Preseason Football is always special; Fans flock to the 9 CFL stadiums to watch games that mean nothing in the standings, yet everything for their team's development.

Speaking of development, the Edmonton Elks needed to show their fans some form of progress from last year's 4-14 record, a sentiment on repeat for the last 2 seasons. This year feels different, however, and with the multiple changes on and off the turf, the Double E look like they are ready for an exciting 75th Season.

TAILGATE REPORT

Elks fans returned to Commonwealth Stadium to a much different Tailgate Party compared to last year. With Lot B now hosting the expanded pre-game event, we arrived at our new stall #182 at 11:15 AM, only to discover that we had forgotten our Tailgate BBQ. Rookie mistake, but another repeat performance from The Elks Herd as last year we forgot our table, forcing us to BBQ off our truck's Tailgate in true fashion. Once we returned to the party at 11:50AM, we quickly set up our tent and cooked the first Herdy's menu item of the season, Smoked Breakfast Sausage Hotdogs. We managed to serve around 15 customers in what was a half-full Tailgate Party, very similar to last year's numbers. Thankfully we met some new neighbours and even saw some of our old friends, making our trial run for the season a great success. Like the Elks, The Elks Herd ran a soft tailgate setup compared to what fans will see at the first Regular Season game at Commonwealth.

GAME TIME

With jobs on the line and chemistry still building, the Elks took the field against a familiar rival in the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the home team fielding starting roster players versus the away team's backups. Fans in attendance were eager to get a sneak preview of the many newcomers to the team, especially starting quarterback McLeod Bethel Thompson.

The Elks starting defense took control of the field early in the first quarter, shutting down the Roughriders with Mason Fine at pivot in a 3rd and 1 scenario. After claiming possession, the Elks went to work with MBT completing a pass to his former Toronto Argonauts teammate Kurleigh Gittens Junior. Once the drive stalled, Boris Bede, another former Argonaut, kicked the ball through the uprights for an early 3-0 lead.

After some back-and-forth between the two teams, the Elks worked their way into scoring position again, thanks to critical catches by KGJ and Deontez Alexander, but once again Bede would be the player to score, an early 6-0 lead thanks to a field goal.

The Elks starting defence looked very good in the first quarter, shutting down Saskatchewan on multiple critical plays. The Elks looked like they were making the very same progress that fans were hoping for, right up until Javon Leake fumbled a punt, resulting in a Saskatchewan touchdown. 7-6 to end the quarter.

The Green and Gold would drive the ball up the field to secure another field goal, this time Dean Faithfull with a shorter distance to work with. Despite some great defensive play from Edmonton, quarterback Mason Fine was able to get Saskatchewan close to scoring range. The defense stood tall, however, and the Elks regained possession, only to have a critical Eugene Lewis catch blocked by a defender. In typical insult-to-injury fashion, MBT fumbled the ball off a Riders hit right after the snap, resulting in a Saskcatchewan touchdown on the ensuing drive, 14-9 the score.

MBT wouldn't let himself feel down about the offensive breakdown, going right back to work with a massive throw down the middle of the field to reciever Gavin Cobb, helping the Elks inch closer to the goal line. With a successful pass to Lewis, the Elks seemed like they had an additional 3 points, but a failed Faithfull field goal would result in a single through the endzone, 14-10.

Edmonton's defense really started to shine in the third quarter, putting together a great performance consisting of sacks and even hits that resulted in missed catches for the Riders. All signs seemed positive until Bethel-Thompson tried to get the ball into the hands of Lewis once again, but instead fans found the Riders making the catch due to a strange bounce off of Lewis' hands, resulting in a Pick-Six for the Green and White. 21-10 with just over a minute left.

After a successful kickoff return by Malik Flowers, Lewis and MBT would find redemption with a play that would get the Elks into Faithfull range yet again, ending the half with a score of 21-13.

The second half opened up with the Green and Gold switching quarterbacks, Tre Ford returning to pivot for the first time this year. Ford seemingly had a run-and-gun touchdown pass to Flowers, only for it to be taken away by the on-field officials. While the call on the field may have been challengable, the game went on and the Elks would settle for another field goal, 21-16 the result.

After some more spectacular defensive play from Edmonton, Ford was able to find Gavin Cobb and Hergy Mayala down field to construct their first touchdown drive of the year, giving the Elks a lead of 23-21 to end the third quarter.

The fourth quarter would see even more from the Elks defensive starters, only allowing another 3 points to Riders kicker Brett Lauther. With Ford still in at pivot, the Elks looked to be marching back with the score at 24-23, when yet another offensive turnover to give Saskatchewan possession. If fans weren't familiar with the term "ball security" before the game, they certainly are now. After a missed field goal on the ensuing drive, the Elks with Jarrett Doege at pivot were able to get kicker Vincent Blanchard into scoring range, resulting in a boot to give. Edmonton the lead at 25-26. Not for long however, because Flowers would fumble the ball on the kickoff, giving the Elks defence the tall task of stopping a Riders touchdown with just over a minute left. The Riders would score only a field goal, and with time running out on the clock, Doege and company managed to get close but not within an accurate range for Blanchard, and the team would fall at home to give Saskatchewan their second win in their CFL Preseason, a 28-27 affair with extremely low offensive stats for the Roughriders.