As Elks quarterback Tre Ford was about to start his post-game media availability, Toronto Argonauts basic supervisor Mike “Pinball” Clemons” poked his head into the Edmonton gamers’ lounge.
He pointed at Ford and referred to as out, “I really like you, man.”
Even Ford’s opponents admired how the Canadian quarterback rallied Edmonton to a 31-30 extra time win over the Argos Friday at Commonwealth Stadium. It was a sport that meant nothing within the CFL standings, however, for Ford, the sport supplied him an opportunity to showcase himself to the league. The previous first-round draft choose is just not below contract for subsequent season.
Ford handed for 325 yards and three touchdowns, and added 81 yards dashing in solely three quarters of labor. Jarret Doege performed the second quarter in a deliberate rotation.
“The fourth quarter was phenomenal,” stated Ford. “We had been in a position to go down and get (three) essential touchdowns that had been enormous. It gave us the chance to win the sport.”
Jake Julien’s 54-yard punt sailed over the top zone for a uncommon game-winning rouge.
“I believed perhaps we had a shot at catching it and kicking it again out,” stated Argos’ coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “We had a plan for it, however, yeah, he hit it lengthy.”
“I checked out Jake and stated, ‘Are you able to kick it out of the again of the endzone?’” stated Elks head coach Jarious Jackson. And the response? “Gotcha.”
“I trusted him, I believed in him, I see him kick it every single day.”
The Elks capitalized on large performs and a strong operating sport to beat an 11-point deficit within the fourth quarter through the common season finale for each groups.
Get breaking Nationwide information
For information impacting Canada and around the globe, join breaking information alerts delivered on to you once they occur.
Ford led the Elks (7-11) on a 90-yard, two-play drive within the closing minute to finish a wild fourth quarter. After a 50-yard bomb to Eugene Lewis, he related with Zach Mathis on a 40-yard landing play. It was Mathis’s first CFL landing. After the additional level, the Elks had a 30-27 lead.
However Lirim Hajrullahu hit a game-tying subject purpose for the Argos because the fourth quarter expired, sending the sport to extra time.
The Elks entered the ultimate quarter trailing 20-9.
After a four-yard landing catch by Eugene Lewis introduced the Elks to inside 5, Ford led the Elks on a 98-yard drive, highlighted by a 71-yard move play to Jerminic Smith. It was punctuated by a 10-yard landing run by Justin Rankin.
Lewis completed the sport with 88 yards receiving, boosting him to 1,070 on the season. Lewis might have performed his closing sport as an Elk, as he completed up a two-year deal that paid him $320,000 a season.
Lewis additionally caught a landing for the eighth straight sport, a workforce report. The CFL report is 10, set by Calgary’s Terry Evanshen in 1967-68.
“I needed to sit again and actually give it some thought,” stated Lewis. “That is my soccer profession. Even like in highschool and school and stuff like that, it’s onerous as a receiver to get three touchdowns in a row. To attain in simply three video games in a row — that’s powerful. To get eight? That’s wonderful.”
However the Argos snatched the lead again on Deonta McMahon’s second landing of the sport, a nine-yard move from quarterback Nick Arbuckle.
The Argos (10-8) received 122 yards receiving from Makai Polk and Jake Herslow caught his first profession landing move.
For Polk, the massive night time allowed him to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark on the season. He completed the marketing campaign with 1,024.
Herslow laid out to catch a 29-yard landing move from Nick Arbuckle within the second quarter, and completed with 55 yards on the night time.
Arbuckle, a former Elk, entered the sport within the second quarter and threw for 378 yards. Second-stringer Cameron Dukes performed the primary quarter for the Argos earlier than hurting his ankle. Dinwiddie selected to relaxation No. 1 quarterback Chad Kelly forward of their Jap semifinal date subsequent week in opposition to the Ottawa Redblacks.
With the sport having no bearing on the standings for the Argos, the workforce additionally rested its prime operating again, Ka’Deem Carey.
They began Tre Ford at quarterback regardless of him not being below contract for 2025. Within the first quarter, he evaded a blitz and threw a 67-yard landing strike to operating again Javon Leake, who snuck uncovered out of the backfield.
Leake, who additionally had an 88-yard run early within the third quarter, completed with 128 dashing yards.
Dinwiddie couldn’t relaxation the entire Argo regulars, due to CFL roster sizes and salary-cap concerns. So, Argos followers will sweat the situation of broad receiver Damonte Coxie, who limped off within the second quarter after taking a tough hit to the hip from Elks’ linebacker Nick Anderson.
He didn’t return.
With 10 tackles, Anderson tied B.C.’s Barrin Simpson’s CFL report of 116 tackles by a rookie.
Whereas Ford is dissatisfied with one other misplaced season for the Elks, he famous that 7-11 is rather a lot higher than the 4-14 of 2023. After which he gave Elks followers a glimmer of hope.
“I feel it’s positively a step in the appropriate course. And I can’t wait to see the place issues go.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press
