Surging Elks rally with late Ford touchdown to tip Roughriders

REGINA — The Edmonton Elks continued their hot streak, dumping the Saskatchewan Roughriders 36-27 in CFL action on Friday at Mosaic Stadium.

The victory was the fourth in the last five games for the Elks who improve to 4-10. The loss drops the Riders to 6-7.

The Elks took their first lead of the game with 5:35 left in the fourth quarter when quarterback Tre Ford scampered 10 yards for a touchdown that broke a 27-27 deadlock. Jake Ceresna sealed the victory when he sacked Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Dolegala for a safety with 1:54 left in the fourth quarter. It was Ceresna’s eighth sack of the season.

Ford pulled the Elks even at the 12:36 mark of the final quarter when he connected with Geno Lewis on a 30-yard touchdown pass. Facing second and 17, Ford appeared to be caught in the backfield but spun away into the centre of the field and then found Lewis wide open at the Saskatchewan goal line.

The Riders took a 27-20 lead into the fourth quarter after touchdowns by Tevin Jones, on a 26-yard reception, and Samuel Emilus, on a 12-yard reception, in the third quarter. Emilus’s major was set up by a 57-yard pass from backup quarterback Antonio Pipkin to Jamal Morrow on a fake sneak.

Edmonton tailback Kevin Brown set a career high rushing mark for the second consecutive week. He rushed for 143 yards last week in a victory over the Calgary Stampeders but he topped that total on Friday, gaining 175 yards on 19 carries. He added a touchdown on 35-yard run.

The Elks running game was dominant as they totalled 265 yards rushing on 33 carries.

Saskatchewan controlled the game for most of the first half. After Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal midway through the first quarter, Shawn Bane Jr. increased the lead to 10-0 with 1:36 left in the quarter with a 13-yard touchdown reception.

The Elks responded early in the second quarter on a trick play. Facing second and two from the Saskatchewan 11-yard line, backup quarterback Taylor Cornelius faked a sneak and connected with AC Leonard for a major to cut the deficit to 10-7. Leonard, a defensive lineman who entered the game with 10 sacks, has a history as a receiver as he came into the league in 2015 as a tight end.

Saskatchewan took a 13-10 lead into the locker room at halftime as Lauther, with a 30-yarder, and Dean Faithfull, with a 16-yarder, swapped field goals after Leonard’s touchdown.

Dolegala saw his streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception end in the first quarter on his third pass attempt of the night. The interception, by Edmonton cornerback Marcus Lewis, ended Dolegala’s streak at 110 pass attempts.

Edmonton receiver Manny Arceneaux extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception with a nine-yard catch in the second quarter. Arceneaux’s streak is now at 142 games, which is the fifth longest streak in CFL history. Saskatchewan’s Don Narcisse holds the record with receptions in 216 consecutive games.

UP NEXT

Both teams return to action on Sept. 22 with the Riders travelling to Ottawa to take on the Redblacks while the Elks host the B.C. Lions.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 15, 2023.