Edmonton Elks pound the bottom in uncommon win over provincial rivals

Article content material

In what was shaping as much as be an aerial atrocity, the Edmonton Elks hit the bottom working on the way in which to a win over the Calgary Stampeders in final week’s Labour Day Rematch.

With simply 21 passing yards to indicate by way of the Elks’ first three quarters of labor, it appeared the southern facet of the Battle of Alberta would as soon as once more sweep the annual two-game sequence after overcoming a 15-point deficit on their dwelling turf at McMahon Stadium earlier within the week.

Article content material

Article content material

Solely this time, it was the Elks who mounted a fourth-quarter comeback, discovering their passing contact as soon as extra on the way in which to scoring 18 unanswered factors within the closing body for a 25-23 win.

However when nothing else was working offensively, the Elks displayed a capability to maneuver the ball on the bottom like nothing they’ve proven all 12 months, racking up 226 dashing yards within the recreation, in comparison with 173 by way of the air when it was all stated and performed.

It was a one-two punch combining the efforts of working again Kevin Brown, who posted a career-high 143 dashing yards, and speedy quarterback Tre Ford, who posted 82 dashing yards of his personal Saturday to comply with up on the career-best 135 dashing yards from the sequence opener 5 days earlier.

“With him, it’s robust since you’ve bought to look out for me and also you’ve bought to look out for Tre when he pulls it, as a result of he’s harmful on his ft in addition to within the air,” stated Brown, who has quietly risen to second total in league dashing with 829 yards and three touchdowns on 140 carries. “So, they need to be trustworthy to their guidelines and their defence.”

Ford sits one spot out of the top-10 in each passing yards (990) and dashing yards (401) on the season, regardless of taking part in simply 5 video games since being ran into the beginning function. In that very same time, Brown has averaged 97.5 dashing yards per recreation.

Article content material

Article content material

And the outcomes have seen the Elks declare all three of their wins previously 4 weeks as they put together to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the street Friday (7:30 p.m., TSN, 630 CHED).

On Saturday, all of the dashing arrange the Elks offence for an aerial assault within the closing push.

“Whenever you run the ball like that, they’ve bought to respect it. Deliver their guys in and refill the field, after which once they try this, you’ve bought to go deep with it,” stated Brown, who broke for a 45-yard landing scamper on Edmonton’s opening drive.

They wouldn’t see the tip zone once more till the fourth quarter, making two journeys in a row, together with when Ford despatched back-to-back passes for 30-plus yards on a drive that ended with a Dillon Mitchell landing.

Up till that time, the Elks had all of 21 yards by way of the air. And it might be argued 10 of them got here on a pitchout to Kyran Moore and shouldn’t have counted as passing yards.

“Yeah, I did search for there,” Brown stated of the real-time stats on the scoreboard. “I used to be like, ‘Dang.’”

Article content material

However with greater than 200 dashing yards to stability issues out, the Elks nonetheless got here out forward in web yardage, 387-335, by the point it was throughout.

“Proper. They harp on being extra bodily up entrance and dominating the run recreation,” Brown stated of his offensive coaches. “So, that’s what we’ve been engaged on.”

After all, it helped having Calgary drop again a ninth defender into protection most of the time, whereas dashing three after Ford, who would then decide to maintain it on the bottom within the run-pass possibility state of affairs.

For the Stampeders defence, it was a pick-your-poison technique that nearly paid off, had Elks kicker Dean Faithfull not made up for an earlier missed additional level by hitting a walk-off winner between the uprights from 42 yards.

Sitting at 3-10 with simply 5 video games remaining may appear bleak, nevertheless it certain beats the 0-9 begin they bought off to.

“We had been saying all of it season, simply maintain chipping away, maintain chopping the wooden. It’s going to return,” Brown stated. “And it’s lastly right here. We stayed true to what we consider in as an entire group, as an entire employees and it’s exhibiting now.”

And if the Elks need Brown to maintain carrying the load the remainder of the way in which to the end line, he’s all for it.

“I don’t get drained,” he shrugged. “I work on my stamina, I work on my cardio, so I harp on being the again that doesn’t get drained.”

E-mail: [email protected]

On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

Article content material