Not even a lengthy weather delay could prevent the Edmonton Elks from ending their long losing streak Thursday night against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton.
Tre Ford, who notched his first career win against the Ticats last summer, engineered three impressive scoring drives in the first half as the Elks improved to 1-9 by beating Hamilton 24-10 at Tim Hortons Field.
The loss drops the Cats to 3-6 after what was an underwhelming performance coming off their second bye week of the season. The defeat also comes after the Cats dismissed offensive coordinator Tommy Condell and handed the play calling duties to senior assistant coach Scott Milanovich.
The Elks dominated the first half using a ball control offence and a couple of big plays in front of an announced crowd of 20,912.
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Ford threw for 127 yards and two touchdowns to former Ticats receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. while backup QB Taylor Cornelius added a one-yard TD plunge as Edmonton went into the break with a 21-9 lead.
Ford ended the game 13-for-18 for 174 yards and added five carries for 60 rushing yards.
Minutes after the Tiger-Cats held a halftime ceremony to add receiver Darren Flutie onto the team’s Wall of Honour the skies opened up above Tim Hortons Field.
The Canadian Football League announced a weather delay just after 9 p.m. as a storm system brought lighting and torrential rain to the city which caused the game to be delayed until 10:35 p.m.
Making his third career start, Ticats rookie QB Taylor Powell completed 13 of 14 passes in the first half for 125 yards and ended the game 20-for-26 for 217 passing yards. He was also sacked seven times by the Elks’ defence. Hamilton had just one sack on the night by defensive tackle Casey Sayles.
It was a very difficult game for Marc Liegghio. The Ticats kicker made only one of his four field goal attempts and also missed a convert, leaving 10 points on the field.
Dean Faithful booted an 18 yard field goal with 8:53 to play in the fourth quarter, Edmonton’s only points after the break, as the Elks outscored Hamilton 3-1 in the second half.
The Elks had lost their last 13 games dating back to last year, which equals a club record that was established in 1963-64. The Hamilton Wildcats hold the record for most consecutive losses with 16 from 1948 to 1949.
Hamilton next plays Aug. 26 when they visit the B.C. Lions in Vancouver.
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