The Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-8) hosted the Edmonton Elks (13-5) on Saturday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium to conclude the regular season in their third and final meeting. Jack Coan got the start at quarterback for Saskatchewan, while Taylor Powell started for Edmonton.
Edmonton got the ball to start the first quarter at the 50-yard line. The Elks moved the ball to the one-yard line before Cole Snyder scored the touchdown. Kicker Vincent Blanchard missed the extra point. The Elks took a 6-0 lead with 9:42 left on a nine-play drive for 60 yards.
For the majority of the first quarter, both teams would move the ball before their drives stalled. Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 36-yard line. On the last play, Tommy Stevens rushed for seven yards to the 29-yard line to end the first quarter. Saskatchewan’s offense had 65 yards, three first downs, and 1 for 4 on second downs, while Edmonton’s offense had 67 yards, eight first downs, and 4 for 5 on second downs.
In the second quarter, the Roughriders moved the ball to the 24-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 32-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Elks 6-3 with 13:30 left. Later, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line. Then, Edmonton’s defense pressured Jack Coan. Kenneth Logan Jr. hit Coan just as he was throwing the ball, and it was intercepted by Elijah Alston for a 10-yard return to the 36-yard line.
Midway through the second quarter, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 39-yard line. Instead of taking the three points, they went for it on third down. They did not get it after Taylor Powell was sacked by Devin Adams. Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the one-yard line, where Tommy Stevens scored the touchdown.
Kicker Brett Lauther missed the extra point. The Roughriders took a 9-6 lead with 2:53 left on a five-play drive for 60 yards. With under a minute left, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 45-yard line hoping to get in field goal range. However, on the last play of the second quarter, Taylor Powell was sacked by Seyi Oladipo Jr. for an eight-yard loss.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 138 yards, 10 first downs, and 5 for 11 on second downs. Quarterback Jack Coan went 7 of 12 for 88 yards and one interception. Running back Deon Jackson had eight carries for 45 yards, while Tommy Stevens had three carries for nine yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby made two catches for 35 yards, and Kian Schaffer-Baker made one catch for 27 yards.
Edmonton’s offense had 156 yards, 12 first downs, and 6 for 10 on second downs. Quarterback Taylor Powell went 12 of 14 for 114 yards. Running back ShunDerrick Powell had six carries for 47 yards, while Cole Snyder had two carries for two yards and one rushing touchdown, and Javon Leake had two carries for 15 yards and three catches for 27 yards. Wide receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange made two catches for 20 yards, and Joshua Cephus made one catch for 20 yards.
In the third quarter, both teams struggled to move the ball. Midway through, Edmonton had the ball on the 24-yard line. The Elks moved the ball to the 16-yard line. Then, Taylor Powell threw a short pass to Joe Robustelli for the touchdown. However, it was called back due to two penalties by the Elks.
Two plays later, Powell completed an eight-yard pass to ShunDerrick Powell. Powell had the ball ripped out by Caleb Sanders, and it was recovered by Jonathan Edouard at the 11-yard line. Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Jack Coan threw six passes for 61 yards, plus a penalty by Edmonton moved the ball to the 28-yard line heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan moved the ball to the one-yard line thanks to a defensive pass interference penalty on Edmonton, and Tommy Stevens scored the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion, but did not get it. The Roughriders led 15-6 with 12:28 left on a 12-play drive for 99 yards. The Roughriders got lucky during the drive because Edmonton defensive back Terez Reid appeared to have made an interception in the endzone, but head coach Mark Kilam did not challenge the play after the officials ruled it an incomplete pass.
Late in the game, Saskatchewan moved the ball to the 43-yard line before the drive stalled. Punter Oscar Chapman punted the ball 58 yards into the endzone, where Edmonton returner Marcus Washington conceded the single point. The Roughriders led 16-6 with 3:31 left. Edmonton had the ball on the 40-yard line. Taylor Powell lost the ball after he was sacked by Devin Evans, and he recovered it for a 10-yard run to the 23-yard line.
Saskatchewan went three-and-out. Edmonton quarterback Taylor Powell threw nine passes for 66 yards and had two carries for four yards to move the ball to the 16-yard line. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 24-yard field goal. The Elks tried an onside kick, but Saskatchewan recovered it to end the game. The Roughriders defeated the Elks 16-9 to win the season series.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 262 yards (205 passing yards, 75 rushing yards, 18 yards lost), 21 first downs, 8 for 20 on second downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 115 yards. Quarterback Jack Coan completed 15 of 26 passes (57.6%) for 178 yards and one interception, while Brayden Schager completed 3 for 6 passes (50%) for 27 yards. Running back Deon Jackson had nine carries for 44 yards, while Tommy Stevens had four carries for 10 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby made four catches for 56 yards, and Dylan Djete made two catches for 38 yards. The defense made 54 tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and two turnovers on downs.
Edmonton’s offense had 351 yards (236 passing yards, 149 rushing yards, 34 yards lost), 25 first downs, 13 for 22 on second downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 14 times for 146 yards. Quarterback Taylor Powell completed 26 of 30 passes (86%) for 236 yards, and two carries for four yards. Running back ShunDerrick Powell had 11 carries for 101 yards, while Cole Snyder had four carries for nine yards, one rushing touchdown, and three catches for 40 yards, and Javon Leake had six carries for 35 yards and four catches for 32 yards.
Wide receiver Joshua Cephus made three catches for 44 yards, and Zach Mathis made five catches for 32 yards. The defense made 37 tackles, two tackles for loss, four sacks, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
Next Saturday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will play the B.C. Lions in the Western Semi-Final at 4:30 pm on TSN and CFL+.
