Shawn Bane Jr. threw three straight touchdown passes to help the Saskatchewan Roughriders pull away from the pack to win, beating the Edmonton Elks 29-21 on Saturday in Edmonton's Canadian Football League home opener.
Hergy Mayala scored two touchdowns for the Elks, who found themselves in an all too familiar situation: a home loss.
“It's tough when you're leading by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter at home and then basically punish yourself, fumble the ball and let someone beat you at home,” Elks head coach Chris Jones said. “We have to pass the ball better and pass it efficiently. We weren't able to establish a run today.”
The Elks opened the scoring on their first possession with a 17-yard field goal by Boris Bader. The Elks opened the second quarter with a punt and then capped it off with a touchdown with just over a minute left.
Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who played one season in the NFL after leading the Toronto Argos to the 2022 Grey Cup, threw a 22-yard pass to Mayala in the end zone to give Edmonton an 11-7 lead.
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Less than a minute later, the Roughriders seized upon a major drive when Elks running back Kevin Brown fumbled the ball at his own 16-yard line and was recovered by Jameer Thurman.
The turnover ultimately led to a one-yard touchdown run by AJ Ouellette, giving Saskatchewan a 22-21 lead.
The game was moved three hours early to avoid a conflict with Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final (Edmonton Oilers vs. Florida Panthers).
Saskatchewan missed the playoffs last season with a 6-12 record, while the Elks finished 4-14, tied with Ottawa for last place in the league.
The Elks are celebrating the 75th anniversary of Edmonton football with a huge celebration on Friday night featuring a host of former players, including legendary former quarterbacks like Warren Moon, Tom Wilkinson, Damon Allen, Tracy Hamm, Matt Dunnigan, Richie Ray and Mike Reilly.
Long-time equipment manager Dwayne Mandrusiak was added to EE’s wall of builders during the tournament.
The Elks will host the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, while the Roughriders will continue their road trip in Hamilton next Sunday.
© 2024 The Canadian Press
