Elks score fourth-quarter TDs to down Ticats 27-12

HAMILTON – Zach Mathis, Cody Fajardo and ShunDerrick Powell scored fourth-quarter touchdowns as the Edmonton Elks captured a 27-12 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.

Edmonton (12-4) clinched a home playoff game with the victory. It was the Elks’ second straight win over Hamilton after earning a 37-35 double overtime home decision on Sept. 26 when Vincent Blanchard kicked a CFL-record nine field goals.

That loss eliminated Hamilton (5-12) from playoff contention.

Edmonton last swept a two-game series with Hamilton in 2017.

Mathis, a second-year receiver, delivered the game’s biggest play, scoring on a 48-yard interception return at 10:43. He picked off punter Nik Constantinou’s surprising pass attempt to Tyler Ternowski.

Isaiah Wooden pulled Hamilton to within 21-12 with an 87-yard kickoff return TD at 11:22. But Harrison Frost’s pass to Kiondre Smith for the two-point convert was incomplete, an interesting decision given a one-point convert would’ve made it a one-score game.

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Powell rounded out the scoring with a five-yard TD run at 14:36. It came after Hamilton turned the ball over on downs at its 26-yard line.

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Marc Liegghio’s 37-yard field goal at 6:56 pulled Hamilton to within 14-6. It followed Fajardo’s one-yard TD run at 4:47.

But the contest was hardly an offensive masterpiece as the two teams combined for 18 punts (10 by Edmonton). Fajardo finished 16-of-25 passing for 229 yards, while Frost was 21-of-36 for 221 yards.

Blanchard had two field goals, a single and two converts.

Lieggho kicked two field goals.

Liegghio’s 18-yard field goal at 11:58 cut Edmonton’s lead to 7-3. It capped a 13-play, 94-yard march after Hamilton had accumulated 49 net offensive yards to that point.

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Blanchard’s single to end the second quarter gave Edmonton a 7-0 halftime lead. Defensive lineman Mario Kendricks Jr. got a hand on Blanchard’s 47-yard field goal try and Isaiah Wooden Sr. couldn’t return the ball out of the end zone.

Brad Hladik’s recovery of Wooden’s fumble on a punt return gave Edmonton possession at Hamilton’s 48-yard line.

Blanchard’s 26-yard boot at 12:43 earned Edmonton a 6-0 advantage. It followed Malik Carney’s sack — his third of the first half — of Hamilton quarterback Harrison Frost at the Ticat’s 46-yard line on a third-and-five gamble.

Neither offence was sharp as the teams combined for 12 punts (six each). But Edmonton had 193 net offensive yards compared to just 45 for Hamilton.

Frost was five-of-11 passing for 30 yards while Fajardo completed 11-of-17 attempts for 159 yards.

Vincent’s 13-yard boot at 13:38 of the first opened the scoring.

At halftime, Hamilton added running back Troy Davis to its Wall of Honour. Davis spent five seasons with the Ticats (2001-2005) and is their all-time leader in carries (1,053), yards (5,296), and 100-yard games (18).

In 2004, Davis set franchise records for carries (324) and yards (1,628) while scoring 10 touchdowns.

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Elks: Host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, Oct. 16.

Tiger-Cats: Have a bye week.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 9, 2026.