EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks will be looking for their second win in as many week as they play host to the Calgary Stampeders to kickoff Week 5 on Thursday night.
Edmonton’s 14-point fourth quarter helped to secure their first win of the season in a 29-25 win over Hamilton in Week 4.
Calgary is coming off a bye week and will be putting their 3-0 record on the line when they travel to Commonwealth Stadium.
Elks’ rookie quarterback Tre Ford made his first career CFL start in Week 4, Ford completed 15 passes for 159 yards in the win. In the fourth quarter the former University of Waterloo standout connected with veteran receiver Kenny Lawler for his first career touchdown pass.
Ford also led the Elks rushing effort, carrying the ball six times for a team-high 61 yards.
The young pivot will once again lead the Elks from under-centre and will matchup against a Stampeders defence that has allowed 300.3 passing yards per game.
Edmonton’s trio of play-making receivers in Kenny Lawler, Derel Walker and Emmanuel Arceneaux combined for 10 catches and 112 yards in the win and should once again see targets early and often as Ford continues to grow in the Elks offence.
Ford understands the importance of not doing too much and helping his teammates into positions where they can make plays.
“Athletically, going out and running I think I have that one down,” Ford told goelks.com. “I just want to continue to go over the reads and get the ball to our athletes and let them make the plays.”
On Thursday, he’ll get his first taste of the Battle of Alberta, but the Canadian pivot is trying to approach the game like any other.
“Personally, I’m still pretty new here but I guess I have to get used to being in Edmonton,” said Ford. “I’m just going to prepare for them like a regular game, you don’t want to get too high over anything. I’m just going to try and stay mentally right and competitive.”
While listed as a quarterback on the roster, Kai Locksley continues to use his versatile skillset to find ways to contribute to the Edmonton offensive attack. In their Week 4 matchup with the Ticats he caught an 18 yard pass and rushed five times, scoring a touchdown.
On the ground in Edmonton, it will continue to be a backfield by committee as starting running back James Wilder Jr. will be unavailable for the game. Ford, Locksley, Ante Milanovic-Litre and Sherman Badie will all be asked to provide offence in the run game.
Milanovic-Litre had four carries for 34 yards in the win over Hamilton, while Badie rushed six times for 32 yards.
The Elks defence took full advantage of the interceptions thrown by Hamilton’s Dane Evans, as linebackers Brady Sheldon and Matthew Thomas both picked off a pass. It was the first two interceptions for the Elks this season.
Defensive backs Jalen Collins, Nafees Lyon, Scott Hutter and the rest of the Elks secondary will look to continue the momentum against Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stamps’ offence. However, it won’t be an easy task, as Mitchell has thrown only two interceptions on 104 passing attempts.
Edmonton’s Collins may not have an interception on the year, he did force a fumble and returned it for the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Ticats.
The last time the Stampeders took the field was in a Week 3 against the Elks. Mitchell completed 21 of his 28 passes, throwing for 321 yards and a touchdown in the 30-23 win.
On the receiving end, it was Malik Henry who brought down six passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. The Stamps receiving group of Henry, Reggie Begelton, Luther Hakunavanhu and Kamar Jorden will need to find a way to make plays against an Elks defence that has allowed the third-fewest passing yards per game, averaging 261.8.
However, this week the Stamps will be without receiver Richie Sindani, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
If the options to make plays aren’t available through the air, running back Ka’Deem Carey will be relied on against an Elks team that has surrendered a league worst average of 148 rushing yards per game. In three games this season, Carey has been handed the ball 34 times, rushing for 165 yards and three touchdowns.
Pressuring the quarterback will be crucial for the Calgary defence against an Edmonton quarterback who is set to make only his second professional start. The Stampeders defensive unit have been able to generate six sacks and five interceptions this season.
Defensive lineman Shawn Lemon has three of those sacks and will be attempting to make the Elks rookie quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket. In the first meeting with the Green and Gold, Calgary’s defence sacked Nick Arbuckle twice.
When putting the ball in the air, Ford will need to keep an eye on linebacker Jameer Thurman, who has picked off two passes in three games. Linebacker Cameron Judge, defensive lineman Mike Rose and defensive back Titus Wall all have added an interception each.
Wall sees himself as someone who can make an impact every game, and will need to continue to do so on Thursday night for his team to be successful.
“I always want to consider myself a playmaker but I really pride myself on effort,” Wall told stampeders.com. “I like to go all-out effort on every single play and when you have all-out effort, the plays will come, the plays will take care of themselves.”
Reflecting on the first three weeks, he’s been happy with his team’s defensive play but says there’s still more in the tank.
“We’ve played well but we can be a lot better for sure,” said Wall. “There’s a lot more things that we can learn and apply to the field. There’s a lot more experience to gain. But as of right now we’ve been on the right track but there’s a lot more we can do.”
Edmonton will look to build on their first win of the season and try to settle the score with Calgary on Thursday. The Stampeders, meanwhile, are looking to move to a perfect 4-0 with a second straight win over their provincial rival.
