The Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Edmonton Elks at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK, August 3, 2024. Photo Electric Umbrella/Derek Elvin
An uncommon susceptibility to big plays was costly for the Saskatchewan Roughriders as they lost 42-31 to the Edmonton Elks on Saturday.
Saskatchewan, which entered the game with one of the CFL’s stingiest defences, allowed fourth-quarter touchdown runs of 51 and 61 yards by Javon Leake before 29,655 spectators at Mosaic Stadium.
Earlier, Edmonton had struck for a 93-yard touchdown pass from Tre Ford to Tevin Jones. That duo also combined for a 19-yard score late in the fourth quarter.
“That’s not us,” Roughriders quarterback Shea Patterson said. “That’s not who we show up and be every day.
“It’s frustrating but, like we always do, we’re going to bounce back and come right back here tomorrow and put in the work to get a win next week in Ottawa.”
Despite the defeat, Saskatchewan emerged with a share of first place in the West Division. The Roughriders and B.C. Lions both have 5-3 records.
“We’ve got to learn how to finish and we want to finish the rest of the season off strong,” Roughriders defensive tackle Micah Johnson said after his 150th career CFL regular-season game.
“We’ve just got to pound the ground and get back to the drawing board, and we’ve got to execute better. That was the biggest thing. We didn’t execute well.”
Unlike the Elks, who amassed 515 yards of net offence and finally hit the win column after losing their first seven games of the season.
“Hats off to Edmonton,” Johnson said. “Them boys came in here and took it, no doubt about it.”
Ford, making his first start of the season, competed 18 of 22 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran five times for 46 yards.
Leake rushed 12 times for 169 yards and three TDs for an Edmonton team that rolled up 276 yards along the ground. Saskatchewan had allowed an average of 47 rushing yards over its first seven games.
“Certainly, in our time here, that was our worst rush defence,” first-year Roughriders Head Coach and Defensive Co-ordinator Corey Mace said.
“There were a couple of things where I thought mentally we could have been a little bit better and, with the calls from myself, I could have put them in some tough positions.
“It just didn’t look like us and I’ve got to do a better job getting these guys prepared to play.”
Mario Alford was certainly prepared. He returned the opening kickoff 101 yards for a Saskatchewan touchdown. Even so, Edmonton led 13-8 after the first quarter and 20-8 during the second frame before Saskatchewan scored 13 points in a row to assume a one-point lead.
After Edmonton went ahead 28-21, the Roughriders closed the gap to 28-24 during the fourth quarter before back-to-back Elks touchdowns settled matters.
Patterson threw for 308 yards and two touchdowns — a 26-yarder to Ajou Ajou and a 23-yarder to Mitch Picton.
The 300-plus-yards passing performance was the 220th in franchise history. Patterson became the 35th different Roughriders quarterback to reach 300 yards in a game.
Frankie Hickson led the Roughriders’ rushing attack with 89 yards on 12 carries. He has rushed for 206 yards over the past few games.
Adam Auclair had six defensive tackles, one sack — his first as a Roughrider — and two special teams tackles.
Rookie linebacker Melique Straker had four special teams tackles, one shy of the Roughriders’ single-game record.
MARIO MAGIC
Alford’s kickoff-return touchdown, registered just 14 seconds into the game, was the fourth-fastest major in team history.
The other three rapid-fire TDs also resulted from a long-distance kickoff return.
June 25, 2005: Corey Holmes, 81 yards versus Winnipeg Blue Bombers (12 seconds).
July 12, 1991: Albert Brown, 97 yards versus Edmonton (13 seconds).
Sept. 15, 2018: Marcus Thigpen, 97 yards versus Ottawa REDBLACKS (13 seconds).
“It was nice and I needed that,” Alford said of his first touchdown of the season. “I was way overdue.
“I was just trying to get the job done and do whatever I could to help the team win.”
The Jarious Jackson-coached Elks kicked away from Alford the rest of the way. The 101-yarder was his only kickoff return of the game.
“Hats off to them and their schemes,” Alford said.
