Revamped Elks defence holds off late Roughriders push for crucial win

Saskatchewan Roughriders' Samuel Emilus (right) is tackled by Edmonton Elks' Joel Dublanko (50) during first half CFL action in Edmonton, on Saturday September 27, 2025.

The amount of space being taken up on the Edmonton Elks’ injured list has been growing larger lately.

Also large are the stature of the names on it, particularly on defence:

Jake Ceresna. Nyles Morgan. Jared Brinkman. Nick Anderson. Royce Metchie. Devodric Bynum.

All Week 1 starters for the Elks in June. All out of the lineup in Week 17 as Edmonton tries to stay alive in the hunt for a Canadian Football League playoff spot.

• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App

And the Elks have, thanks in part to the players who’ve stepped into their shoes, including linebackers Brock Mogensen and Kenneth Logan Jr., who each picked off Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris in the first quarter of Edmonton’s eventual 27-25 win on Saturday.

Elks head coach Mark Kilam said Saturday while his defence was down to just one captain “because we’re running out of guys,” they were able to hold off the offensive attack of the CFL’s best team because “they work tremendously hard,” giving credit to the coaching staff for “evolving the entire year.”

“I watch them work on a daily basis, and they stress the things that are important and stress a whole bunch of fundamentals in addition to the situational stuff,” Kilam told media after the game. “They’re growing as a group, and I’m happy to be able to watch them do it.”

And while the Roughriders managed to rack up close to 500 yards in total offence on a balanced attack that saw Harris complete 33 of 46 passing attempts for 351 yards and a touchdown and running back A.J. Ouelette rush for 115 yards and a TD, the Elks held them to just 12 points until the final two-and-a-half minutes.

Edmonton held on to win and keep their playoff dreams alive after two games in a row in which they fell victim to a last-second comeback.

Mogensen said practice has helped the group overcome personnel losses and adversity.

“It starts with practice. Day 1, we talk about (how) every day, we’ve got to stack days at practice -- Day 1, Day 2 to Day 3 -- and they’ve just got to be better each time, and we’ve been doing that since the last bye week we’ve had,” said the 25-year-old Mogensen, an American out of South Dakota who’s suited up in 11 games this season who rejoined the team in mid June after being a late training camp cut.

“That’s been a big part of our success.”

The Elks (6-9), who sit four points behind the Calgary Stampeders (8-6), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-7) and B.C. Lions (8-7) in the airtight West Division standings, will still likely need to win their remaining three games and get some help in the process to make the postseason.

The Roughriders sit atop the West with a record of 10-4.

Edmonton enters a bye week and faces each of the aforementioned three teams in their last trio of games of the regular season, starting with the visiting Blue Bombers on Oct. 11.

“We’ve got to keep doing our thing every week (with) a big bye week coming up after 10 straight games of playing, but each game, we’re going to have to keep going,” Morgensen said.