Riders close preseason with win over Elks

The Saskatchewan Roughriders end the preseason with a narrow 28-27 win over the Edmonton Elks.

Although Saskatchewan only managed to gain 92 net yards of offence in the first half, the team found themselves with a 21-13 lead heading into the third quarter – scoring in all three phases of the game.

The Riders’ offence struggled to generate big plays throughout the game, but the team was able to capitalize on several Edmonton turnovers.

This included a late forced fumble during an Adam Korsak punt by Riders defensive back Katley Joseph which was recovered by linebacker Adam Auclair. This set up a 23-yard Brett Lauther field goal with 24 seconds left in the game.

Elks kicker Vincent Blanchard missed a would-be game-winning 57-yard field goal as time expired.

Quarterback Mason Fine finished the game with nine completions in 11 attempts for 75 yards and a touchdown.

Riders quarterback Shea Patterson also flashed some playmaking ability as he helped the team close out the game — throwing for 80 passing yards, completing five out of eight attempts. Patterson also had an 11-yard scramble.

Edmonton quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw for 190 yards, completing 17 out of 25 passes. He also threw an interception.

Elks quarterback Tre Ford also delivered a solid performance. He threw for 121 yards while going 12-for-14. Ford also rushed for 20 yards on two attempts.

Saskatchewan finished with 191 yards of net offence to Edmonton’s 411.

Only Lauther kicked for Saskatchewan. He made two of his 4 field goal attempts and hit 3 point-afters.

Kicker Boris Bede made both of his kicks for the Elks, while Dean Faithfull and Blanchard went three-for-four and one-for-two respectively.

It wasn’t always pretty but the Riders managed to punish Edmonton for their mistakes. The Elks had five turnovers.

Here are five players who stood out in the team’s winning effort.

Antoine Brooks Jr.

Linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. made sure his presence was felt throughout the game. He led the game with seven defensive tackles and two special teams tackles.

Brooks Jr. also had a pick-six against Bethel-Thompson to put the Riders up 21-10 late in the second quarter.

Adam Auclair

Auclair finished the game with four defensive tackles — the second-most on the team. He also recovered a fumble during a late fourth quarter punt which helped set up Lauther’s field goal.

Kosi Onyeka

After finding themselves down 6-0 late in the first quarter, defensive back Kosi Onyeka put the Riders onto the scoreboard by recovering muffed punt by Edmonton’s Javon Leake for a touchdown.

Onyeka also had two forced fumbles and a special teams tackle.

Dohnte Meyers

Despite only having two catches for 22 yards, receiver Dohnte Meyers left a strong impression.

Both were tough, highlight-worthy grabs that he snagged while leaping. One was a four-yard contested back shoulder pass from Mason Fine that put Saskatchewan up 14-9.

Geronimo Allison

Former Green Bay Packers receiver Geronimo Allison had a stout performance in the Riders’ win.

The 30-year-old had four catches for 40 yards.