The Edmonton Elks are making a final and desperate push towards a playoff spot in the CFL.
At 4-10, the task is going to difficult, but the Elks are adding a big offensive weapon on Saturday for their home game against the Montreal Alouettes.
Edmonton Elks head coach Chris Jones says Saturday’s game is another must-win scenario for his team
https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=CORU3501495112
Leading receiver Kenny Lawler will return to the lineup after missing the last three games with an ankle injury.
Lawler leads the Elks with 849 receiving yards, which is good for ninth in the CFL. Lawler has five touchdown receptions. Lawler will look add to an offence which seems to be trending in the upward direction over their last five games. The Elks are averaging 24 points per game and 339 yards of offence.
Quarterback Taylor Cornelius has thrown for five touchdown passes and only one interception. He’s completed five passes of 30 yards or more, compared to six completions in his first six starts.
Dillon Mitchell has a catch of over 30 yards in each of his last four games.
Derel Walker has recorded back-to-back 100-yard receiving games for the first time since 2018.
Running back Kevin Brown has recorded 245 yards in his first three games of his CFL career and has recorded a staggering 8.4-yard rushing average.
Edmonton Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius says the team simply has to win games regardless of the Riders do in their games
https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=CORU3039984433
The Elks will look to bring some of their play on the road — where they are 4-4 this season — to their home game at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
The Elks erased a 10-point deficit to beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 26-24 on Sept. 16 in Regina.
The Riders are the team the Elks are chasing in the race for the crossover spot in the Eastern Division.
The Elks will look to avoid setting a new CFL record with a 15th straight loss at home. The Elks haven’t won back-to-back games since the 2019 season.
Edmonton Elks defensive back Duron Carter says his team is ready for another important game on Saturday vs. MTL
https://playlist.megaphone.fm?e=CORU4463887736
Kenny Lawler isn’t the only player making his return from injury on Saturday. Linebacker Tre Watson will play his first game since July 14. Because of a knee injury, Watson missed the Elks’ last eight games.
Fellow linebacker Nyles Morgan has been dealing with a nagging groin injury since training camp and the injury will place Morgan on the six-game injured list.
Receiver/quarterback Kai Locksley will return after missing the last game with a shoulder injury, while quarterback Mike Beaudry has been placed on the team’s practice roster.
The following are the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Elks:
Offence
Quarterback: Taylor Cornelius
Running back: Kevin Brown (Fullback: Tanner Green)
Offensive line: Martez Ivey, David Foucault, Mark Korte, Tomas Jack-Kurdyla, Andrew Garnett
Receivers: Dillon Mitchell, Kenny Lawler, Jalin Marshall, Derel Walker, Vincent Forbes-Mombleau
Defence
Defensive line: Avery Ellis, J-Min Pelley, Jake Ceresna, Matt Thomas
Linebackers: Adam Konar, Tre Watson, Enock Makanzo
Defensive backs: Ed Gainey, Treston Decound, Scott Hutter, Jeff Richards, Duron Carter
You can hear live coverage of the Elks and Alouettes on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kickoff with Brenden Escott at 12:30 p.m.
The opening kickoff on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium will be at 2 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell with analysis by former Edmonton Football Team offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott. David Boles will be reporting from the sidelines.