The Calgary Stampeders put a halt to the Edmonton Elks’ modest two-game winning streak by rallying to a victory on Labor Day.
After overcoming a 15-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Stampeders (4-8) aim to record a sweep of their provincial rivals on Saturday when they reconvene in Edmonton, Alberta.
Jake Maier led the comeback bid in the final quarter by rushing for a touchdown and throwing for another. Dedrick Mills scored from 4 yards out with 20 seconds left to help Calgary post a 35-31 win and snap its three-game losing skid.
“Are we the greatest team? Maybe not, but we keep fighting,” Stampeders coach Dave Dickenson said, per the Calgary Sun. “The guys believe, they put it all out there. We needed it, we did.
“Not sure what happens the rest of the year but (I’m) proud of the guys for continually putting it out there and believing with effort sometimes we can overcome mistakes.”
Now, can they overcome injuries?
Defensive back Titus Wall sustained a shoulder injury on the first defensive snap of the game and was replaced by Michael Griffin, who exited later in the first half with an ailing knee. Neither player practiced Wednesday or Thursday and they joined wide receiver Cole Tucker (head) and defensive lineman T.J. Rayam (knee) in being ruled out against Edmonton.
The Elks (2-10) continue to be led by versatile quarterback Tre Ford, who threw for 137 yards and a touchdown Monday and rushed 11 times for a career-high 135 yards. Slotback Steven Dunbar Jr. added two touchdown receptions to boost his total to a club-best five on the season.
“The challenge is we’ve just got to go back to the drawing board and see what we did well and didn’t do well,” Dunbar said, per the Edmonton Sun. “And we’ve got to be open to coaching. As a team, we’ve got to be open to taking that criticism, and I think that’s going to be the pinnacle point of our team.
“We’ve got a young team, so it’s going to be a big challenge for us to be able to sit back and take the things that we did wrong constructively and get back to work.”
–Field Level Media
