REGINA – It took eight games but the Edmonton Elks are finally in the win column after a 42-31 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday.
The Elks entered the CFL contest with an 0-7 record but used a strong rushing attack to beat the Riders, who are now 5-3. It was the first regular-season win for the Elks since Sept. 15, 2023, when they beat Saskatchewan 36-27. The victory ended an 11-game regular-season losing streak for the Elks, who dropped their final four games of 2023.
Edmonton held a 20-15 halftime lead, but the Riders regained the lead when rookie receiver Ajou Ajou caught a 26-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Shea Patterson with 1:48 left in the second quarter. After a failed two-point conversion, Saskatchewan led 21-20.
Elks running back Javon Leake put the Elks back in front with his second touchdown of the game, a 51-yard run with 10:39 left in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Tre Ford then connected with Kurleigh Gittens Jr. on a two-point convert to give the Elks a 28-21 lead.
Brett Lauther kicked a 28-yard field goal with 6:36 left in the fourth quarter to narrow the gap to 28-24 but that’s as close as the Riders would get as Leake sealed the Edmonton victory with a 61-yard touchdown dash with 2:20 left in the game. Leake finished the game with 169 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Tevin Jones, a former Rider, put an exclamation mark on the victory with a 19-yard touchdown reception with 1:36 remaining in the game. It was the second major of the game for Jones.
On the final play of regulation, Mitchell Picton caught a 23-yard touchdown pass from Patterson.
Other than the opening play of the game, the Elks controlled the first half. Things got off to a horrible start for Edmonton when Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford took the opening kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. After dropping the kick, Alford picked up the ball, sliced through some traffic at the hash marks and cut to the sideline where he went untouched to the end zone.
The Elks had a big play of their own when Jones blew past the coverage and hauled in a 93-yard scoring pass from Ford. The touchdown, coming with two minutes left in the first quarter, put the Elks in front 13-8.
Edmonton increased its lead to 20-8 with five minutes remaining in the second quarter on a four-yard touchdown run by Leake.
The Riders closed the gap to 20-15 when Patterson scored on a one-yard run with 1:50 left in the half.
The Riders entered the game with the best rushing defence in the CFL, allowing just 48 yards rushing per game. That average will be inflated this week as the Elks rushed for 276 yards in the game.
Edmonton had 306 yards of net offence in the first half to 145 yards for Saskatchewan. The Elks had possession of the ball for 19:58 of the game’s first 30 minutes.
Saskatchewan defensive back Rolan Milligan added to his league-leading interception total with his fifth of the season.
UP NEXT
Elks: Host the B.C. Lions (5-3) on Sunday, Aug. 11.
Roughriders: Visit the Ottawa Redblacks (5-2) on Thursday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 3, 2024.
