It has been 20 years since Edmonton could say they swept their provincial rivals in a season series. The Elks found a way to claim bragging rights once again in a sloppy game between non-postseason participants, winning 23-18 over the Calgary Stampeders.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Tough road for Ford
On Monday, interim head coach Jarious Jackson stated that he didn’t want to reveal their starting quarterback to Calgary before the final rematch. On Tuesday, Tre Ford was announced as the starter after the first practice. I don’t think the extra day of secrecy had the desired effect, as Ford struggled early.
On his first snap, from the Edmonton five-yard line, he missed the blitz shown by Calgary’s Bailey Devine-Scott and was sent running backward. Instead of throwing the ball away, he held on to look for someone downfield and was sacked for a safety touch. Not an ideal start.
Edmonton’s third drive, halfway through the first quarter, is when Ford started to settle in. He did not have another incompletion until midway through the third frame, going 17-for-17 over that span. The downside was that the passes averaged 10 yards and only produced 16 points.
There are moments when Ford has flashes of brilliance. As the game progressed, he was able to pick up the blitz more often and hit the hot route. He used his feet three times for 33 yards. The touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis in the fourth quarter was pure magic, drawing in the linebackers and side-arming the ball to 87 to take the lead.
This was very much a game-manager style of performance with a completion percentage over 80, 208 yards passing, one touchdown and two interceptions. I’d like to see more of Ford moving the pocket and bringing in the threat of his legs. Variety will lead to more success.
Double centuries
Nyles Morgan and Nick Anderson went into the game leading the league in tackles in 2024. Sitting at 97 and 94 respectively, the two linebackers were looking to break the century mark. It would be only the third time in CFL history that a pair of teammates hit the mark in a single season.
Anderson, the rookie sensation, hit the mark first and led the team with seven tackles on the afternoon. Morgan wasn’t far behind and finished with five. The two have a week to rest before they add to their totals in the last game.
Side note: Solomon Elimimian won Most Outstanding Rookie in 2010 with 77 tackles. I think Anderson should be in the mix for that award, despite some incredible receiving seasons.
More records
Geno Lewis has, somewhat quietly, had another outstanding season. After Week 18, the 31-year-old led the league in receiving touchdowns with eight, was 64 yards away from another 1,000-yard season, and had scored a major in six consecutive games.
Along with 61 combined yards on Saturday, he added both a rushing and receiving touchdown. Finding the end zone in seven consecutive games is a new Elks’ record, passing the great Tom Scott. He still needs 18 yards to get his 1K but it is safe to say that will come in two weeks. It’s been a big push from the veteran to finish the campaign.
Rankin up
Speaking of outstanding rookies, Justin Rankin continues to put up yards when he gets opportunities. He has been one of the highlights through this tough stretch of games.
It took a little longer than usual to get started, but he finished this one with 140 yards rushing on just 10 attempts. I am perplexed as to why he wasn’t used more when he had a 14-yard average. His jump cuts to the open spot have been fantastic to watch. There should be more Rankin in the final game.
Defensive attack
With the stutter start for the offence, the defence needed to step up and they did. Holding the Stampeders to five first-half points gave the offence the time it needed to get the cylinders firing. Some will say that holding Calgary to five points is not much of an accomplishment this year, but Edmonton’s defence needed that confidence boost.
Production came from a lot of fronts with Derek Moncrief bringing two of the five sacks recorded. Elliott Brown added another sack to his total to take the team lead with seven. Loucheiz Purifoy had two knockdowns and Darius Bratton posted four tackles.
Shawn Oakman has been — literally and figuratively — a massive addition to the defensive line since his arrival on July 7. The Philadelphia native was a force on Saturday with two knockdowns and an interception on a Stampeders’ two-point convert attempt. I really wanted to see the big man run the length of the field, but I give him credit for how far he got.
Penalties return
Penalties have been an on-and-off again issue for the Green and Gold this season. In this game, the issue was on with 11 penalties for 112 yards given up. The only lucky part of this is that Calgary put up nine for 99 yards to balance it out a bit.
With the Elks up 23-18 in the dying seconds of the game, a flag was thrown on Kai Grey on a pass going to Marken Michel. The two were hand-fighting down the sidelines. The play was challenged by Jackson only to have it stand as pass interference. That one did not look like a penalty to me but the final play looked to have a shove from Purifoy prior to the ball arriving, with no call. This is yet another time this season that penalties made little to no sense as an observer.
The final whistle
Edmonton plays its final game in two weeks against the Argos and we already know that Ford will start. It will be a good challenge for the young QB with a much stronger Toronto defence to read. The Double Blue may be resting players at that point and the 2024 Elks will need to finish strong in front of their fans.
