The Edmonton Elks stared down a must-have and delivered, edging the West-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders 27-25 on Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium.
A loud crowd with a season-high turnout got the full CFL experience, with four quarters of swings and a game decided on a two-point try as the clock hit zero.
Edmonton’s defence slammed the door on the final snap, forcing Trevor Harris’ conversion pass to sail incomplete after short-yardage QB Tommy Stevens scored as time expired. The stop sealed a third straight home win for the Elks (6-9) and kept their playoff hopes very much alive.
“It came right down to it,” Edmonton head coach Mark Kilam said. “Credit to Saskatchewan, obviously they have the best record in the league for a reason… but we found a way late and that’s what matters.”
Playing for Larry
It was an emotional night in Edmonton following the sudden passing of owner Larry Thompson earlier in the week. The team’s tribute was followed by the kind of result Thompson craved.
“We played with heavy hearts tonight,” quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “I told the boys after the game… we wanted to do everything we could to win for him and win for Deb. I felt him on that last drive… It’s an honour to be able to win that game for him and for the Thompson family.”
Linebacker Brock Mogensen saluted the crowd: “It was a great atmosphere… a lot of Sask fans, too, but that brings the energy. It was a great win in front of our fans at home.”
How it was won
The first half was a wild one, with four turnovers in the opening quarter alone, including a Harris interception by Kenneth Logan Jr. that turned into a fumble back to the Riders on the same play. Jake Julien’s punt single and a 47-yard Vincent Blanchard field goal made it 4-0 before Fajardo (18-of-23, 305 yards) hit Kaion Julien-Grant for 47 yards to set up Cole Snyder’s one-yard plunge. Brett Lauther’s 44-yard kick at the gun cut it to 11-3 Edmonton at half.
Saskatchewan (10-4) ground back with an 11-play, 108-yard march capped by AJ Ouellette’s five-yard TD, though the two-point try was stuffed. The fourth quarter turned chaotic. Lauther’s 30-yarder gave the Riders a 12–11 lead, only for Justin Rankin to explode: a 37-yard house call on the next series, then a five-yard TD with 3:36 left. Rankin finished with 82 rushing yards and two majors on 14 carries.
Harris (33-of-46, 351 yards) answered with a 24-yard TD to Tommy Nield at 2:13. Blanchard’s 30-yarder with 0:48 left pushed Edmonton ahead 27-19, but Harris ripped completions of 46 and 15 to KeeSean Johnson to set up Stevens’ goal-line score as time expired, setting the stage for the denied two-point conversion.
“I saw a lot of guts,” Kilam said. “Each phase made plays down the stretch that we had to have.”
Riders rue the missed finish
Saskatchewan owned the stat sheet in first downs (29–19), net yards (476–366), and possession (34:31), but coughed up two interceptions (Logan Jr. and Mogensen) and couldn’t get the final yard that mattered.
“It sucks,” Harris said. “We were able to get a score and get the ball back and get another score… We just unfortunately didn’t convert the two-point conversion to get it to overtime.”
Head coach Corey Mace pointed to slow starts: “I’d love us to start playing at the first whistle, too.”
What’s next
The Elks hit their Week 18 bye before hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Oct. 11 for another must-win game. After a week that demanded resolve, Edmonton found some and kept the season alive.
