TORONTO — Two teams desperate for a victory square off on Friday night as the Edmonton Elks pay a visit to the Ottawa REDBLACKS at TD Place.
Edmonton comes into the game 0-3 after suffering a high scoring 43-31 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.
Ottawa should be well rested after a bye in Week 3. Their last game ended in a 26-15 home loss to Calgary.
Both teams will turn to new quarterbacks to try and spark their respective offences.
For the Elks it will be Jarret Doege making his first start of the season after looking good in relief of Taylor Cornelius on Sunday night. Doege completed 82 per cent of his passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns.
He’ll look downfield to a set of receivers that head coach Chris Jones hoped would be one of the top units in the league but has yet to fully find their stride.
Steven Dunbar Jr. and Vincent Forbes-Mombleau had strong performances against the Argos, bringing down 98 and 86 receiving yards, respectively.
Facing a REDBLACKS defence that has surrendered 593 pass yards through two games, it could be just what the Elks need to kickstart their pass game.
If they do break out, it will be without top receiver Eugene Lewis who is sidelined with a knee injury.
The passing game will need to be efficient given the Elks struggles with running the ball through three weeks.
While Kevin Brown will again see the majority of the carries, he’s yet to break the 60-yard mark in any game this season, a far cry from his impressive seven game stint a season ago.
Establishing good field position should give the offence confidence and C.J. Sims will attempt to build on his 181 yards on kickoff returns and 104 punt return yards against the Argos.
They may have given up 43 points in their last game, but the Elks defence allowed just 39 in their first two contests of the season.
And a rebound will be needed if they hope to fly back west with a win.
Defensive back Ed Gainey remains out but Loucheiz Purifoy has stepped up in his absence, pulling down a pair of interceptions a week ago. Kai Gray has also been good so far this season and will help anchor the secondary alongside Purifoy on Friday night.
Up front defensive lineman Jake Ceresna and A.C. Leonard will be applying pressure off the edge. They’ll be supported by linebackers Adam Konar and Nyles Morgan as the Elks aim to shut down the REDBLACKS offence and a run game that’s averaged just 48 yards on the ground through two games.
Despite a frustrating start to the season, Jones wants his team to leave their latest loss in the past and be ready for what’s to come.
“I would’ve lost my house betting that our record wouldn’t be where it’s at right now, but it is what it is,” Jones told goelks.com.
“We can sit around and cry about it all we want, we have a short week with an east coast travel, put that one to bed and start on Ottawa.”
With Jeremiah Masoli missing at least one more week, head coach Bob Dyce is turning the reigns over to Tyrie Adams for his first start of the season.
Adams saw action against the Stamps and completed nine of 17 passes for 129 yards.
Adams will hope star receiver Jaelon Acklin finds his form and gives him an additional threat as the REDBLACKS go up against an Edmonton team that has been respectable against the pass, allowing an average of 250.6 yards per game.
Much like their opponent, the REDBLACKS run game has been stifled so far this season.
Ante Milanovic-Litre will check in after dealing with an ankle injury to provide a different look.
Adams isn’t afraid to use his legs and will do so in support of Milanovic-Litre, Jackson Bennett and De’Montre Tuggle.
The ground attack will be without Devonte Williams who remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
The injuries continue in the return game as DeVonte Dedmon is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
Watch for the REDBLACKS defensive front, led by defensive linemen Bryce Carter, Lorenzo Mauldin and Kene Onyeka, to make Doege uncomfortable in the pocket. Mauldin brings a pair of sacks into the game and Carter has one.
Coming off the bye, Onyeka is excited to get back on the field and build on his performance from Week 1 that saw him record two tackles, one of which was for a loss.
“My main goal is never to take a step backward,” Onyeka told ottawaredblacks.com.
“You hope to be able to make the jump and be an All-Star, maybe the Most Outstanding Defensive Player, but that’s not always realistic. The only thing you can control is your effort, and once you start doing the right things every single day, you can only get better.”
The pressure will surely continue behind the line as linebacker Douglas Coleman II has three sacks and is a threat when the ball goes in the air, as well.
Still without defensive back Sherrod Baltimore, Hakeem Bailey and Abdul Kanneh will join Coleman in containing an Elks receiving corps that’s looking for a break out performance.
The Elks and REDBLACKS are both seeking to get their season turned around as they open up play on the Canada Day long weekend.
Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
