By Canadian Press

Alouettes start slow, finish fast in beating Elks 35-21

Oct 14, 2023 | 4:12 PM

EDMONTON — A wild, winding 125-yard touchdown return from James Letcher Jr. punctuated a second-quarter scoring explosion from the Montreal Alouettes, who rallied to beat the Edmonton Elks 35-21 Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.

The Als, who have clinched second place in the CFL’s East Division with a 10-7 record, have now won four in a row.

Letcher fielded Elks kicker Dean Faithfull’s missed field goal attempt 15 yards deep in his own end zone, then made a mazy run that capped off a 3:21 span in which the Als scored 23 points.

The Elks held a 21-3 with less than four minutes left in the first half. Then, the game turned on its ear.

It began when Als quarterback Cody Fajardo found Tyson Philpot for an eight-yard scoring strike.

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Then, on the first play of the Elks’ next possession, quarterback Tre Ford’s fumble was scooped up by Als lineman Mustafa Johnson, who rumbled 44 yards to the house.

Deontez Alexander, who was promoted from the practice roster for the game, fumbled the ensuing kickoff, which led to a Jose Maltos field goal.

The Als finished the turnaround with the Letcher touchdown return, with just eight seconds left in the half.

The Elks, 4-13, dominated for most of the first half, scoring three touchdowns on their first four drives of the game. Ford completed his first eight passes. And, all of this came against a defence that had surrendered just 29 points over its previous three games.

Kyran Moore caught screen passes that went for touchdowns of 13 and 18 yards, respectively. Taylor Cornelius, the Elks’ designated short-yardage quarterback, scampered for a six-yard touchdown on a second-and-one play.

But all of that good work by the Elks was undone by the Alouettes rapid-fire comeback late in the second. The Elks never got back on track, as Montreal’s defence stiffened and didn’t allow Ford and company to get anywhere near the Als’ end zone for the rest of the game. Cornelius was stuffed on a third-and-short late in the third quarter, and it felt like that was the knockout punch for the Elks.

Maltos connected on five field goals, including a 50-yard effort.

Ford finished the game with 21 completions on 30 attempts for 216 yards. He also ran for 47 yards. Fajardo was 23 of 29 for 258 yards, with another 30 on the ground.

The Alouettes forced three Elks turnovers.

Fajardo threw one interception. 

Alouettes’ lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage was ejected early in the fourth quarter for spitting. It also came with a 25-yard penalty.

The announced attendance at Commonwealth Stadium was 22,822 for the Elks’ final home game of the season.

NOTES

The Alouettes came into Saturday’s game knowing they’d already clinched second spot in the East, and will host the East semifinal at Percival Molson Stadium. When Hamilton lost 33-30 to B.C. on Friday, the Alouettes locked up their home date … The Als were without their leading rusher, William Stanback, because of illness. He has 752 yards on the ground this season. … The Elks announced this week that the upper bowl of Commonwealth Stadium will be closed next season, reducing capacity to approximately 31,000 and making for a more intimate fan experience.

HISTORY

Elks WR Manny Arceneaux caught Tre Ford’s first pass of the game, giving him 145 straight games with at least one reception. He is now fourth all-time in the CFL for consecutive games with a catch. 

UP NEXT

The Alouettes wrap up the regular season with a preview of the East semifinal, when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Elks finish their season next Saturday at Winnipeg.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2023.

Steven Sandor, The Canadian Press