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With scorching temperatures on Friday night, the only thing generating as much heat as the evening sun was the Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive line, causing havoc with eight sacks, on their way to a 21-18 win over the Edmonton Elks.
It was a low scoring start with the Elks leading 4-1 after the first 15 minutes.
The Roughriders pulled ahead in the second quarter with a 15-yard touchdown reception from Samuel Emilus.
A 51-yard field goal by Brett Lauther gave the green and white an 11-4 at halftime.
Like the second quarter, Saskatchewan added ten points to the scoreboard. Keesean Johnson scored with an eight-yard touchdown and Lauther added a 46-yard field goal.
Led by former Cody Fajardo, the Elks wouldn’t go away easily, as they scored two touchdowns in the final quarter. Kaion Julien-Grant hauled in a 57-yard touchdown catch, to cut the deficit to 21-11. With two minutes remaining, Fajardo connected with Steve Dunbar Jr to close the gap to three points.
The Roughriders offence was able to hang on to the ball on their final drive, to prevent a fourth quarter and hang on for the victory.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris had 246 passing yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions.
Emilus ended up with six catches for 113 yards and a touchdown. He did leave the game with an injury. The Roughriders return to practice on Tuesday, where an update on the receiver’s status is expected.
Johnson led the Saskatchewan receivers with nine catches and had 78 yards to go with his touchdown.
On the defensive side, Malik Carney, Micah Johnson and Shane Ray each had two sacks on the night.
Saskatchewan (6-1) is back on top of the Canadian Football League standings and got some help as all their divisional rivalries lost this past week.
The Roughriders will enter what is likely their toughest stretch of the season. It begins on Saturday with a visit to Montreal to meet the Alouettes, followed by their second bye week.
Saskatchewan will then host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on August 16, a week a matchup in Calgary. Then it will be the traditional home-and-home set with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, ending off with a home matchup against the Alouettes.