EDMONTON — There was no shortage of big plays when the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks met on Saturday night.
The Riders came out on top 28-24 thanks to an explosive aerial offence and a playmaking defence that stepped up when the team most needed them.
Receiver Samuel Emilus scored an 88-yard touchdown and defensive back Amari Henderson forced a pivotal fumble in the fourth quarter to help the Riders return to the post-season.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Riders win over the Elks on Saturday.
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30 – rushing yards
Edmonton entered Week 18 as the second best team running the ball, averaging 124.9 yards per game on a league-leading 5.9 yards per carry.
The Riders were able to keep the Elks to only 30 yards on 15 carries, good for a two yards average and forcing the offence to be unidimensional.
3 – total turnovers
While the total number isn’t out of this world, the turnovers for the Riders were very well timed, especially a late fourth quarter fumble by Henderson that all but sealed the game. The Elks were marching on their way to take a late lead in the fourth quarter when the defensive back punched the ball away from Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and the defence jumped on it to stop the home team from completing their comeback attempt.
Defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. also continued his All-CFL calibre season with his eighth pick of the year, while linebacker Adam Auclair rounded up the count for the visitors in yet another playmaking outing for Corey Mace’s defence.
12.8 – yards per attempt
Trevor Harris aired it out against Edmonton, gaining 358 passing yards in only 28 passes, good for a 12.8 yards per attempt.
Emilus (four catches, 126 yards) and KeeSean Johnson (five catches, 103 yards) both surpassed the 100-yard mark, adding a combined 111 yards after the catch in an excellent overall performance by the Riders passing game.