The last time Edmonton had a three-game winning streak, they had a different team name and Michael Reilly was the quarterback. After six years, the Elks got to that mark again with a 47-22 drubbing of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday night.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Stick to what works
Edmonton seems to have found a formula for success by improving their running game. Javon Leake has been the star the last two weeks but after what looked to be a hip injury, Justin Rankin took over for this game.
The Northwest Missouri State product had his first 100-yard performance with 108 on 17 carries. Many of those rushes included yards after contact as he delivered at least three straight arms that pushed back would-be tacklers. In just his third CFL game, he used his quick burst to tally a hat trick of touchdowns and has now amassed a career average of 7.2 yards per carry. What an amazing start for the 27-year-old.
“Going through the fire that we went through for the first seven games, that either spoils you or it hardens you. We built a pretty strong backbone,” quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson said. “Offensively, you see the run game. That’s the biggest difference in these last three games. When you get positive yards and big gains on first down, life is good and football is easy.”
Blocking up for wins
The offensive line has had its struggles but it seems they are built for running the ball, with both sides of the line finding success. David Foucault and Martez Ivy had the best combo game since they have been slotted together on the left. Two of the six touchdowns came through that left side and Rankin was basically untouched.
The pass protection is still a work in progress, with two sacks allowed and plenty of pressure on Mcleod Bethel Thompson in the game. With MBT’s fast reads, the O-line was able to hold up for two passing touchdowns. Of note, the offensive line did not take a single holding penalty — a first for this year. This group is growing together and starting to come into form.
Punishing defence
On Hamilton’s first play from scrimmage, Hamilton receiver Luther Hakunavahnu was sandwiched between Nyles Morgan, Nick Anderson and Kai Gray. The way his head snapped around was scary to watch. He left the field in an ambulance but early reports are that he is ok and has since been discharged from hospital.
Another big hit arrived later in the first quarter when Hamilton’s new starting quarterback, Taylor Powell, took off on a 15-yard run but was met by Morgan’s shoulder. He would also be forced to leave the game due to concussion protocol. Both tackles had Morgan coming from the right and leaning in with his shoulder but were awfully close to a helmet hit. I think the league will review both incidents for potential fines.
Morgan and Anderson seemed to be everywhere on the defensive side of the field. Both had six tackles, while the latter had a forced fumble and two knockdowns. The rest of the defence followed suit with big hits coming from Loucheiz Purifoy and Leon O’Neal Jr. Three turnovers created by the defence and another on special teams helped to lock down the win.
One piece of the puzzle I am still confused by is defensive back Kordell Jackson. He seems to be very much in the vein of former Rider DB Nick Marshall — boom or bust. The Birmingham native will create big plays like his interception in the third quarter but that same aggressive style can also leave him in chase position on some routes. Being new to the league, I will give him some time to continue to grow, but will likely be an adventure.
Mac is back
It took me four points until I got to McLeod Bethel-Thompson returning to the starting lineup in place of the injured Tre Ford, which is actually a good thing. He put forth a stable performance, finishing 65 percent passing for 234 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. That was just the efficiency this team needed and he stood in while facing pressure to connect on the long ball when he needed to. The longest pass of the night went to Hergy Mayala, who made a spectacular 44-yard grab in double coverage.
Geno Lewis got back to leading the team in receiving yards and cracked 90 yards in a game for the first time this year. Seeing him get the ball more is a big part of the development of this offence. Honourable mentions to Kurliegh Gittens Jr and Dillon Mitchell, who each put up a receiving touchdown.
Although the offence was gifted a lot of great field position via turnovers, they made the most out of those gifts. I don’t know the last time I saw the Green and Gold go six-for-six in the red zone. There were three longer scoring drives but the success in close was most promising. Those were not going in early in the season.
Third quarter slump
Edmonton has had some struggles in the third quarter this year and this has led some to get nervous as soon as things start to go the wrong way. The defence almost allowed three touchdowns in the third frame this week, save by an endzone interception, and the offence looked to have stalled.
The difference this time was that things swung back in the fourth quarter and the Elks pushed through the finish. The second and fourth quarters were with the wind, and they resulted in 25 and 15 points scored respectively.
“We’ve been through hell,” MBT said. “When you go through hell, it’s like eff it, let’s free play and do what we do. That’s the advantage of going through that. We’ve got nothing to lose. We have a dangerous team and the football gods owe us.”
New Owner Spark
Larry Thompson was introduced as the new owner of the Edmonton Elks on Thursday. He was able to attend the game in Hamilton and could be seen smiling on the sidelines after the win.
I believe Thompson knows that this is a long road to climb for the team, but he is ready to help them through it. It’s nice to have your new team grab that first win right away and there did seem to be some jump on the field. I’m not sure if having that new owner there affected their intensity but he was given a game ball in the locker room post-game.
The Double E now travel to Montreal to face the defending Grey Cup champion Alouettes. It will not be an easy test to turn this into a four-game winning streak. All eyes will be on practice to see if Tre Ford is healthy enough to return and what will happen with the running back position now that Kevin Brown is back to being healthy.
No one expected that the Elks (3-7) would be in range to make a push for a playoff spot coming into Labour Day. In the words of Lloyd Christmas, “So you’re saying there’s a chance.”
