Edmonton Elks hang on to beat Roughriders, win one for Larry (& six other thoughts)

After two weeks of last-second heartbreak, the Edmonton Elks found a way to hang on through an emotional rollercoaster on Saturday, finishing with a 27-25 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Here are my thoughts on the game.

Win for Larry

News broke on Thursday that Elks owner Larry Thompson had passed away. He was a lifelong fan who fulfilled his dream of owning the team he loved.

Only 13 months later, you can see the effect he had on the team: new leadership at all levels, a drive to install a new — or maybe return to the old — winning culture, renewed presence in the community, and a genuine family feel throughout. I was never able to meet Larry, but I have met his wife, Deb, and the passion for seeing this club succeed was shared by the couple. The energy on the Elks bench was palpable in their desire to honour the Thompson family.

“You carry it with you,” head coach Mark Kilam said. “Just the way that Larry and the whole family got behind this team right from the start. They know everything about the players. They know everything about their families. That’s why I have the game ball. I’m going to give it to them personally. It was bigger than football sometimes, and I’m happy we could come through for them.”

Well said, Coach. Thank you to Larry and the Thompson family for all they have done. My thoughts are with all of them through this tough time.

Where’s the scoring?

After a tumultuous week of talking about the new CFL rules, it was fitting that this game’s first point was a rouge. The 53-yard punt from Jake Julien had Shawn Bane Jr. take the knee in the endzone to a round of cheers.

Neither offence could get going for most of the first half. Edmonton was able to get close enough for Vincent Blanchard to hit a 47-yard field goal — more on the kicking to come — but it stayed at 4-0 until the final minute of quarter two. The green and gold finally broke through with a Cole Snyder one-yard plunge to go up 11-0.

The problem was that they left 34 seconds on the clock. As has been the case lately with little time left in a half, the Elks were not able to shut down the fast drive, and Brett Lauther got the Riders’ first points with zero seconds on the clock.

It was not like either team was not presented with opportunities to score. Edmonton collected two interceptions and a forced fumble on the Riders’ first three drives — well, one was kind of an extended drive with two interceptions, but who’s counting. It was a tough day for Trevor Harris, and the Elks could not capitalize. It almost bit them in the end.

There’s the scoring!

The final quarter was the explosive CFL game we all love. Seven drives between the teams. Four touchdowns, two field goals, and only one punt. Waves of emotions, for both fanbases, throughout the 30,000 crowd that was 70/30 for the home team.

Saskatchewan fought back to take the lead as the final frame started. Then, it turned into Rankin time with back-to-back touchdowns for the Elks’ star back. A 37-yard dash finally had the sophomore break out to the sidelines and show his speed. The Riders had held the 28-year-old mostly in check to that point, but he was not to be denied. On the next Edmonton drive, Rankin took a screen pass on second-and-12 and found the sticks. The Ohio native then pinballed his way to end the drive with a five-yard score. It really is a treat to see how he has played this year.

The lighter shade of green didn’t go quietly, though, with two touchdowns of their own, one of those with zeroes on the clock. If not for a failed two-point conversion, this article may have had a very different tone. Both teams putting up 16 points in the final quarter really added to the drama.

Extra help

Edmonton did get a bit of help in the victory. I am not sure what has been affecting Brett Lauther this season. The Riders’ kicker has been known to have a bad game here and there in the past, but usually bounces back. This season, he has the lowest field goal percentage in the league by almost eight percent. Saturday night was a continued battle. The eight-year veteran missed two of his four attempts, and Javon Leake was able to run out both misses, meaning a loss of six points for Saskatchewan.

If that was not tough enough, Rider fans had to suffer a tough call on the field in the third quarter. Kaion Julien-Grant fumbled a ball on the Edmonton 41-yard line, and it was immediately picked up by Benny Sapp III, who rumbled to the endzone. However, the play was ruled down by contact on the field. The review showed the fumble and recovery, but the whistle had been blown, and therefore the touchdown was erased. The ensuing drive ended in a Rider field goal. That is at least four points off the board on a tough call.

I am not saying the outcome would be different, as all of this happened prior to the fourth quarter action. It did make it harder on the West Division leaders.

Defensive patchwork

The Elks have nine of their opening day defensive starters on the injured list. They have three of their backup linebackers also on the list. Five rookies started on defence on Saturday night, with five more rookies as backups. Credit has to be given to JC Sherritt and his staff for finding a way to have these guys step up and play.

Rookie Brock Mogensen continues to show he can play well at the middle linebacker position. The South Dakota native had his biggest game of the year with seven tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. There are things to work on with run-stopping, but he has found a way to be successful. Learning from Nyles Morgan and JC Sherritt can help anyone playing the MAC position.

Brandon Barlow is the sole Week 1 starter who was listed on the line for this game. The loss of Jake Ceresna and Robbie Smith was compounded by Jared Brinkman going to the one-game injured list. Rookie Tyreek Johnson stepped into the defensive tackle role and found a sack, before also exiting injured in the third quarter. That now has Edmonton with five defensive linemen down — the whole line and then some. The backup’s backup, Elijah Alston, was able to step in and also find a sack on Harris.

“We only had one defensive captain today,” said Kilam. “We’ve added new ones, though, the last few weeks, just because we are running out of guys. It’s a credit to them. They work tremendously hard, and the defensive staff works tremendously hard. I want them to get credit because they took a ton of bullets at the start of the year, and they have evolved the entire year.”

As one that fired a lot of those bullets, I agree the steps forward have been great to see. Even better that they are doing it through all the injuries and with young players.

More rookies stepping up

I have been a big supporter of rookie OJ Hiliare since his arrival in late August. He shifted throughout spots in the Labour Day game and has continued to grow each week. The Florida native only had two catches on Saturday night, but both were huge. A 44-yard grab set up one Rankin touchdown, and a 42-yard catch set up the Elks’ final field goal. For a player who has only been playing CFL rules for a month, he has shown there is quite a ceiling to reach for.

“It’s growing more and more,” Hiliare said about his connection with Cody Fajardo. “I’m trying to make plays so he can trust me. You have to make plays so people can trust you. I let one get away last week, but Coach and Cody and the O-linemen still thought that I could make a play tonight. Just thanks to them for believing in me.”

Speaking of receivers, is Kaion Julien-Grant the newer version of Adarius Bowman? It seems that in most games, he drops one easy catch early and then catches everything else that comes to him, no matter the difficulty. The St. Francis Xavier product led the team in receiving again with 89 yards and four catches on five targets.

Kurleigh Gittens Jr also brought some big plays on second down, catching all of his four targets. The receiving corps has had a bit of stability in September, and guys are finding their roles. KGJ is the vet, and his catches are helping the leadership of the offence.

Edmonton now goes on a bye week after 10 straight weeks of games. They helped the cause towards the playoffs with the win, but will need some help during the break. Returning to the field on October 11 against Winnipeg is another must-win. Hopefully, more wins for Larry are on the horizon.