REGINA — Vincent Blanchard was the hero on Thursday night, as the Edmonton Elks’ kicker converted a 57-yard field goal as the clock expired to to earn a 36-34 walk-off victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Week 8 action.
It was a back-and-forth affair in Regina as Cody Fajardo and Trevor Harris exchanged touchdowns with the Elks managing to come out on top in Week 8 action. In a battle of the top two defensive teams and top teams in the West, it was the veteran quarterbacks who put on a show, combining for 896 yards through the air. Billed as a defensive showdown, the game lived up to that expectation early, with the teams tied at 14 late in the first half. The offences took over from there, combining for 42 points over the remainder of the contest.
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Fajardo had an extremely efficient evening, completing 25 of his 32 passes on the night. The Elks’ signal-caller finished the night with a career-high 510 yards and added four touchdown passes with no interceptions. TJ Luther was Fajardo’s favourite target, registering 10 receptions for 157 yards.
Austin Mack was relatively quiet in the first half, totalling just one catch for 27 yards. The 28-year-old wideout was the big-play maestro in the second half though as Fajardo connected with the fourth-year receiver for two touchdowns of 57 and 81 yards. Mack finished the night with four receptions for 173 yards to go along with his two scores.
Blanchard went three-for-three on field goals and the Elks’ defence added to their league-leading turnover number, as Gavin Meyer got an interception to help move Edmonton to 6-1 on the season.
The Roughriders run defence took a page out of the BC Lions’ book as they were able to slow down Edmonton’s star tailback Justin Rankin. The main man in the Elks’ backfield was held to 39 yards on 12 carries. His running back partner Javon Leake wasn’t able to find much on the ground either, registering negative one yard on just one rushing attempt, but he did weave his way in for a 12-yard touchdown reception while also racking up 121 return yards.
Harris was airing it out at Mosaic Stadium, dotting deep balls all around the field to his elite trio of receivers. The 40-year-old quarterback went 26-for-36 registering 386 passing yards and four touchdown passes with one interception.
Kian Schaffer-Baker was Harris’ favourite target on the night, eclipsing a century in the first half receiving. The Canadian wideout moved into second spot on the CFL receiving yards leaderboard, trailing only Tyson Philpot from the Alouettes. Schaffer-Baker finished the night with eight receptions for a game-high 185 yards and one touchdown grab.
Samuel Emilus and KeeSean Johnson played complementing roles to Schaffer-Baker’s monster evening. Emilus produced 84 yards on eight receptions with a touchdown grab, while Johnson brought in seven passes for 88 yards while adding a score as well, as Harris found all three of his top receivers in the end zone on Thursday.
SCORING PLAYS
- Cody Fajardo 16-yard touchdown pass to Brendan O’Leary-Orange (10:41, Q1) | SSK 0 EDM 7
- Trevor Harris 56-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker (03:31, Q1) | SSK 7 EDM 7
- Trevor Harris eight-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Emilus (13:01, Q2) | SSK 14 EDM 7
- Cody Fajardo 12-yard touchdown pass to Javon Leake (10:44, Q2) | SSK 14 EDM 14
- Vincent Blanchard 38-yard field goal (02:04, Q2) | SSK 14 EDM 17
- Trevor Harris two-yard touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson (00:04, Q2) | SSK 21 EDM 17
- Vincent Blanchard 33-yard field goal (09:17, Q3) | SSK 21 EDM 20
- Cody Fajardo 57-yard touchdown pass to Austin Mack (03:40, Q3) | SSK 21 EDM 27
- Trevor Harris seven-yard touchdown pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby (14:49, Q4) | SSK 28 EDM 27
- Cody Fajardo 81-yard touchdown pass to Austin Mack (13:58, Q4) | SSK 28 EDM 33
- Alex Hale 48-yard field goal (07:34, Q4) | SSK 31 EDM 33
- Alex Hale 11-yard field goal (01:46, Q4) | SSK 34 EDM 33
- Vincent Blanchard 57-yard field goal (00:00, Q4) | SSK 34 EDM 36
NEXT UP
These two teams will finish off a home-and-home in Week 9 as the Roughriders head west to Edmonton for a rematch of this Week 8 tilt, their second meeting of the 2026 season. Week 10 will see Saskatchewan back at Mosaic Stadium to take on the REDBLACKS, while the Elks travel to La Belle Province to take on Davis Alexander and the Montreal Alouettes.
