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CALGARY — Regardless of what the standings read, there’s never a dull moment when the Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders meet.
Both teams are coming off Week 18 losses, as Edmonton fell to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary lost to the BC Lions.
As for the season series, it belongs to the Elks after they claimed back-to-back games on Sept. 2 and 7.
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Looking to sweep the team’s provincial rival, interim head coach Jarious Jackson hands the ball to Tre Ford as the starting quarterback with McLeod Bethel-Thompson moved to the one-game injured list. Ford has completed 45 of 63 passes for 604 yards, while rushing 14 times for 92 yards on the season.
He’ll be eyeing Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Tevin Jones, Eugene Lewis and Dillon Mitchell in the pass game.
The Stamps’ secondary will try to capitalize on mistakes downfield if Ford wants to be aggressive through the air. The pass defence, led by Demerio Houston, Tre Roberson and Kobe Williams, are part of a corps that’s third in the league allowing 269.1 yards a game.
Should Jackson choose to turn to the run, the ball will be in motivated hands. Justin Rankin and Javon Leake were held to 28 combined ground yards against the Riders but have been a part of the best rushing trio in the CFL. Even with their most recent performance, they’re averaging 119.0 yards per game.
Calgary’s front seven will certainly be tested given it’s surrendering the most rushing yards per game of any team this season. Closing space up front falls on Julian Howsare and James Vaughters off the edge. Keeping Leake and Rankin to the middle of the field will allow Micah Awe and Cameron Judge to make plays.
Despite having been eliminated from playoff contention, Stampeders’ head coach Dave Dickenson’s team has questions to answer as the season winds down.
Deep shot for six! @ReggieBegelton gets behind the BC defence for the major. He’s just six yards away from 1,000 for the season.#CFLGameDay LIVE on @TSN_Sports
📱: Stream on CFL+ pic.twitter.com/JNIrXIW61s— CFL (@CFL) October 5, 2024
Quarterback Matthew Shiltz will get the chance to lead the offence as the starter for the first time this year. In limited action over eight games, he’s completed four passes for 99 yards and a touchdown, all of which came in relief of Jake Maier last week. Starting isn’t completely new to Shiltz, however, as he served as the starter for stretches in 2023 in Hamilton.
As it’s been all season, the main target for whoever is under centre will be Reggie Begelton. Begelton is six yards shy of 1,000 and 20 receptions short of 100.
With an injury last week to Cam Echols, the play of Marken Michel and Jalen Philpot in the pass game becomes increasingly important.
Shiltz needs to be aware of the talent that opposes the team’s receivers. Darrius Bratton, Devodric Bynum, Kai Gray, Kordell Jackson and Loucheiz Purifoy have a combined 20 interceptions through 18 weeks, with four of Bynum’s five picks coming against Calgary.
Begelton believes his team still has lots to play for and doesn’t want the group focusing on anything but the present moment.
“I come out every day to try to get better than I was yesterday,” Begelton told reporters.
“As a team mindset, I think that’s what we need to do. Just go out there and do your best when you have the opportunity.”
In the run game for the Stamps, it’ll be the combination of Dedrick Mills and Peyton Logan. The duo provides different looks for an Elks’ front seven sitting fourth in the league in stopping the run.
Among that front is defensive lineman Noah Curtis, who has two sacks in two games versus Calgary. Elliott Brown joins him on the line of scrimmage, while Nyles Morgan and his 97 defensive tackles await at linebacker.
Jackson acknowledges his team’s in a disappointing situation but doesn’t want that to impact the effort level.
“Have a smile on our face, a song in our heart and fight through it,” Jackson told reporters about how he wants to approach the game.
“You just draw on the fact that as the game gets closer, you better be prepared, you better be prepared to go out and fight, because at the end of the day you’ll get punched in the mouth if you’re not prepared. We definitely want to finish the season on a high note.”
Edmonton is eyeing a three-game sweep of Calgary, while the Stampeders are trying to secure their first win since Aug. 4.
Kickoff from McMahon Stadium is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. ET. Fans in Canada can catch the game on CTV, while American and international viewers will find the game on CFL+.
— With files from Stampeders.com and GoElks.com