EDMONTON – Eliminate the major mistakes and Elks feel they can square up the Labour Day Week series against the Stampeders.
With Saturday night’s Labour Day Rematch the culmination of a war of attrition, the Elks spent the few days they’ve had since Monday taking care of their bodies and focusing on the mental reps at practice. The Battle of Alberta is always a heated affair and if the Elks hope to take care of business at Play Alberta Field at Commonwealth Stadium, they will have to make sure they are physically ready for the challenge.
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“Tomorrow it’s going to be another physical game and we’ve got to come in prepared to protect our house,” quarterback Cody Fajardo said. “They’re going to come in here with a lot of juice and a lot of energy and I felt like we just didn’t match their physicality last week. That’s something that we’ve stressed going into this week, try to match the physicality and just play cleaner football on offense, and not shoot ourselves in the foot.”
“They got a really good defense and so anytime we give them an extra break here or there because of our own miscues, it just makes it a little bit easier on them.”
A look at the scoreboard in Calgary maybe does the Elks a disservice when it comes to how close the game could have been. The Elks had the advantage in both time of possession and in net offence, with the Green and Gold posting season best marks in yards allowed and possession in Monday’s game.
It was a handful of pivotal miscues which Fajardo mention that ended up being the Elks undoing on Labour Day. A missed field goal, a fumble in the red zone, a blown punt coverage, and failed redzone attempt inside the five-yard line ended up being the difference on the evening.
However, there was still plenty for the Elks to build on. The Elks defence shone through with one of their best performances of the season, holding Vernon Adams to under a 58 per cent completion rate. If the unit hopes to match their performance from Monday, it will be up to a few new faces to step up.
Linebacker Brock Mogensen is slated to see plenty of action, replacing Nyles Morgan in the middle of the Double E’s defence. The 25-year-old spent a year with the Dallas Cowboys in 2024, and has shown flashes of becoming a quality CFL defender.
“We’ve been high on Brock for a long time,” Head Coach Mark Kilam said. “He’s very cerebral. He knows what’s going on. He can make all the adjustments and it’s his opportunity to take advantage.”
On the defensive line, former South Carolina Gamecock Tyreek Johnson will get the start. Behind him will be the recently signed former Grey Cup and College Football National Champion Jordan Williams. The duo will play a major role in trying to shutdown the hard running Stampeders running back Dedrick Mills.
The biggest addition to the lineup on Saturday will be the wave of Green and Gold clad fans making up the largest crowd of the season this far. The Labour Day Rematch is an Edmonton tradition and the players can’t wait to see the support from the crowd, and the noise they bring.
“We’re excited about the fans showing up, and it’s a huge advantage,” Fajardo said. “I’ve been a part of a lot of teams that have great turnouts, and it’s just such a big advantage for our defense. As an offensive player, I know how hard it is to communicate when it’s loud.”