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Halloween is fast-approaching, and the Edmonton Elks were looking to scare the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at IG Field before the end of the season.

   Unfortunately for the Elks, the only real scare was against their own fanbase in the final game of the Regular Season for the EE. We'll discuss the game, one last loss, in our final edition of The Turnover.

GAME DAY VIBES  

  On a day where most other CFL fanbases were getting ready for the playoffs, the Green and Gold faithful were preparing for yet another early off-season, ourselves included. While we had planned to go to a wedding on Game Day, I had caught either a stomach big or food poison which basically ruined any and all plans I had. Once the reality of missing the wedding sunk in, I realized that I would have to watch the game and hope for the best, much like every other Elks fan.

GAME TIME

   The 2023 Edmonton Elks have been notorious for their hot starts and cold finishes, so we were hoping for a quick touchdown or some form of fire to finish the season in style. Instead, the Elks found the Winnipeg Blue Bombers running the ball with ease. First a rushing touchdown by RB Brady Oliveira, and then an Adam Bighill pick-six after Elks QB Tre Ford fumbled the ball while being taken down. The Elks would answer back with Ford throwing to WR Emmanuel Arcenueax who took off after the catch, going down in the redzone. After taking a big hit at the 1-yard line, QB Taylor Cornelius punched the ball through for a 14-7 game with the Point After Touchdown, making his 7th rushing touchdown of the season. Kicker Dean Faithfull would finish the quarter with a field goal to cut the deficit to 4, 14-10 the score.

   The second quarter saw a battle for field position between the Elks and Bombers. After some solid defensive play from both teams, Winnipeg started to break down the Elks with their arsenal of talented players, spearheaded by QB Zach Collaros. Winnipeg was able to get former Elks kicker Sergio Castillo into field goal position and with ease, earned the 3 points with a steady boot. After another stalled drive by the Elks, the Bombers utilized recievers Kenny Lawler, Drew Wolitarsky and runningback Oliveira to score another touchdown, making the score 24-10. With resilience, Tre Ford and company managed to answer back with a long drive of their own. Featuring mad scrambles, a crazy catch or two by Geno Lewis, a defensive pass interference AND a run-in touchdown by Cornelius, the Elks cut the lead to 24-17 going into halftime.

   The third quarter saw the Elks stall out yet again this season. In attempting to fend off the Blue Bombers from scoring, Edmonton managed a Rouge, courtesy of punter Jake Julien. Not long after, Winnipeg's offensive team went to work, dispatching the likes of Oliveira and WR Rasheed Bailey to secure another touchdown to make the score 31-18. With the win in sight and the Elks unable to string a drive together, Winnipeg put their backup QB Dru Brown into the game.  

  The fourth quarter saw much of the same game, the inevitable score tilted away from the Elks, except for one very special moment that was years in the making. After ending the third with a miraculous throw into redzone territory, Winnipeg's Brown found WR Gregg McRae for another touchdown. After the ensuing kickoff, Edmonton newcomer Devontez Alexander returned the ball for a touchdown, ending an 8-year drought that is commonly referred to as "The Curse Of Gizmo", in reference to long-time EE Kick-Return Legend Henry "Gizmo" Williams. Even though the fate of the game seemed to be sealed for the Elks, this moment will surely be remembered as it's their first kick-return touchdown under the new name.

   The Elks tried to advance the score further than that, but failed to gain any momentum from the moment, ending the night with a 45-25 loss against the Grey Cup contending Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

FOR FANS FROM FANS

   I think we all expected the loss on this one. While an underdog, hail mary attempt at a win would have been great, the Elks simply are not ready to defeat the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg. The Green and Gold had a chance of winning at home after the "Bye Week of Changes", but the film has been out there for a while now and teams know how to prepare for revamped EE offense. Tre's scramble combined with the inconsistent offensive line became a predictable play for the opposition after his third start at quarterback. Ford performed some great passes in this game and the chemistry with recievers such as Kyran Moore and Geno Lewis will only grow as long as the majority of the recieving corps returns. The defense struggled against Winnipeg's run game and recievers, losing many 50/50 balls and taking some brutal penalties. We'll go into depth on what this team needs in order to become a contender in a future article, but Tre Ford becoming a pass-first quarterback under a steady offensive line will be critical if the Elks want to improve next year. For now, we all sit and watch the other fanbases have fun without us, a familiar feeling after a third lost season.

ON TAP: THE OFF-SEASON

   The Edmonton Elks are officially going into the off-season with more questions to answer, from the organization to the turf. The Elks Herd will keep you updated throughout the off-season via our social media, @TheElksHerd, and our website shotgunsportsnetwork.ca .

   We thank you for reading our weekly articles. We greatly appreciate each and every sports fan that reads and enjoys our content. As you may have figured out, this is our final edition of The Turnover. We will be bringing an improved weekly recap to sports fans in 2024, making this run of articles a single series.

   Stay tuned for more articles including analytics, deep dives and Stories From Section X!