Edmonton Elks take down Roughriders for first win of the season
REGINA — Tre Ford might’ve dominated the headlines going into the Edmonton Elks’ battle with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday evening, but it was Javon Leake who stole the show with a three-touchdown performance in Regina as the Elks picked up their first win of the season over the West Division leaders.
In his first start of the season, Ford was definitely no slouch. The Canadian quarterback finished 18-22 with 252 passing yards, two touchdowns through the air, and an interception. He also had 46 yards off of five rushes.
With Kevin Brown on the one-game injured list, Leake put up 169 yards rushing yards and three scores against a usually stout Saskatchewan run defence. Tevin Jones did his damage on limited touches, going for two touchdowns and 123 receiving yards on just three catches.
Roughriders quarterback Shea Patterson was 22-38, throwing for 306 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception in his team’s first defeat at home. Frankie Hickson piled up 89 rushing yards on 12 attempts in place of the injured A.J. Ouellette.
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The Riders took no time to find some early momentum in front of Rider Nation. Mario Alford made a house call on the game’s opening kickoff after initially bobbling the catch.
Trailing 7-0 early, the visitors would respond with an encouraging first offensive position which included a 23-yard scramble from Ford. Boris Bede capped off the drive with a successful 25-yard field goal.
On the ensuing drive, Shawn Bane Jr. made a big play on second-and-short, gliding to the outside for a 22-yard gain. A few plays later, Ajou Ajou came close to bringing down a deep throw from Patterson, but couldn’t hold onto the football at the sideline. A 42-yard field goal try by Brett Lauther sailed wide, adding another point on the scoreboard for the Riders.
On their second possession, Ford found Eugene Lewis for a 35-yard bomb, but the Elks were stopped in their tracks at the Saskatchewan 31. Bede made another kick, this time from 38 yards out, to make it 8-6.
Searching deep once more on Edmonton’s follow-up drive, Ford went over the top to deliver a 93-yard touchdown strike to Jones. That play would go down into the record books as the fourth largest pass completion by a Canadian quarterback in CFL history. Bede’s extra point made it 13-8 Elks after the opening frame.
After three consecutive two-and-outs from the Riders, the Elks built upon their lead with a more patient, methodical drive. Back-to-back plays of 18 and 15 yards from Leake drove the Elks downfield. With their field goal unit out on third down after being stopped on Saskatchewan’s 8-yard line, an offside penalty against the home team brought the Edmonton offence back onto the field. Leake finished off the drive with a four-yard rush through the middle as the Elks made it 20-8 with 4:45 left in the first half.
Saskatchewan would come up with an answer late in the half after a sustained 10-play drive. Patterson found Bane for 25 yards to take the Riders onto the Edmonton doorstep. From there, Patterson leapt over a bunch of bodies for a rushing touchdown as they went down the tunnel trailing 20-15.
The Riders came up with the game’s first takeaway in the third quarter as Rolan Milligan Jr. picked off Ford for the defensive back’s league-leading fifth interception of the season. Fortunately for Ford, the Riders offence couldn’t get out of their own half after starting with the football on their 15-yard line as the second half remained scoreless.
Alford return got the Riders into gear in the second half. Ajou climbed the ladder to make a great grab over Devodric Bynum into the end zone. Saskatchewan got a second go at their two-point conversion after the officials called for a defensive pass interference penalty and it was Bynum who came up with the denial as the Riders remained up by a point at 21-20.
Starting with the football at midfield, the Elks went back on top with 11 minutes to go after Leake rolled left for 51 yards. Ford threw to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. at the back of the end zone on Edmonton’s two-point conversion as the away team made it 28-21.
On Saskatchewan’s next drive, back-to-back 17-yard runs by Patterson and then Hickson brought them inside Edmonton’s 40. A wide-open Jerreth Sterns got low to pickup another first down inside the red zone. With Edmonton bringing out the blitz, Loucheiz Purifoy came up with an important sack on Patterson, bringing the Riders offence back 14 yards. Patterson connected with Ajou on a deep look in the end zone but the receiver was ruled out of bounds with the on-field decision upheld after a challenge by Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace. Instead of the potential touchdown score, Lauther made a field goal from 37 yards to make it 28-24.
After the Riders were forced to punt the ball away, Leake ensured victory for his squad with his third touchdown of the evening, getting loose for a 61-yard run after bursting through a crowd. Trying to mount a last-minute drive, Patterson threw an interception to Kordell Jackson. A few plays later, Jones scored his second touchdown of the game as the Elks. A very late touchdown pass from Patterson to Mitchell Picton meant that the game finished 42-31 in favour of the Elks.
Next up, the Roughriders kickoff Week 10 with the Ottawa REDBLACKS in the nation’s capital on Thursday, August 8. The Elks will return home for a West Division matchup against the BC Lions on Sunday, August 11.