“After the game, their head coach said, ‘There’s no way I was kicking the ball back to you.’ You’ve got to respect that.”
Alford’s 101-yarder was the second-longest kickoff return in franchise history. Bobby Thompson erupted for a 115-yarder against the visiting Lions on Oct. 24, 1971.
Alford increased his team-record return-touchdowns total to eight (four punts, three kickoffs, one missed field goal).
He also set an all-time Roughriders record for kickoff return TDs. Thigpen and Demetris Bendross are next in line with two.
Also on Saturday, Alford took off on a 46-yard punt return.
Alford’s three punt returns gave him 165 as a Roughrider. He moved past Albert Brown and Tristan Jackson (both of whom had 164) and into 10th on the team’s career list.
AJOU SHOW
Ajou made a spectacular catch for a 26-yard touchdown at 13:03 of the third quarter to give Saskatchewan a 21-20 lead.
Ajou outjumped Elks cornerback Devodric Bynum just inside the goal line in the front right corner of the end zone.
Ajou came close to a second major — a 29-yarder in the fourth quarter — but he was ruled out of bounds. The call on the field was not overturned after a video review.
“He’s always in the game plan,” Patterson said. “He’s such an incredible athlete. He’s long and he’s going to go get the jump ball. I just tried to give him every opportunity I could.”
A seventh-round choice in the 2024 CFL Draft, the 22-year-old Ajou has already registered TD receptions of 40 and 26 yards.
With two touchdown catches in seven games, Ajou has established the fastest pace for a Roughriders rookie since 2010, when Cary Koch made two TD grabs over five games.
Ajou registered the fast two TD catches by a Canadian-born Roughriders rookie since 1988, when Jeff Fairholm scored in two of his first three CFL games. He had four TDs at the seven-game mark.
ROLAN KEEPS ROLLIN’
The Roughriders’ Rolan Milligan Jr. registered his league-leading fifth interception. He picked off Ford at 6:41 of the third quarter.
Milligan Jr. entered this season with three interceptions in 22 career CFL games. Saturday’s pick took place in the Roughriders’ eighth game of the season.
He has already matched Nic Marshall’s team-leading interceptions total from 2023.
NEXT UP
The Roughriders are to return to action on Thursday in Ottawa (5:30 p.m., TSN, CKRM).
SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Sask — TD Alford 101 kickoff return (Lauther convert) 0:14
Alford scored on the opening kickoff
Edm — FG Bede 26 6:13
Elks moved 58 yards in nine plays
Sask — Single Lauther 42 8:22
Patterson to Bane Jr. for 22 yards put Roughriders in field-goal range
Edm — FG Bede 38 11:02
Ford to Lewis for 40 yards was the big play
Edm — TD Jones 93 pass from Ford (Bede convert) 13:00
Longest passing play by a visiting team since Mosaic Stadium opened in 2017
SECOND QUARTER
Edm — TD Leake 4 run (Bede convert) 10:00
Elks drove 72 yards in 10 plays
Sask — TD Patterson 1 run (Lauther convert) 13:10
24-yard pass from Patterson to Bane Jr. gave Saskatchewan a first down on the one-yard line
THIRD QUARTER
Sask — TD Ajou 26 pass from Patterson (two-point convert failed) 13:03
Ajou made a leaping catch over Bynum in the front right corner of the south end zone
FOURTH QUARTER
Edm — TD Leake 51 run (Ford pass to Gittens Jr. for two-point convert) 4:00
Leake’s second rushing TD put him over 100 yards for the game
Sask — FG Lauther 37 8:24
Roughriders came close to a 29-yard TD catch by Ajou
Edm — TD Leake 61 run (Bede convert) 12:40
Leake began (and ended) two possessions with long TD runs on Saturday
Edm — TD Jones 19 pass from Ford (Bede convert) 13:28
Jones finished with three catches for 123 yards
Sask — TD Picton 23 pass from Patterson (Lauther convert) 15:00
Picton made a leaping catch in the end zone on the final play from scrimmage
