for 61 yards, and Tommy Stevens had 13 carries for 29 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Dehl Duncan-Busby made four catches for 66 yards, while Johnny Johnson III made four catches for 48 yards, and KeeSean Johnson made three catches for 14 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks.
Edmonton’s offense had 318 yards (286 passing yards, 55 rushing yards, 23 yards lost), 18 first downs, 2 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 92 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 22 of 28 passes (78.5%) for 286 yards, one touchdown, and five carries for 15 yards. Running back Justin Rankin had eight carries for 28 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for 48 yards.
Wide receiver Austin Mack made four catches for 77 yards, while Kaion Julien-Grant made four catches for 48 yards. The defense made 45 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, and one interception.
Next Friday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Ottawa Redblacks at 9 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the Edmonton Elks visit the Montreal Alouettes next Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
