The Edmonton Elks made the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ playoff elimination sting just a little bit more than usual on Saturday.
asserted
elimination → make → Saturday
Joshua Cephus caught a three-yard pass in the endzone during the two-point shootout as the Elks returned to their winning ways with a dramatic 37-35 overtime victory over the Tiger-Cats.
asserted
Elks → catch → Cats
“I think I’ve got a few more grey hairs after that one,” said Elks head coach Mark Kilam.
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Kilam → think → one
“It took a lot of guts, up and down.
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It → take → guts
There’s lots of things to improve on, but the guys found a way.
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guys → ’ → way
Banking that experience, I think that’s something we’ll carry forward with us.”
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we → bank → us
Elks kicker Vincent Blanchard broke a CFL record with nine field goals in the game.
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Blanchard → break → game
Cody Fajardo went 32-of-47 passing for 298 yards with one rushing touchdown and one interception as the West Division-leading Elks (11-4) made it five wins in their last six.
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it → go → six
“It sucks when we don’t play our best and we left some things out there, but that’s what a playoff game is like right there,” Fajardo said.
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Fajardo → suck → what
“It’s not all going to be pretty, but we found a way to win the football game and I’m going to leave it at that.”
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I → go → that
Justin Rankin had 74 rushing yards on 11 carries, while Zach Mathis had five catches for 75 yards.
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Mathis → have → yards
Harrison Frost completed 17 of 34 pass attempts for 214 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions as the Tiger-Cats (4-11) lost their fifth in a row and fell out of playoff contention.
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Cats → complete → contention
“We were fighting for a playoff spot, fighting for our season,” said Hamilton defensive back Reggie Stubblefield.
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Stubblefield → fight → season
“We fought hard all game.
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We → fight → ?
There were mistakes in all phases of the game, but we kept fighting, we kept giving ourselves a chance.
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we → be → chance
To lose like that really hurts.”
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lose → lose → that
Larry Rountree III had 91 yards on the ground on 13 carries with a TD.
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III → have → TD
Kurleigh Gittens Jr. led all Hamilton receivers with four catches, 62 yards and a TD.
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Jr. → lead → catches
The Ticats cashed in on their opening drive with a 30-yard field goal from Marc Liegghio.
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Ticats → cash → Liegghio
Edmonton quickly responded with a 40-yard field goal from Blanchard.
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Edmonton → respond → Blanchard
Hamilton took a 10-3 lead with three minutes to play in the opening quarter as Rountree blazed up the middle and shrugged off a few tackles on his way to a 39-yard touchdown.
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Rountree → take → touchdown
The Elks once again answered with a 37-yard Blanchard field goal.
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Elks → answer → goal
Edmonton squandered a glorious opportunity after a punt return was fumbled away by Hamilton’s Myron Mitchell and recovered by Elk Royce Metchie at the Ticats’ 12-yard line, but all they got out of it was a 22-yard field goal from Blanchard.
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they → squander → Blanchard
Blanchard put Edmonton up 12-10 with three minutes left in the second quarter with a 54-yard field goal.
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Blanchard → put → goal
Edmonton closed the half with yet another 25-yard Blanchard field goal.
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Edmonton → close → goal
Blanchard kicked his sixth field goal from 40 yards midway through the third.
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Blanchard → kick → third
The Ticats surged back with a 34-yard TD pass from Frost to Gittens but the two-point convert attempt failed.
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attempt → surge → Gittens
The Elks finally found the endzone with three minutes left in the third as a 34-yard run by Rankin set up a one-yard quarterback keeper by Fajardo.
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run → find → Fajardo
Hamilton once again bounced back on the first play of the fourth with a 31-yard TD pass from Frost to Tyler Ternowksi.
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Hamilton → bounce → Ternowksi
Edmonton then kicked a punt single.
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Edmonton → kick → single
The Ticats tied the game 26-26 with 6:26 remaining on a 46-yard Liegghio field goal.
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6:26 → tie → goal
Liegghio missed a 51-yard attempt with two minutes remaining.
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Liegghio → miss → minutes
Fajardo was then intercepted on the Edmonton 33-yard-line by Stubblefield, leading to a 21-yard field goal by Liegghio to give Hamilton the lead.
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Fajardo → intercept → lead
Blanchard tied the game with three seconds left with his seventh field goal, from 27 yards.
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Blanchard → tie → yards
Hamilton had first crack in OT, getting a 41-yard field goal from Liegghio.
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Hamilton → have → Liegghio
Blanchard tied the record with his eighth from 37 yards.
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Blanchard → tie → yards
He then broke the record with his ninth, hitting from 35 yards out in the second OT.
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He → break → OT
Hamiton had first down from the three on their turn, but were forced to take a 12-yard field goal to set up a two-point convert shootout.
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Hamiton → have → shootout
The Ticats failed to score on their first attempt, giving the Elks the chance to win it.
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Ticats → fail → it
“There’s no words to make it feel any better in that locker room,” said Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich.
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Milanovich → ’ → room
…and 4 more, not listed.
The Aporia
