EDMONTON — In a wet one on Saturday afternoon from Commonwealth Stadium, the Edmonton Elks took down the Montreal Alouettes 32-29 in overtime.
With the win, Edmonton begins its season 2-0 for the first time since 2019 while handing Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander his first regular-season loss (13-1). Leading the way through the rain was Elks’ running back Justin Rankin, who finished with 179 yards and two touchdowns.
Battling through wet conditions, it was a low-scoring first quarter at Commonwealth Stadium. After opening drive punts by both squads, Alouettes kicker Jose Maltos nailed a 50-yard field goal. That gave Montreal the opening and only points of the first frame, taking a 3-0 advantage into the second.
Edmonton answered to close the first half, however. Elks pivot Cody Fajardo found former Alouette Austin Mack, who fought through a pass interference call to haul in a nine-yard touchdown. That allowed Edmonton to cut the lead to 13-7 as the teams headed to the locker room for halftime.
The rain started to come down even harder to begin the second half, but that didn’t stop Justin Rankin and the Edmonton Elks. After he rumbled for a 36-yard touchdown to open the third quarter to give Edmonton a 14-13 lead, Ranking followed it up with a 47-yard touchdown run on the team’s next drive to extend the Elks’ lead to 20-13 after three.
The team’s traded field goals to begin the fourth before Edmonton eventually added another, as the Elks lead by 10 with under five minutes to go. The Alouettes responded to make it a one-score game, as a 37-yard connection between Alexander and Snead cut the lead to three, before Maltos knocked in his fourth field goal of the game to send the game to overtime.
After the Alouettes only managed a field goal, Fajardo danced into the end zone on the ensuing possession to give Edmonton the win.
RELATED
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» Game Notes: Alouettes at Elks
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SCORING PLAYS
- Jose Maltos 50-yard field goal (08:31, Q1) | MTL 3, EDM 0
- Travis Theis five-yard touchdown run (05:20, Q2) | MTL 10, EDM 0
- Jose Maltos 38-yard field goal (02:16, Q2) | MTL 13, EDM 0
- Cody Fajardo nine-yard touchdown pass to Austin Mack (00:33, Q2) | MTL 13, EDM 7
- Justin Rankin 36-yard touchdown run (12:40, Q3) | EDM 14, MTL 13
- Justin Rankin 47-yard touchdown run (06:49, Q3) | EDM 20, MTL 13
- Vincent Blanchard 36-yard field goal (14:53, Q4) | EDM 23, MTL 13
- Jose Maltos 37-yard field goal (11:44, Q4) | EDM 23, MTL 16
- Vincent Blanchard 13-yard field goal (04:44, Q4) | EDM 26, MTL 16
- Davis Alexander 34-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead (03:00, Q4) | EDM 26, MTL 23
- Jose Maltos 31-yard field goal (00:00, Q4) | EDM 26, MTL 26
- Jose Maltos 33-yard field goal (00:00, OT) | MTL 29, EDM 26
- Cody Fajardo six-yard touchdown run (00:00, OT) | EDM 32, MTL 29
NEXT UP
The Elks will hit the road as they will kick off Week 4 on Thursday Jun. 25, as they’ll take on a rested Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-1) squad coming off a bye in Week 3.
For the Alouettes, they’ll return home and play host to the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Sunday Jun. 28, in what will be the final game of Week 4.
