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Different running back, same result for Jarius Jackson and the Edmonton Elks.
Justin Rankin rushed for 108 yards and three touchdowns to help Edmonton win its third straight game, beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 47-22 on Saturday night. Javon Leake had 266 yards and four touchdowns on 33 carries (8.1 average) in the previous two wins but was slowed by a hip ailment at Tim Hortons.
“I don’t know how (the rushing game) has been in the past, but it’s here and it’s here to stay,” Edmonton interim head coach Jackson said. “When the weather starts getting colder and it gets late in the season, you have to play a rushing game.
“Hopefully we can get there.”
Edmonton (3-7) is coming off a stunning turnaround after a seven-game losing streak to start the season. The Elks are 3-2 under Jackson, the team’s offensive coordinator who took over coaching duties after head coach and general manager Chris Jones was fired on July 15.
Edmonton hasn’t lost since a 44-28 home loss to Hamilton on July 28 and is on a three-game winning streak for the first time since 2019.
“Guys are starting to believe it,” Jackson said. “They understand that if they come out stronger on game day, a lot of times that can help us win games.”
“Although we have lost three games in a row, we will keep a low profile and play one game at a time.”
Rankin’s streak has been steadily increasing. On Aug. 3, he rushed for 60 yards on nine carries in the Elks’ 42-31 win over Saskatchewan, and last week, he rushed for 77 yards on 10 carries in a 33-16 win over BC.
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“Javon was hurt, and they trusted me to come out there and do the same things that Jarvon did, but in a different way,” Rankin said. “The coach and the organization in general trusted us to be able to put the ball in our hands and let us do what we do.”
Edmonton’s defense also contributed to the team’s third straight win at Tim Hortons Field, forcing four turnovers (two interceptions, two fumble recoveries) and creating three touchdown opportunities.
Hamilton also was sacked 11 times and had 100 rushing yards.
The Tiger-Cats (2-8) lost three straight games at home in front of 20,092 fans, many of whom left at halftime. They also fell to 1-4 at Tim Hortons Field.
Rankin had 17 pass attempts and his third touchdown from the three-yard line at the 6:52 mark of the fourth quarter gave Edmonton a 39-16 lead.
Edmonton’s McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 15 of 23 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Hamilton’s Beau Levi Mitchell completed 23 of 34 passes for 294 yards and a touchdown, with two interceptions before being caught by Harrison Frost in the fourth quarter.
Frost’s 12-yard touchdown pass to Shemar Bridges at 13:34 cut Edmonton’s lead to 39-22, but Bethel-Thompson struck back with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. at 13:45, and then Boris Bede capped the scoring with an 85-yard drive and a solo drive.
Mitchell took over for starter Tyler Powell, who completed 2 of 3 passes for 20 yards before being taken to the hospital with a head injury. Hamilton receiver Luther Hakunawanhu was taken to an ambulance after suffering a head injury on the game’s first play.
Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich said the injuries made the loss even harder to take.
“It’s disgusting, isn’t it, it’s heartbreaking,” he said. “You work with these people every day, you care about them.
“It would affect anyone to see them lying on the grass. It’s an unfortunate part of the sport and we all know what our obligations are (but) it doesn’t change the fact that we are human beings, we care about these people and it’s really sad to see them sick.”
Leake and Dillon Mitchell added the other touchdowns for Edmonton. Bader also added six extra points, a field goal and two singles.
Greg Bell added two touchdowns for Hamilton, rushing 12 times for 85 yards and catching six passes for 88. Marc Liegghio kicked a field goal and converted it.
Bell’s two-yard touchdown run at 4:53 into the third quarter cut the deficit to 32-9 as the two-point conversion failed. Bell caught another 7-yard touchdown pass at the end of the quarter to bring the Ticats’ lead to 32-16.
Bader kicked a 32-yard field goal at 14:36 of the second quarter to give Edmonton a commanding 32-3 lead at the half, and the Elks converted three Hamilton turnovers into touchdowns.
Bethel-Thompson passed to Mitchell for an 11-yard touchdown at 12:55. That was set up by rookie Joel DuBlanco’s fumble recovery of Jonathan Moxey’s punt return at the Hamilton 11-yard line.
Liggio kicked a 32-yard field goal at 8:07 to cut Hamilton’s deficit to 14-3, but Rankin ran in two yards at 9:00, and then Bader kicked a 90-yard field goal downwind 22 seconds later to give Edmonton a 22-3 lead.
Leake capped a 13-play, 106-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run at the 1:53 mark following an interception by Derrick Moncrief.
Rankin opened the scoring with a 4-yard touchdown run at 5:03 of the first quarter.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
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