For the first time in years, the Edmonton Elks were televised in a Preseason Game as the away team. Unfortunately, the home team was the BC Lions, a club that has dominated the Elks in Regular Season for the last couple years. With nothing to play for in the standings but everything to play for on the roster, the team of Elks backups and hopefuls travelled to Vancouver with hopes of securing an elusive win in BC Place.
GAME DAY VIBES
While Preseason does feel much different than Regular Season, the storylines were aplenty for the Edmonton Elks. Fielding a team consisting of mostly backups, a win wasn't expected but some standout performances were. With excitement and some nerves, we tuned in to the game on TV and settled in to see which players would make a case to earn a spot on the Green and Gold roster.
GAME RECAP
THE FAN SIDE
On the latest episode of The Elks Call, I had predicted a 21-9 score, favouring the BC Lions simply due to the fact that the Lions were playing most of their starters vs the Elks backups. When you consider BC's multiple shutouts against Edmonton in 2023, it was easy to expect an Elks loss in this game. Penalties hurt the Elks throughout the game with 11 for 107 yards, a complete reversal from the 2 penalties we saw last week.
On offense, Edmonton's stats were doubled by the Lions, only producing 197 Net Offensive Yards to BC's 418. This may have been due to the Doege injury in the 2nd quarter, as Malik Henry came into the game earlier than expected but in doing so, he struggled to find momentum for the rest of night. The Elks tried out potential short-yardage quarterback Cole McDonald in a 1st-and-1 scenario midway through the 3rd quarter, but unfortunately the experiment didn't work and the Elks found themselves on defense at the 1 yard line, giving fans flashbacks of last year's Home Opener.
Edmonton did show some positive signs, especially on defense where 3 different Elks managed to intercept BC's passes, each in different quarters. KiShawn Walker, Kordell Jackson and Kyle Cass made the looming cut-down day a tough one for Head Coach Chris Jones and company. Out of the three players mentioned, Walker had the best outing with 3 defensive tackles in addition to his interception. The Elks also registered the only quarterback sack of the game near the end of the 1st quarter, a 6 yard loss thanks to Leon O'Neal Jr. and the defensive line.
Special Teams showed great improvement from last game, even with a missed Point After Conversion on the lone Elks touchdown. Punter Jake Julien nailed a "coffin corner" or two, in addition to stopping a potential BC return touchdown near midfield. Julien was very busy on punting duties, registering 9 punts for 470 yards with an average of 52 yards per punt. Vincent Blanchard averaged 71 kicking yards on 2 kickoffs, and Dean Faithfull scored a 43-yard field goal near the end of the 3rd quarter. On return duties, no balls were fumbled or dropped, which was a major factor in last week's loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
NEXT UP: EDMONTON ELKS VS SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
The Edmonton Elks will be hosting the stubble jumpin' Saskatchewan Roughriders at Commonwealth Stadium for their 75th Home Opener, which will be a largely celebrated event for the team and their fans. 2024 is an important year for the organization, with an opportunity to tie the glory of the past to the present-day product both on and off the field. Warren Moon, Tom Wilkinson, Michael Reilly and many other EE Alumni members will be on hand to witness the milestone occasion, and with fans impatient for success, nothing could make next Saturday sweeter than an Elks win at Home.
Antler Up!
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