Former Montreal beginning quarterback Cody Fajardo and the Edmonton Elks rallied late within the fourth quarter to stun the Alouettes 23-22 in entrance of 20,525 followers at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night time.
Fajardo led Edmonton on a game-winning drive, culminating in a 15-yard landing drive to Kaion Julien-Grant with simply 15 seconds remaining on the clock.
“All week we had been speaking about how shut we had been, how shut we had been, and I saved telling the fellows what losers say — they are saying we’re shut — let’s simply end it,” Fajardo mentioned.
“And I’m happy with this staff. We discovered a solution to end in opposition to an excellent Montreal staff and a troublesome ambiance and hopefully this turns the tide for this staff.”
Making his first begin in opposition to Montreal since being traded by the Alouettes to the Elks for McLeod Bethel-Thompson final December, Fajardo was 27-for-38, throwing for 289 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He was additionally sacked 5 occasions.
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Fajardo, who led the Alouettes to the Gray Cup in 2023, was making his third straight begin since taking on for Tre Ford in Week 8.
Edmonton (2-6) gained for the primary time in 4 tries. It was additionally their first street win of the season.
“Nothing comes simple for us, we’ve bought to earn it each time, however I’m happy with the fellows; it took all three phases late within the sport to show that one round,” Elks head coach Mark Kilam mentioned after the win.
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Bethel-Thompson, beginning his fifth sport at quarterback this season rather than the injured Davis Alexander, struggled on offence for the Alouettes. The 37-year-old accomplished simply 10 of his 15 move makes an attempt, good for a meagre 79 yards, and was intercepted as soon as.
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Consequently, Alouettes head coach Jason Maas turned to third-string quarterback Caleb Evans to start out the second half. He threw for 113 yards and one landing.
Cole Spieker scored the Alouettes’ lone offensive landing of the sport.
Montreal (5-4), coming off a 34-6 loss at residence final week to the West Division-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders, misplaced to Edmonton for the primary time since October 2022.
Julien-Grant, who spent 5 seasons as a member of the Alouettes (from 2019-2024), accounted for each of Edmonton’s touchdowns. It was the 29-year-old’s first time again in Montreal since signing as a free agent with the Elks in February.
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After the Elks picked up a single on a 54-yard punt out of bounds by Cody Grace, the Alouettes’ offence set to work.
Bethel-Thompson orchestrated a 5 1/2-minute, nine-play drive down the sector, capped off by a profitable 34-yard area aim from Jose Maltos Diaz to present the Alouettes a 3-1 lead.
With time winding down within the first quarter, Fajardo was the sufferer of a sack deep in Edmonton territory courtesy of Alouettes’ left again Darnell Sankey. Fajardo’s ensuing move try on second all the way down to Steven Dunbar Jr. was incomplete, forcing Grace to punt the ball.
That punt could be returned 80 yards by Travis Theis into the tip zone for the sport’s opening landing with simply 47.7 seconds remaining within the opening quarter. It marked Theis’ first profession landing and the Alouettes’ first by the use of a kick return this season.
The Alouettes would get the ball again to open the second quarter, after one other sack on Fajardo on the ultimate play of the primary quarter, this time from Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, however might generate any factors.
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Maltos Diaz added a 42-yard area aim with underneath 4 minutes to play within the first half to present the Alouettes a 13-1 lead.
The Elks answered again with a drive down the sector, which included a 43-yard move to working again Josh Rankin. Nonetheless, Fajardo was sacked for a 3rd time on the next play, forcing Edmonton to accept a brief 12-yard area aim from kicker Vincent Blanchard.
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Montreal’s ensuing offensive possession late within the first half was short-lived, as Bethel-Thompson’s move meant for Charleston Rambo was intercepted by Elks’ defensive again Tyrell Ford. The 27-year-old promptly ran it 87 yards into the tip zone for his first profession landing, chopping Edmonton’s deficit to simply two at halftime.
Evans shortly rewarded the belief of his coach on simply his second offensive drive. The pivot led the Alouettes on a nine-play, 4 1/2-minute drive that will end in a 19-yard landing move to Spieker. It was the Alouettes’ first offensive landing in 138:14, relationship again to a second-quarter landing, additionally scored by Spieker, in a Week 8 win in Calgary on July 24.
Maltos Diaz’ try on the additional level failed, hitting the proper put up, forcing Montreal to accept six factors and a 19-11 lead.
The Elks benefited from a fumble by Alouettes vast receiver Tyler Snead to get their first offensive landing of the sport. Fajardo related with Julien-Grant for a brief one-yard landing move to as soon as once more minimize the Elks’ deficit to 2. Edmonton’s try to tie the sport on a two-point conversion was unsuccessful, preserving the Alouettes’ slender lead.
Maltos Diaz related for a 53-yard area aim late within the fourth quarter, his third of the sport, to present Montreal a 22-17 cushion over the Elks.
The Alouettes, already with out Alexander and receivers Austin Mack and Tyson Philpot on offence, additionally misplaced their prime working again in Sean Thomas-Erlington. The Montreal native was pressured to depart the sport after a violent collision with the Elks’ Kordell Jackson within the third quarter. He didn’t return attributable to an obvious upper-body damage.
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UP NEXT
Elks: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, Aug. 15.
Alouettes: Go to the B.C. Lions on Saturday, Aug. 16.
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