Edmonton Elks sweep season series over Stampeders
CALGARY – The Battle of Alberta continued the Thanksgiving Weekend presented by Purolator action, and it was the Edmonton Elks who got to sweep the season series with a 23-18 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday afternoon.
Tre Ford threw for 208 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the win, Eugene Lewis recorded two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving, and Justin Rankin rushed for 140 yards on 10 carries in the win.
Matt Shiltz tallied 215 yards, one touchdown and one interception in the loss while Reggie Begelton led all Calgary receivers with 79 yards.
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The Stampeders defence got on the board first as Ford was sacked for a five-yard loss into the end zone for a safety by Bailey Devine-Scott, as Calgary’s defence tried to set the tone early looking for their first home win since August.
Once Calgary’s offence took the field, Begelton recorded a 1000-yard season for the third time in his career as he grabbed a 54-yard reception to get to the Edmonton 14-yard line.
But Edmonton’s defence would stand tall and force René Paredes to settle for a field goal attempt from 21 yards out, giving the Stamps a 5-0 lead.
From there, the Elks went on a 17-0 scoring run, complete with two successful singles from Boris Bede who had kicks of 97 and 100 yards.
The first Edmonton touchdown of the day came in the second quarter from receiver Eugene Lewis after an eight-play drive including rushes from Ford and receptions from Tevin Jones and Dillon Mitchell moved the Elks downfield.
Instead of the score being one of his usual eye-catching receptions, Lewis grabbed the reverse hand off and rushed to the right for 15 yards and a touchdown.
Forcing the Stamps to punt, Edmonton scored again on their next offensive drive, using the run game to move downfield before Ford connected with Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for 20 yards to get to Calgary’s 32-yard line.
Justin Rankin continued to dominate the running game for the Elks as he rushed for 17 yards to keep the drive alive before Ford connected with Mitchell once again to get to Calgary’s one-yard line, where Dakota Prukop would punch in his ninth touchdown of the season to extend the lead.
Both team’s defences fought hard in the third quarter as neither team was able to find the end zone, but the Stampeders showed they were in the fight until the final whistle as Shiltz recorded his first passing touchdown of the game with just under eight minutes left to play.
After getting down to Edmonton’s 34-yard line, Shiltz made two massive throws, first to Jalen Philpot for 14 yards and a first down before connecting with Kylin Hill for 17 yards and another first down, sitting at the three-yard line.
Shiltz found Philpot, who grabbed his third touchdown of the season, but Edmonton’s defence intercepted the two-point conversion attempt to keep the game at a six-point gap.
A Clarence Hicks interception on Ford would be just what the Stampeders needed to keep momentum on their side, as they were now set up on the Edmonton 29-yard where Shiltz would rush for 16 yards himself before handing off to Hill on the next play for another nine yards.
Tommy Stevens finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown run, and with 4:38 left to play, the Stampeders had the lead back.
Giving the Elks four minutes of time on the clock was more than enough time to get downfield, with much of the offence relying on Rankin as he recorded over 100 yards in the game. His first big play of the drive was a 38-yard gain to get the Elks to the Calgary 41-yard line, and another run for 15 yards and a first down put Edmonton in the red zone.
The drive was finished off by Lewis, who grabbed a 10-yard touchdown catch, recording receiving touchdowns in seven consecutive games, a new franchise record for the Elks.
Calgary got the ball back once more with just over a minute to play and needed six points, even getting a late first down due to pass interference, but the Elks held on to sweep the Battle of Alberta despite the Stampeders’ comeback in the second half.
It is the first time Edmonton has swept the season series since 2002.
The Stampeders will travel to Hamilton in Week 20 action to take on the Tiger-Cats at 7:00 p.m. EDT on Friday, Oct. 18 at Tim Hortons Field, while the Elks will have a bye week.
