The Edmonton Elks and Calgary Stampeders have faced each other before on Labour Day when they were at the top of the CFL’s West Division. This year both teams are at the bottom of the division, but Monday’s game is still critical to both teams.
The 2024 Labour Day Classic from McMahon Stadium in Calgary begins a crucial month of September for the Elks as far as their playoff hopes are concerned.
The Elks sit in last place in the West Division with a 3-8 record. They trail the Stampeders who have a 4-6 record, good for fourth in the division.
A win by the Elks would pull them even with the Stampeders in both wins and points and would close the gap on the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the B.C. Lions and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Elks will play the Stampeders in the traditional Labour Day rematch game at home on Saturday. Then it’s a bye week for the Elks followed by a home-and-home set with the Bombers to end the month.
The Elks have won three of their last four games and took the Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes right down to the final play but fell 21-17 on Aug. 25, which ended a three-game winning streak.
The Elks’ inability to win close games has proved very costly this season. The Elks are 0-6 in games that have gone down to the final three minutes The Stampeders on the other hand have a 4-5 record in games decided in the final three minutes.
Listen below: Elks interim head coach Jarious Jackson on his team being outscored 50-0 in their last five third quarters. Jackson says his team can’t wait until the fourth quarter to respond.
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McLeod Bethel-Thompson will start at quarterback for the Elks on Monday and has recently produced his best stretch of the season. In the last two games, Bethel-Thompson has passed for 434 yards while throwing four touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Bethel-Thompson has not thrown an interception in his last 67 pass attempts.
Listen below: Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson says playing on Labour Day is always special and stresses the importance of the Labour Day series for his team which is looking to leapfrog the Stampeders in the West Division.
Tre Ford will return to the lineup to back up Bethel-Thompson after missing the last two games with a chest injury.
Global kicker Dean Faithfull will play his first game of the 2024 season to replace a struggling Boris Bede. Last week in Montreal, Bede missed a 41-yard field goal in the fourth quarter which proved costly for the Elks in a four-point loss to the Alouettes.
After leading the CFL in field goal percentage last season at 94.9 per cent, Bede is last among kickers at 74.1 per cent. In 2023, Faithfull played all 18 games and recorded a field goal percentage of 78.6 per cent.
Listen below: Elks kicker Dean Faithfull will play his first game of the season on Labour Day, replacing Boris Bede who has struggled to a league-low 74 per cent success rate on field goals. Faithfull discusses a tough season of waiting for his number to be called.
Running back Javon Leake is back in the starting lineup after missing last week’s game in Montreal with a hip injury.
Starting safety Loucheiz Purifoy returns to the lineup after missing last week’s game with a thigh injury.
The following are the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Elks:
Offence
Quarterback: McLeod Bethel-Thompson
Running back: Javon Leake
Offensive line: Martez Ivey, David Foucault, Mark Korte, Shane Richards, Brett Boyko
Receivers: Eugene Lewis, Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Hergy Mayala, Tevin Jones, Dillon Mitchell
Defence
Defensive line: Noah Taylor, Noah Curtis, Shawn Oakman, Elliott Brown
Linebackers: Nick Anderson, Nyles Morgan, Derrick Moncrief.
Defensive backs: Kai Gray, Darrius Bratton, Loucheiz Purifoy, Kordell Jackson, Devodric Bymun
You can hear the Labour Day Classic between the Elks and Stampeders live on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kickoff with Courtney Theriault at 2:30 p.m.
The opening kickoff from McMahon Stadium in Calgary will be at 4 p.m., with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. You can also hear analysis from former Edmonton Football Team offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott.
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