Don’t count the Edmonton Elks out of the playoff picture just yet.
Justin Rankin rushed for 204 yards and two touchdowns as the Elks gained some revenge on their provincial rivals, avenging last week’s 28-7 loss in the Labour Day Classic with a stunning 31-19 victory over the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.
“I’m just really proud of the guys,” said Elks head coach Mark Kilam. “We got beat in Calgary on Monday and we came back and played a more physical game tonight. It’s just a credit to the men in the room.
“We knew it was going to take a lot to beat Calgary, they are a good football team, and we put it out there today.”
The Elks (5-7) kept their CFL playoff hopes alive, winning four of their last five.
“We were just pissed off because nobody thought we had a chance in this game,” said Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo. “With the way things went last week, it was doom and gloom around here. But the guys believed and we are a 4-1 football team in our last five games. That’s impressive.”
Calgary (second in the West at 8-4) had a three-game winning streak halted.
“It was a physical game and they beat us,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson. “They were the more aggressive team. We finished that game beat up.
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“They won the line of scrimmage. They protected the quarterback better than us and they ran the ball better than us. That’s kind of our keys to winning and we weren’t able to do that.
“It was one of those games, we got beat. They were the better team. We need to look in the mirror and try to get better.”
The Stamps looked to have started the game with a touchdown on their opening drive on a pass into the end zone from quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. to Jalen Philpot, but the play was ruled incomplete after a review and Calgary was forced to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Rene Paredes.
Edmonton quickly responded with a 45-yard field goal from Vincent Blanchard.
Calgary punched right back with a confident drive, capped off by a one-yard plunge by backup QB Quincy Vaughn. The convert kick was wide.
Edmonton gained a point back on a Jake Julien punt single.
The Elks surged ahead five minutes into the second frame as Rankin found a seam up the middle and then turned on the jets, running 90 yards into the end zone for the touchdown to put his team up 11-9.
Rankin was back at it again with another impressive run just five minutes later, rolling off one tackle and shrugging through another to scamper 31 yards for the TD.
“The dude is a beast,” Kilam said. “He has the heart of a champion. He elevates his teammates and makes your play calls better.”
Calgary clawed back with a 31-yard Paredes field goal to make it 18-12 Edmonton at the mid-mark.
Blanchard kicked a 47-yard three-pointer for the first points of the third quarter.
The Stampeders tightened up the game again early in the fourth as a third-down gamble turned into a three-yard TD push by Vaughn to leave them trailing by two points.
Edmonton showed particular poise bouncing right back as Fajardo found Kaion Julien-Grant on a corner route pass for a 19-yard TD pass midway through the fourth.
Paredes attempted a 49-yard field goal, but was wide and Javon Leake took it back 86 yards to the Calgary 34-yard line. That led to a 32-yard Blanchard field goal.
Calgary was pressing late, but Chelen Garnes picked off second string QB Phillip Walker Jr. in the end zone to allow Edmonton to run out the clock.
FOOT NOTES
The two Alberta-based squads face each other one more time in Edmonton in the final week of the CFL regular season (Oct. 24). … Calgary came into the contest with a perfect 6-0 record against West Division opponents, while Edmonton was 0-5 versus the West. … The Elks defence was definitely depleted for the game, missing the likes of lineman Jake Ceresna and linebackers Nick Anderson and Nyles Morgan.
UP NEXT
Stampeders: Host the B.C. Lions on Friday, Sept. 19.
Elks: Visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, Sept. 13.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
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