When the third quarter ended during Monday’s Labour Day Classic in Calgary, the Elks enjoyed a 28-13 lead over the Stampeders. No one could of predicted what took place in the fourth quarter. The Elks were out-scored 22-3, and the Stampeders rallied for a 35-31 win.
As is the norm, there’s not a lot of time to dwell on the result during the first half of the Labour Day series as the two teams will play each other again five days later in the Labour Day rematch on Saturday from Commonwealth Stadium.
Elks head coach Chris Jones on dealing with the quick turnaround in the Labour Day series from a physical standpoint
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The focus this week for the Elks was to conserve energy and limit any sort of physical exertion. Playing two games in six days is difficult and there is not a lot of time for either side to make adjustments. Elks starting quarterback Tre Ford was asked if feels the team was able to maximize the time they did have to get ready for the rematch.
“I think we did, and playing the same team, we we’re able to make the adjustments here and there,” Ford said. “In a short week you can’t change everything, so definitely I feel we got done what we needed to get done, so I’m looking forward to playing this week.”
Elks quarterback Tre Ford is asked if he feels the team was able to make the proper adjustments in the short-time between Labour Day game and the rematch
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The Elks are 2-2 with Ford at quarterback, he ran for 135 yards in the loss and set a CFL record in the process for most rushing yards by a Canadian quarterback in a game.
Ford however didn’t enjoy the same success in the passing game, settling for 137 yards while throwing for one touchdown pass, his fifth touchdown pass of the season. Ford wasn’t able to stretch the field against the Stampeders defence, with his longest pass being 17 yards.
Ford did have two pass attempts of 20 yards or more but didn’t connect on either one. Stampeders quarterback Jake Maier was three-for-four on pass attempts of 20 yards or more, for 81 yards. Maier recorded his ninth 300-yard passing game in the victory.
The Elks rushed the football well on Monday, recording 239 yards, recording a 5.9-yard rushing average, including a 3.6-yard rushing average before contact, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Elks produced 13 runs for a first down and recorded seven runs of 10 yards or more and two runs of 20 yards or more.
On the flip-side, the Elks defence struggled again to contain the run allowing a 6.9-yard rushing average and 107 yards.
The last time the Elks won the Labour Day rematch was in 2018. The Stampeders have swept the Labour Day series in seven of the last 10 years. Saturday’s game will be the 34th edition of the Labour Day rematch.
The Elks will have three players return from injury on Saturday. Defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy returns after missing three games with a calf injury as will start at safety.
Offensive lineman David Foucault returns to start at left guard after missing Monday’s game with a back injury.
Defensive tackle J-Min Pelley will return to the lineup after missing the last six games with a calf injury. Defensive back Marloshawn Franklin will move to the one-game injured list with a hamstring injury.
Offensive lineman Phillip Grohovac has also been placed on the one-game injured list as a healthy scratch. Linebacker Jordan Reaves has been placed on the six-game injured list with a foot injury.
The following are the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Elks:
Offence
Quarterback: Tre Ford
Running back: Kevin Brown Fulback: Tanner Green
Offensive line: Martez Ivey, David Foucault, Mark Korte, Tomas Jack-Kurdyla, Brett Boyko
Receivers: Eugene Lewis, Steven Dunbar Jr., Manny Arceneaux, Dillon Mitchell, Kyran Moore
Defence
Defensive line: Jake Ceresna, Cole Nelson, Kony Ealy, A.C. Leonard
Linebackers: Adam Konar, Nyles Morgan, Mark McLaurin
Defensive backs: Marcus Lewis, Ed Gainey, Loucheiz Purifoy, Darrius Bratton, Kai Gray
You can hear live coverage of the Labour Day Rematch between the Elks and Stampeders Saturday on 630 CHED, starting with Countdown to Kickoff with Brenden Escott at 3:30 p.m. The opening kickoff from Commonwealth Stadium will be at 5 p.m with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. Hear analysis from former Edmonton Football Team offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott. David Boles will be reporting from the Elks sidelines.