EDMONTON – There is definitely a storm brewing in the Elks backfield.
After Sunday night’s 39-33 victory over the Ottawa RedBlacks, running back Justin Rankin let everyone know exactly what the Double E running back duo of himself and Javon Leake bring to the table.
“Come on, thunder and lightning,” Rankin said. “You ain’t never seen nothing like it.”
Thunder and Lightning is a pretty fair descriptor when speaking about the two talented backs. Rankin is more than capable of running past, around, or over tacklers – while Leake’s world class speed has already shone through while wearing the Green and Gold. Last night the duo racked up the yards and points, combining for 393 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns.
It felt like nearly every time Rankin and Leake touched the ball that something special could happen. The pair had offensive plays of 74, 45, and 46 yards – while Leake added a career-long 94-yard punt return touchdown and another return of 35 yards in the contest.
Fans of the Green and Gold got a bit of a preview of just how electric Thunder and Lightning could be in the second half of the 2024 season. From Week 8 onward, Rankin and Leake combined for 1,664 rushing and receiving yards and 13 total touchdowns – spurring on the Elks league leading rushing attack.
Rankin credits the pair’s selfless attitude and willingness to do whatever the team asks of them as a reason for their success.
“It’s amazing, stemming from last year,” Rankin said. “Leake is an unselfish guy. When I started to get hot, he’s like, ‘you rolling? Go, go, go,’ you know?”
“When he’s hot, it’s vice versa. You got the spark, keep being the spark. I don’t think there’s any selfishness in the room. And when you have depth at a position like that, it’s hard to stop.”
Opposing CFL teams have had their troubles stopping Rankin and Leake. The pair currently own two of the three longest rushes in Canadian Football since 2019, with Leake ripping off a league best 88-yard carry in the final game of last season. Rankin’s 74-yard touchdown burst in the third quarter on Sunday was the third longest run over the last half decade.
Rankin shared the credit for the run with the offensive line and receivers in front of him.
“I think any of y’ all could have ran through that one, you know what I mean?” Rankin said to the media in his post-game scrum. “I was untouched. When you run through through any hole untouched and it’s just you and the safety or you and the backer chasing you, that’s a great play. Everybody’s doing their job. Everybody’s blocking hard. You got a body in a body and there’s nobody else.”
The offensive line has done a sensational job opening holes for Edmonton’s dynamic running game, and Rankin has done his part by hitting the holes provided. The 28-year-old running back is currently tied for first in the CFL in 20-plus yard rushes (three) and second in 10-plus yard rushes (eight).
At the end of the day, the biggest statistic from Sunday’s victory was the one in the win column. And it’s one the Elks hope to keep adding to. Next week brings an important rematch against the B.C. Lions. With the season series on the line against a West division opponent, Rankin and the team know they can enjoy Sunday’s win but the job is not finished.
“Regardless of mentality, regardless of the win, regardless of the nicks and bruises, the losses from the previous weeks, it’s a new week,” Rankin said. “We can have fun, celebrate, enjoy the win, feel the win, but when tomorrow comes it’s a new week. It’s a new team that we got to get ready for. It’s a new scheme that we got to come up with in a whole new practice week, that we have to attack.”