The Saskatchewan Roughriders opened their 2023 season on a victorious note with a hard-fought, 17-13 CFL victory over the Edmonton Elks on Sunday.
The Roughriders opened the scoring at 5:49 of the first quarter when Trevor Harris found Derel Walker for a four-yard touchdown pass. Brett Lauther’s convert gave the Roughriders a 7-0 lead before 32,233 spectators at Commonwealth Stadium.
Edmonton got on the board when Dean Faithfull kicked a 17-yard field goal at 13:36 of the opening frame.
To begin the Elks’ next possession and the second quarter, Taylor Cornelius found Eugene Lewis for a 102-yard pass-and-run major. Faithfull’s convert put Edmonton up 10-7.
Lauther’s 13-yard field goal, at 11:35 of the second quarter, created a 10-10 tie. The Roughriders had marched 103 yards on 12 plays before Lauther’s three-pointer.
On the final play of the opening half, the Roughriders’ Jayden Dalke made his first CFL interception — picking off a Hail Mary pass from Cornelius. Dalke, from nearby Leduc, Alta., was playing in front of 130 friends and family members.
The Roughriders went ahead 11-10 on a single by Lauther at 1:33 of the first quarter. Mario Alford’s 62-yard kickoff return had put Saskatchewan in scoring range.
Faithfull’s 43-yard field goal at 3:43 of the third quarter gave Edmonton a 13-11 lead.
Saskatchewan assumed a 14-13 lead when Lauther kicked an 11-yard field goal at 11:37.
Another Lauther field goal, from 46 yards, gave Saskatchewan a 17-13 advantage at 3:23 of the fourth quarter. The three-pointer was set up by a Rolan Milligan interception.
An interception by Nyles Morgan on the Roughriders’ 21-yard line was followed two plays later by a pass interference penalty that gave Edmonton a first down on the one-yard line.
However, the Roughriders’ defence held on three consecutive plays, all of which were runs by short-yardage quarterback Kai Locksley.
On the third play, Milligan — who had been flagged for pass interference — stuffed Locksley for a loss of two with 4:20 left in the fourth quarter.
From there, the Roughriders ran out most of the time that remained and posted their fifth consecutive victory in Edmonton. The Elks, meanwhile, suffered their 18th consecutive home-field defeat.
Next up is Friday’s home opener against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
