Elks focus on pass-happy Tiger-Cats as they recover from sting of 1-point loss to Argonauts

Tim White reeled in a pair of touchdown passes as the Tiger-Cats continued their red-hot play, defeating the Elks in a game that was delayed more than an hour due to lightning strikes around the Alberta capital.

The sting of losing by one point with no time left on the clock in a game that saw the Edmonton Elks defence generate several turnovers lingered for the team this week.

Yes, head coach Mark Kilam and his players are focused on Saturday’s game in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats, but the chance to keep pace in the Canadian Football League playoff chase that slipped away last weekend in Toronto lingers.

Elks defenders intercepted Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle four times last Saturday and forced two turnovers on downs, but they came up short on the final drive by Toronto that culminated in kicker Lirim Hajrullhau’s fourth-quarter field goal with zeros on the clock for a 31-30 victory by the hosts a minute and 18 seconds after the Elks had gone ahead with a three-pointer of their own.

“Six turnovers. I mean, it’s outstanding (but) that’s why it was such a missed opportunity for us,” Kilam told media on Wednesday after practice at Commonwealth Stadium.

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The loss dropped the Elks (5-8) two points behind both the B.C. Lions (6-7), who won last week, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-7), who also lost, in the race for third place in the CFL’s West Division. With the win, the Argos, too, got a leg up in the playoff crossover possibility to pull even with the Elks in the standings. A divisional playoff crossover would occur if the third-place team in either division finishes with a worse record than the fourth-place club in the other division.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders sit first in the West Division – and atop the league table overall – with a 10-3 record, while the Calgary Stampeders sit second at 8-4.

Now, Edmonton faces a Hamilton offence that’s been pass-heavy most of the season and led the league in yards through the air, with Bo Levi Mitchell leading all quarterbacks.

Over their last two games, however, the Ticats have run the ball exceedingly well: 234 yards in a 26-9 win over Montreal on Sept, 6, then 163 yards in a 32-21 win last week over Winnipeg.

Still, Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich, who’s also the club’s offensive co-ordinator, says he takes many considerations into mind before deciding how to call a game.

“I’m going to play the game with, ‘What’s the score? What’s working for us offensively? What are the elements?’” he said. “All of those things have a factor in how I’m calling a game.

“I’m not going in saying, ‘Hey, we’re pounding it.’ There might be a game where we’re trying to establish the run a little bit more early for whatever the reason may be (but) usually I’m trying to be somewhat balanced early in a game and then let’s react to what we’re seeing.”

Greg Bell accounted for 293 of the Ticats’ rushing yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries (roughly a seven-yard average.)

Hamilton also scored two TDs against Winnipeg following interceptions by Jamal Peters and DaShaun Amos. The Ticats have registered a CFL-high 98 points off turnovers.

“Every time we get the ball, yes, we want to make plays on defence, but we also know how much more important it is to set the offence up as well,” Amos said. “We know that leads to scores and that leads to winning.”

Hamilton is third overall in passing yards per game (299.9), second overall in offensive scoring (27.2 points per game), tied for second with Saskatchewan in offensive TDs (35) and first in passing touchdowns (26).

The Ticats’ defence has also forced a league-high 32 turnovers — second in interceptions with 17, tied with Winnipeg for first in fumble recoveries with nine.

Edmonton, meanwhile, sits last in the CFL in passing yards per game (243.3), last in passing TDs (15) and is fifth in rushing yards per game (101.5) compared to Hamilton’s average of 91.7 (seventh).

Still, quarterback Cody Fajardo leads the league in pass completion percentage (77) in the eight games he’s started and is 4-4 since taking over from Tre Ford at the end of July.

The 33-year-old signal-caller is tied for fourth with the Argos’ Arbuckle and the Ottawa Redblacks’ Dru Brown in average yards per pass (8.8). B.C.’s Nathan Rourke is first in that category with an average of 10 yards per pass, followed by Calgary’s Vernon Adams Jr. (9.9) and Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris (9.6)

Defensively against the pass, the Elks sit last in average yards allowed (296.1) and are eighth in opposition completion percentage (72.6). They’re stronger against the rush, allowing an average of 91.2 yards along the ground per game, good for third in the CFL, and allow an average of 4.6 yards per carry, good for first.

The Elks have allowed 24 passing TDs this season, tied with two other teams for seventh, with the Ticats having allowed 15, good for second.

Hamilton is looking to sweep the two-game season series with Edmonton. The Ticats earned a 28-24 road win Aug. 2.

“They’ve made some changes, they’ve adapted, they’ve grown together, so I think they’re a way better team than the last time we saw them,” Amos said. “Even back then, we knew they were very talented and were just figuring it out.

“They’re going to bring about challenges … they’re going to come ready and give us their best shot.”

Fajardo said the Elks need to see other players step up when their usual outlets get stifled, particularly when running back Justin Rankin is limited like he was against the Argonauts, who held him to 27 rushing yards on 12 carries and eight yards through the air on two catches.

Rankin, who is fifth among CFL rushers with 715 yards and averages 5.5 yards per carry, is third among Elks pass-catchers with 541 yards receiving, including an eye-popping 418 yards after catching the ball (YAC).

“We’ve talked so much about Rankin being the flint to our offence, and it’s when Rankin’s not having a game like he’s used to having (that) we have to find guys,” Fajardo said on Wednesday. “That’s us understanding each other, continuing to grow as a team and continuing to find ways to be better on offence.”

With files from The Canadian Press