Edmonton returner Javon Leake returns an 80-yard punt return for a touchdown against the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday night.
The Edmonton Elks (4-6) visited TD Place Stadium on Friday night against the Ottawa Redblacks (3-8). Dustin Crum started for the Redblacks, filling in for Dru Brown as he was out with a knee injury. For Edmonton, they had no majority injuries coming into this game.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Edmonton had the ball on the 41-yard line. Running back Justin Rankin had two carries for seven yards, and quarterback Cody Fajardo threw five passes for 36 yards to the 26-yard line. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 33-yard field goal to put the Elks up 3-0 with 4:58 left.
Edmonton’s defense tackled Ottawa running back William Stanback for a three-yard loss, and quarterback Dustin Crum rushed for five yards to the 42-yard line.
After a holding penalty took away a single point, punter Richie Leone punted the ball 57 yards to Javon Leake. Leake returned the ball for 11 yards to the 32-yard line. Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the four-yard line to close out the first quarter up 3-0.
Edmonton’s offense had 130 yards (103 yards passing, 27 yards rushing), and Ottawa’s offense had 36 yards (38 yards passing, 2 yards rushing, 4 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Edmonton running Jevon Leake rushed for three yards, and quarterback Cody Fajardo finished it off with a touchdown. The Elks extended their lead to 10-0 with 13:59 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 78 yards.
Later, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 34-yard line before the drive stalled. On third down, Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball 46 yards to Javon Leake. Leake had an open field in front of him plus a couple of blocks to score an 80-yard touchdown. The Elks led 17-0 with 11:27 left.
Edmonton’s offense got the ball again on the 21-yard line. They gained 32 yards to the 53-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Cody Fajardo’s pass intended for Steven Dunbar Jr. was intercepted by Ottawa linebacker Ayinde Eley. He returned it for 15 yards to the 52-yard line with 5:11 left.
Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum began the drive by throwing a 17-yard pass to William Stanback. Next, Stanback rushed for six yards to the 29-yard line. On the next play, Crum threw the ball to Keelan White, who ran for 28 yards to the one-yard line. However, he was injured after the play. Crum finished the drive off with a touchdown. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 17-7 with 2:42 left to cap off a four-play drive for 52 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 25-yard line. Cody Fajardo was sacked by Blessman Ta’ala for an 18-yard loss to bring up third down. Kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a field goal, but it did not matter as they were penalized for a time count violation, backing them up 10 yards, and punted the ball on the next play.
Edmonton’s offense would get one last opportunity to add more points before halftime. They moved the ball to the 24-yard line. Kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 31-yard field goal. The Elks led the Redblacks 20-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Edmonton’s offense had 226 yards (178 yards passing, 66 yards rushing, 18 yards lost), 15 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 16 of 21 passes (76.2%) for 178 yards, one interception, three carries for 37 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Jevon Leake had three carries for 23 yards, and Justin Rankin had three carries for six yards and two catches for 29 yards. Fullback Tanner Green made three catches for 33 yards, and wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. made two catches for 27 yards. The defense made three tackles for loss and two sacks.
Ottawa’s offense had 130 yards (104 yards passing, 33 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 7 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 8 of 9 passes (88%) for 104 yards, four carries for 21 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back William Stanback had four carries for 10 yards and one catch for 17 yards. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made two catches for 38 yards, while Keelan White made one catch for 28 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa’s offense started the third quarter on the 17-yard line. Quarterback Dustin Crum threw two passes to start the drive for 26 yards to the 43-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 19-yard line. On the next play, Crum threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Andre Miller. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 20-14 with 10:43 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 93 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa’s offense was on the 13-yard line. Running back William Stanback had two carries for 11 yards to start the drive. Quarterback Dustin Crum threw two passes for 35 yards, plus a defensive pass interference penalty on Edmonton which moved the ball to the 25-yard line as the third quarter came to an end. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 20-14.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum rushed for 11 yards to the 14-yard line. On the next play, Edmonton linebacker Noah Taylor sacked Crum for an eight-yard loss, backing them up on the 22-yard line. It was Taylor’s second sack of the night. Crum threw the ball to Anthony Gosselin for 10 yards to the 12-yard line, bringing up third down. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 20-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 20-17 with 12:26 left.
Edmonton’s offense was on the 42-yard line. They moved the ball to the six-yard line, where Justin Rankin finished it off with a touchdown. The Elks extended their lead to 27-17 with 7:40 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 18-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 26-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Elks 27-20 with 2:51 left.
On the second play for Edmonton, quarterback Cody Fajardo was tackled by Daniel Okpoko. Unfortunately, Okpoko suffered an injury after the play. He was loaded into an ambulance and taken to a local hospital. As of this writing, there was no update on his condition.
Edmonton’s offense moved the ball to the 27-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Vincent Blanchard put the game away with a 35-yard field goal. The Elks defeated the Redblacks 30-20 for their third win in a row.
Final Stats:
Edmonton’s offense had 360 yards (270 yards passing, 117 yards rushing, 27 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 49 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 22 of 28 passes (78.6%) for 270 yards, one interception, five carries for 57 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Justin Rankin had 14 carries for 36 yards, one rushing touchdown, and five catches for 58 yards. Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made six catches for 71 yards, and Steven Dunbar Jr. made two catches for 27 yards. The defense made 46 tackles, three tackles for loss, and three sacks.
Ottawa’s offense had 371 yards (277 yards passing, 109 yards rushing, 15 yards lost), 22 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 23 of 29 passes (79.3%) for 277 yards, one touchdown, 10 carries for 59 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back William Stanback had nine carries for 48 yards. Wide receiver Keelan White made five catches for 58 yards, while Andre Miller made three catches for 54 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 42 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception.
Next week, the Edmonton Elks visit the Calgary Stampeders on Monday at 6 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.