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OTTAWA – Cody Fajardo threw a touchdown pass, while Vincent Blanchard went five-for-five on field goals as the Edmonton Elks defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 29-21 Saturday night in the season opener for both CFL teams.
Fajardo completed 23 of 34 passes for 266 yards, while Justin Rankin had 13 carries for 102 yards.
Quarterback Jake Maier made his first start with the Redblacks and threw for 203 yards on 22 completions with one touchdown. Brett Lauther connected for two field goals in the loss.
The Elks took control of the game early in the fourth quarter as Rankin scored on a 61-yard touchdown run at 4:17 to give the visitors a commanding 26-10 lead.
The teams traded field goals in the final nine minutes of the game before Maier threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hardy with under three minutes to play. A two-point conversion cut the lead to 29-21.
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Miraculously, the Redblacks trailed by just a field goal at halftime, despite turning the ball over four times, including two on downs and two fumbles.
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Penalties also hurt the Redblacks on defence as two face mask calls greatly aided an Elks drive in the first quarter that led to a 12-yard field goal from Blanchard to open the scoring at 11:31.
That remained the only points of the game until the 6:03 mark of the second quarter when Fajardo connected with Austin Mack for a 10-yard touchdown pass to the corner of the end zone. After the Blanchard extra point the Elks had a 10-0 lead.
Ninety seconds later an 18-yard field goal from Blanchard increased that lead to 13-0.
The Redblacks finally got on the board with less than three minutes to play in the half with a one-yard touchdown run by Daniel Adeboboye that was converted by Lauther. A roughing the passer call and a pass interference call in the end zone by the Elks were the two big plays on that drive.
A 35-yard field goal as the half expired Lauther pulled the Redblacks to within 13-10 at the break.
On the second play of the third quarter, Fajardo hit Rankin on a 63-yard catch and run. The drive ended with an 11-yard field goal from Blanchard at 4:47.
A 36-yard punt return on their next series led to a 27-yard field goal from Blanchard and a 19-10 Elks lead.
UP NEXT
Elks: Host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, June 20.
Redblacks: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday, June 20.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press
