Elks get first win of season over Roughriders 42-31

It was déjà vu all over again for the Edmonton Elks on Saturday.

The last time the Elks played the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, they came away with a 36-27 victory on Sept. 15, 2023. That contest featured Tre Ford at quarterback, 265 rushing yards as a team with running back Kevin Brown gaining 175 yards on 19 carries.

On Saturday in Regina, again with Ford at the controls, the Elks registered a 42-31 victory that included 276 rushing yards and running back Jovan Leake totalling 169 yards on 12 carries.

The win was the first of the 2024 season for the Elks, who are in last place in the West Division with a 1-7 record. The victory ended a combined losing streak of 11 games dating back to last season's victory in the Saskatchewan capital.

It was the 2023 victory that gave Ford, who was starting his first game this season in place of McLeod Bethel-Thompson, the confidence that the Elks could beat the Riders.

"If you look back at last year, when I went in, we were able to pick up our rushing game a lot, right? I'm not saying that we rushed for as much as we did because I was in the game," said Ford.

"Obviously, it was the O-line making the blocks, Javon Leake making the reads, making people miss and getting into open space. I think having that confidence when we looked back on last year, it was just a feeling that [running the ball] was going to be our strong suit, and we were able to execute."

Leake making reads

Leake signed with the Elks during the off-season after two seasons with the Toronto Argonauts as a return specialist. After getting only 15 carries in 25 games with the Argos, Leake hoped he would get an opportunity with the Elks as a running back.

Interim head coach Jarious Jackson decided to move Leake into the starting role recently and the move paid dividends. After scoring on a four-yard run in the second quarter, Leake exploded for touchdown runs of 51 and 61 yards in the fourth quarter to put the Elks in control of the game.

The two long runs looked similar but Leake said it wasn't the same play.

"It was the same kind of scheme, but they are two different plays. You just have to be patient, wait for that hole, wait for the O-line to clear it and then you've got to hit it," said Leake.

Leake's effort didn't surprise Jackson.

"I'm not surprised at all. That's the reason we weren't afraid to start him. I just told him to be smart and let me know if he's tired and we'd get him out of there. I told him that we needed him to handle the lion's share of the load when it comes to running the ball," said Jackson.

Jackson is finishing his third week as interim head coach of the Elks after replacing Chris Jones on July 15. He has seen improvement in his squad and is confident Saturday's win will help the Elks move forward.

"We finally got off the stoop, right? We finally got out of the starting block. We've just got to build on this, we've got to try to start stacking from here.

"We're two games behind the next guys in the West so we've just got to keep fighting and we'll see where it takes us. There's a lot of season left, there's still 10 games in the season so we're going to keep our heads down and keep playing."

Disappointing defence

The Riders, who share first place in the West Division with the B.C. Lions with a 5-3 record, entered the game with the best rushing defence in the CFL, allowing just 48 yards rushing per game. The 276 rushing yards piled up by the Elks on Saturday will inflate that number heading into next week's action.

For Riders defensive back Rolan Milligan, who grabbed his league-leading fifth interception of the season in the third quarter, there was disappointment in how the Saskatchewan defence played.

"We weren't doing what we were supposed to be doing, like being in our gaps in the run game. We just didn't execute. We didn't really have a complicated game plan, we just needed to execute it," said Milligan.

Ford finished 18 of 22 passing for 252 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Receiver Tevin Jones, a former Rider, had three catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 98-yard major in the first quarter.

Shea Patterson completed 22 of 38 passes for 306 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Ajou Ajou and Mitchell Picton had touchdown receptions for the Riders.

Frankie Hickson, making his second start at running back in place of the injured A.J. Ouellette, gained 89 yards on 12 carries.

Saskatchewan's Mario Alford started the game with a bang, taking the opening kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown. After dropping the kick, Alford picked up the ball, sliced through some traffic at the hash marks and cut to the sideline where he went untouched to the end zone.

The Roughriders visit the Ottawa Redblacks (5-2) on Thursday.