EDMONTON – The Edmonton Elks had to take on the playoff-bound Toronto Argonauts for their last game of the season, and the Elks took one final victory with a walk-off rouge in a 31-30 win in overtime at Commonwealth Stadium on Friday night.
Tre Ford threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, adding 81 yards on the ground, while Javon Leake added 128 rushing yards and 80 receiving yards and a touchdown for the Elks in the win.
Nick Arbuckle threw for 378 yards, two touchdowns and an interception for Toronto in the loss while Makai Polk led all receivers with 122 yards on six receptions.
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Despite Geno Lewis notching a 1,000 yard season early in the game, it was the road team who got on the board first as Lirim Hajrullahu‘s field goal attempt from 24 yards out with just over a minute to play in the first quarter was good.
But on the next drive, the Elks would take the lead as the first quarter clock expired. Ford connected with Javon Leake for his longest reception on the year, hauling in a catch for 67 yards and the touchdown.
Toronto wasted no time to take back the lead in the second quarter, as even with Cameron Dukes out due to injury Arbuckle found Jake Herslow for 29 yards and his first CFL touchdown.
The Argos would get a seven-point cushion as Hajrullahu successfully kicked another field goal, this time from 31 yards out, after both defences stood tall with the Argos defence forcing a punt twice while the Elks defence recovered a fumble to get the ball back.
Lewis wasn’t the only player to record 1,000 yards on the season in the game as Polk tallied over 100 yards in the game coming in for an injured Damonte Coxie, grabbing two separate catches of over 20 yards on Toronto’s next drive.
Opening the second half, Leake rushed for 88 yards down to the Toronto 12-yard line, but unable to get in to the end zone the Elks had to settle for a Vincent Blanchard field goal from 19 yards out.
Getting the ball back, the Argos marched downfield using 10 plays and nearly six minutes of clock, but the result ended in a fourth rushing touchdown for Deonta McMahon on the season as Toronto took an 11-point lead.
With just over eight minutes to play in the final quarter, Lewis joined some elite company as he recorded his eighth consecutive game with a receiving touchdown, moving the Elks within five points after a two-point conversion attempt was stopped by the Argos.
But Edmonton refused to back down, starting a long drive of 98 yards that took just four plays as Jerminic Smith took a reception for 71 yards, before Justin Rankin rushed in for a 10-yard score to take the lead late. With a successful two-point conversion this time around from Smith, the Elks had a three-point lead with just over three minutes to play.
As Toronto moved quickly with Arbuckle finding Kevin Mital for 39 yards, the drive ended in a second touchdown from McMahon to put Toronto on top with 1:50 to play as he swung to Arbuckle’s left and shot into a swing pass for a nine-yard score.
Down by four points, and getting the ball back with 49 seconds to play, the Elks could not settle for a field goal on their final offensive drive, and two massive throws from Ford including a first CFL touchdown for Zach Mathis put the Elks back on top with 34 seconds left.
Arbuckle moved down the field with ease to put the Argos in field goal range, and with four seconds left to play, Hajrullahu kicked a 16-yard attempt successfully to force overtime after a combined 31 points were scored in the fourth quarter.
Starting on offence, Toronto was unable to score after a 47-yard field goal attempt was no good, and Jake Julien punted for a walk-off rouge to end Edmonton’s season in dramatic fashion with an Elks win.