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The Edmonton Moose experienced déjà vu all over again on Saturday.
The last time the Elks played the Saskatchewan Rangers in Regina was on Sept. 15, 2023, winning 36-27. The quarterback in that game was Tre Ford, who rushed for 265 yards, and running back Kevin Brown gained 175 yards on 19 carries.
On Saturday in Regina, the Elks, led by Ford, cruised to a 42-31 victory that included 276 rushing yards, with running back Jovan Leake gaining a total of 169 yards on 12 carries.
The win was the first of the 2024 season for the Elks, who are currently in last place in the Western Conference with a 1-7 record. The win ended an 11-game losing streak dating back to last season’s win in Saskatchewan’s capital.
The 2023 win gave Ford confidence that the Elks could beat the Knights, who started the season for the first time in place of McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
“If you look back at last year, when I came in, our rushing level improved a lot, right? I’m not saying we rushed as much because I was in the game,” Ford said.
“Obviously, it was the blocking by the offensive line, it was the reads by Javon Leake, it was them making guys turn the ball over and getting into open space. I think when we looked back at last year, we had that confidence and just felt like (running the ball) was going to be a strength for us and we were able to execute.”
After two seasons as a returner for the Toronto Argonauts, Leake signed with the Elks in the offseason. In 25 games with the Argonauts, Leake only completed 15 passes, so he hopes he can get a chance to play running back with the Elks.
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Interim head coach Jarius Jackson’s recent decision to start Leak paid off. After scoring on a four-yard run in the second quarter, Leak exploded in the fourth quarter with runs of 51 and 61 yards for touchdowns, helping the Elks take control of the game.
The two long runs looked similar, but Leake said they were not the same play.
“It’s the same play, but a different way of playing it. You just have to be patient and wait for that hole, wait for the offensive line to clean it up, and then you can make your offense,” Leake said.
Leake’s efforts didn’t surprise Jackson.
“I’m not surprised at all. That’s why we’re not afraid to start him. I just told him to be smart and let me know if he’s tired and we’ll take him off. I told him we need him to carry most of the load in the run game,” Jackson said.
Jackson, who replaced Chris Jones as the Elks’ interim head coach on July 15 and is in his third week at the helm, has seen improvement and believes Saturday’s win will help the Elks move forward.
“We’re finally out of the woods, right? We’re finally out of the starting line. We’ve got to build on this, we’ve got to try to build from here.
“We’re two games behind second in the Western Conference, so we have to keep fighting and see how it goes. There’s still a lot of games left in the season, 10 games left in the season, so we’ll just keep our heads down and keep playing.”
The Knights are tied with the BC Lions for first place in the West Division with a 5-3 record, and they enter the game with the best rushing defense in the CFL, allowing just 48 rushing yards per game. The Elks accumulated 276 rushing yards on Saturday, a number that will be increased when they play next week.
For Knights defensive back Roland Milligan, who had his league-leading fifth interception of the season in the third quarter, it was a disappointing performance from Saskatchewan’s defense.
“We didn’t do the things we were supposed to do, like get open in the run game. We just didn’t execute. We didn’t have a complicated game plan, we just had to execute it,” Milligan said.
Ford completed 18 of 22 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Former Knights receiver Tyvon Jones caught three passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, including a 98-yarder in the first quarter.
Shea Patterson completed 22 of 38 passes for 306 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Ajou Ajou and Mitchell Picton caught touchdowns for the Knights.
Frankie Hickson, starting at running back for the second time in place of the injured AJ Ouellette, gained 89 yards on 12 carries.
Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford opened the game with a spectacular drive that went 101 yards for a touchdown. After punting the ball, Alford picked it up, ran through some people at the lineout, cut down the sideline and made it into the end zone unscathed.
Next step
Elks: Sunday, Aug. 11, host the BC Lions (5-3).
Mounties: Visit the Ottawa Redblacks (5-2) on Thursday.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
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