Saturday’s 27-14 loss at home to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers saw the Edmonton Elks tie their own season low for points scored in a game, and the football club will have a different quarterback starting when the two teams square off against one another in Friday’s rematch in Manitoba.
Elks head coach Jarious Jackson announced this week that McLeod Bethel-Thompson will start at quarterback Friday after Tre Ford threw two interceptions and recorded a fumble in a game that saw other Elks players turn the ball over too.
“We can’t have six turnovers in a game,” Jackson told reporters. “There has to be consistent play at that position. That’s the most important position on the field.”
Saturday’s game marked Ford’s first start after being sidelined for several weeks with a rib injury. The young pivot finished the game with 10 completions on 17 passing attempts and 131 yards.
“Obviously I didn’t play super well. It’s kind of just how it goes,” Ford said.
“(I) didn’t perform well enough. Next man up.”
The dynamic young quarterback took over as the starting pivot earlier this year after the Elks got off to an 0-7 start. When Ford was injured, Bethel-Thompson put together a 3-1 record in the four starts he received when thrust back into the starting role.
“(The coaches) make the decision and we have got to roll with it,” Ford said of not playing in the rematch against the Bombers. “So hopefully it’s the right decision.
“Hopefully we’ll be able to win this week.”
Bethel-Thompson told reporters this week that the key to success against the Bombers on offence will be the Elks’ efficiency on first downs.
“You have to be able to run the ball and pass the ball efficiently on first down,” he said, noting Winnipeg’s defensive backs communicate well, making second-and-long situations even more difficult.
“This is not personal,” Jackson said of his decision to replace Ford with the elder Bethel-Thompson on Friday. “I love every guy in that quarterback room.
“It’s about winning football games, and that’s my job: to make tough decisions to win football games.”
The Elks currently sport a 5-9 record and sit in fourth place in the CFL’s West Division but remain in the playoff race. The Bombers are in first place in the west with an 8-6 record.
The Elks have gone 3-4 on the road this season while the Bombers have gone 5-2 at home.
— with files from Global News’ Slav Kornik