Edmonton beats Saskatchewan after last-second field goal

The play which will be keeping the veteran pivot awake was an incomplete pass to wide receiver Johnny Johnson III that was left short from the Edmonton three-yard line. Instead of a potential touchdown, Saskatchewan settled for the field goal.

“Not even a part of the progression of the play, but they condensed right down to our primaries and I noticed they left the middle of the field open. I saw his eyes and he felt he was uncovered, so I thought he was going to stop right there,” Harris said.

“It’s just a miscommunication. It’s my fault. I should throw the ball through and I shouldn’t put touch on it, but I thought he was so wide open I could put some touch on it and I just needed to throw it to him. That one’s going to bother him all night.”

The win improves the Elks’ record to 6-1, standing alone at the top of the CFL West Division. The Riders have dropped to 4-2 after the loss.

It was an emotional week for the Roughriders heading into the game.

The day before the CFL club was set to return to practice, linebacker Jayden Dalke was killed in a car crash that also took the life of 22-year-old Bhishma Rajyaguru.

On Monday, the RCMP released information indicating Dalke had been driving north in the southbound lane of Highway 11 between Regina and Lumsden. Officers found alcohol and cannabis in Dalke’s vehicle, but a toxicology report has not yet been completed.

Prior to the anthem on Thursday, a pre-game ceremony took place that recognized and remembered both Dalke and Rajyaguru.

Offensive lineman Logan Ferland said playing the game was a good way to get all the emotions out on the field.

“Do it the way Dalke would want to do it. I think that’s what a lot of guys focused on this week,” Ferland said.

“We can’t just sit here feeling sorry for ourselves, because that’s not what he would have wanted. That really kept us going, and going in this game as well.”

During the Riders’ first punt of the game, the team only had 11 players on the field, leaving Dalke’s spot open. The team took a time-count violation, which Edmonton Elks head coach Mark Killam declined.

It was the idea of linebacker Nick Wiebe to do the tribute to their teammate.

“That’s J.D.’s spot. He’s the one calling the protections and making the calls. We wanted to do something as a special-teams unit. It’s a super tight-knit group that we got who play on the core four, and to lose a guy like that, we wanted to do something for J.D., so that was special to see,” Wiebe said.

One of the key plays that decided this game was a missed Hale field goal from 46 yards out with 3:17 left in the game. Hale has only made one field goal from over 40 yards out, the 48-yard attempt he hit in the third quarter.

Another issue for the Riders in the game was the team’s secondary, as big plays ultimately proved to be the downfall for the team. Fajardo threw for a career-high 510 yards and four touchdowns, which included 57- and 81-yard touchdowns to Austin Mack.

Overall, the team surrendered four passes over 30 yards.

“Too many explosive plays given up. I think that was the biggest difference,” defensive back Rolan Milligan said. “Just miscommunication and misunderstanding coverage type stuff. Nothing too crazy, easy fixes.”

Mack had 157 yards and two scores, while Elks receiver T.J. Luther had 10 catches for 157 yards.

“We will look at the tape, but off of blind eye, there were some busts back there. You never want to see anybody running wide open like that. It was tough. We will get back to the film,” Riders head coach Corey Mace said.

“That was a really good team that we were playing against. Let’s clean some things up.”

Harris finished the game with 386 yards through the air, four touchdowns and one interception.

Saskatchewan’s trio of Sam Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker and KeeSean Johnson all had big days receiving, and each had a touchdown in the game. Kian Schaffer-Baker led the way with 185 yards, with KeeSean Johnson having 88 and Emilus having 84. Dhel Duncan-Busby hauled in the other touchdown pass.

One of the big challenges for the Riders’ defence was stopping dynamic rusher Justin Rankin. Saskatchewan did hold him in check, only allowing 39 yards on the ground to the rusher.

“Hard-fought game. Offence did everything they could. Scoring 34 points is not easy. Props to them just for being able to control the game and keeping us in the game,” said defensive tackle Caleb Sanders.

“As a defence, we have to play better. We have to stop the explosive plays. I think we did a good job containing Rankin, but obviously that wasn’t enough.”

Saskatchewan had three sacks in the game, with linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr., James Vaughters and Mike Rose all getting to Fajardo.

The Riders and Elks will meet again next Saturday in Edmonton.

by Britton Gray/980 CJME

Edmonton beats Saskatchewan after last-second field goal

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