Elks end long losing skid with 42-31 road win over Roughriders

It was déjà vu each complete again for the Edmonton Elks on Saturday.

The past clip the Elks played nan Saskatchewan Roughriders successful Regina, they came distant pinch a 36-27 triumph connected Sept. 15, 2023. That title featured Tre Ford astatine quarterback, 265 rushing yards arsenic a squad pinch moving backmost Kevin Brown gaining 175 yards connected 19 carries.

On Saturday successful Regina, again pinch Ford astatine nan controls, the Elks registered a 42-31 triumph that included 276 rushing yards and moving backmost Jovan Leake totalling 169 yards connected 12 carries.

The triumph was nan first of nan 2024 play for the Elks, who are successful past spot successful nan West Division pinch a 1-7 record. The triumph ended a mixed losing streak of 11 games making love backmost to past season’s triumph successful nan Saskatchewan capital.

It was nan 2023 triumph that gave Ford, who was starting his first crippled this play successful spot of McLeod Bethel-Thompson, nan assurance that the Elks could hit nan Riders.

“If you look backmost astatine past year, erstwhile I went in, we were capable to prime up our rushing crippled a lot, right? I’m not saying that we rushed for arsenic overmuch arsenic we did because I was successful nan game,” said Ford.

“Obviously, it was nan O-line making nan blocks, Javon Leake making nan reads, making group miss and getting into unfastened space. I deliberation having that assurance erstwhile we looked backmost connected past year, it was conscionable a emotion that (running nan ball) was going to beryllium our beardown suit, and we were capable to execute.”

Leake signed pinch the Elks during nan off-season aft 2 seasons pinch nan Toronto Argonauts arsenic a return specialist. After getting only 15 carries successful 25 games pinch nan Argos, Leake hoped he would get an opportunity pinch the Elks as a moving back.

Interim caput coach Jarious Jackson decided to move Leake into nan starting domiciled precocious and nan move paid dividends. After scoring connected a four-yard tally successful nan 2nd quarter, Leake exploded for touchdown runs of 51 and 61 yards successful nan 4th fourth to put the Elks in power of nan game.

The 2 agelong runs looked akin but Leake said it wasn’t nan aforesaid play.

“It was nan aforesaid benignant of scheme, but they are 2 different plays. You conscionable person to beryllium patient, hold for that hole, hold for nan O-line to clear it and past you’ve sewage to deed it,” said Leake.

Leake’s effort didn’t astonishment Jackson.

“I’m not amazed astatine all. That’s nan logic we weren’t acrophobic to commencement him. I conscionable told him to beryllium smart and fto maine cognize if he’s tired and we’d get him retired of there. I told him that we needed him to grip nan lion’s stock of nan load erstwhile it comes to moving nan ball,” said Jackson.

Jackson is finishing his 3rd week arsenic interim caput coach of the Elks after replacing Chris Jones connected July 15. He has seen betterment successful his squad and is assured Saturday’s triumph will thief the Elks move forward.

“We yet sewage disconnected nan stoop, right? We yet sewage retired of nan starting block. We’ve conscionable sewage to build connected this, we’ve sewage to effort to commencement stacking from here.

Trending Now

“We’re 2 games down nan adjacent guys successful nan West truthful we’ve conscionable sewage to support fighting and we’ll spot wherever it takes us. There’s a batch of play left, there’s still 10 games successful nan play truthful we’re going to support our heads down and support playing.”

The Riders, who stock first spot successful nan West Division pinch nan B.C. Lions pinch a 5-3 record, entered nan crippled pinch nan champion rushing defence successful nan CFL, allowing conscionable 48 yards rushing per game. The 276 rushing yards piled up by the Elks on Saturday will inflate that number heading into adjacent week’s action.

For Riders protect backmost Rolan Milligan, who grabbed his league-leading 5th interception of nan play successful nan 3rd quarter, location was disappointment successful really nan Saskatchewan defence played.

“We weren’t doing what we were expected to beryllium doing, for illustration being successful our gaps successful nan tally game. We conscionable didn’t execute. We didn’t really person a analyzable crippled plan, we conscionable needed to execute it,” said Milligan.

Ford vanished 18 of 22 passing for 252 yards pinch 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Receiver Tevin Jones, a erstwhile Rider, had 3 catches for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 98-yard awesome successful nan first quarter.

Shea Patterson completed 22 of 38 passes for 306 yards pinch 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Ajou Ajou and Mitchell Picton had touchdown receptions for nan Riders.

Frankie Hickson, making his 2nd commencement astatine moving backmost successful spot of nan injured A.J. Ouellette, gained 89 yards connected 12 carries.

Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford started nan crippled pinch a bang, taking nan opening kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. After dropping nan kick, Alford picked up nan ball, sliced done immoderate postulation astatine nan hash marks and trim to nan sideline wherever he went untouched to nan extremity zone.

UP NEXT

Elks: Host nan B.C. Lions (5-3) connected Sunday, Aug. 11.

Roughriders: Visit nan Ottawa Redblacks (5-2) connected Thursday.