TORONTO — Tre Ford gets his first start of the season against one of the best defences in the CFL.
The Edmonton Elks face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday as Ford starts his first game in 2024 for the Double E.
“Does Edmonton finally get a victory this year,” Donnovan Bennett asked Henoc Muamba in this week’s edition of The Waggle Podcast.
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The Elks have yet to win a game after eight weeks, putting up a fight with McLeod Bethel-Thompson at the helm, but ultimately falling short of their goals. The team now turns to their young National pivot in an attempt to galvanize the squad. He’ll be dueling it out against another young quarterback in Shea Patterson, who’s replacing an injured Trevor Harris for the Green and White.
“Shea Patterson is still trying to figure things out in Saskatchewan,” said Muamba. “But I think it’s gonna be hard for Ford in Saskatchewan.”
Indeed Ford has a challenging endeavor in front of him as he faces the Roughriders. Saskatchewan ranks second in points allowed (22.6), first in opponent rushing yards per game (47.9) and tied for first in opponent touchdowns allowed (14).
Corey Mace’s defence features a multitude of talented players such as Rolan Milligan Jr., Malik Carney, and Jameer Thurman, to name a few.
All three players are ranked in the top 20 of all defenders according to Pro Football Focus, while Saskatchewan’s defence ranks first as a unit with an 86.6 overall grade. Milligan Jr. leads the league in interceptions while Thurman is the leader in fumble recoveries. The group also features Micah Johnson, who’s second in the league in sacks.
Ultimately, Muamba believes the Elks can pull it off.
“It’s Tre Ford for their first win in Saskatchewan,” said the former linebacker. “With the excitement of playing there. I think that Patterson needs to step his game up just a little bit more and get a little bit more comfortable to play at home and get this win, so I’m going with Edmonton for their first win of the season.”
The teams have faced off in Week 1, with the Riders scoring 21 fourth-quarter points to pull off a 29-21 comeback win over Edmonton at Commonwealth Stadium. Even though the Riders won’t have Harris – who threw for 305 yards and three majors in that game – and running back AJ Ouellette due to injury, the team still features playmakers on offence such as Samuel Emilus, Shawn Bane Jr., Ajou Ajou and Frankie Hickson to help Patterson steer the team to another win.
Bennett believes that should be enough to keep a winning formula going.
“Saskatchewan, along with BC and Montreal, have been 1A, 1B, 1C, cream of the league,” said The Waggle Podcast’s host. “I think the recipe does not change and they get a win against Edmonton this week.”