Canadian quarterback Tre Ford produced 406 total offensive yards and helped the Edmonton Elks defeat the Toronto Argonauts 31–30 in overtime on October 25, 2024. Punter Jake Julien ended the regular-season finale with a 54-yard kick through the end zone for a game-winning rouge.
A showcase in a non-playoff game
The result did not change the playoff positions of either team, but it mattered to players competing for future roles. Ford, a former first-round draft selection, was approaching the end of his contract and used the opportunity to demonstrate passing and rushing ability.
Toronto general manager Michael “Pinball” Clemons interrupted Ford’s post-game availability to express admiration. The moment showed respect from an opponent after a performance that transformed the final quarter.
Ford’s numbers
Ford completed enough explosive plays to finish with 325 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He added 81 rushing yards despite playing only three quarters, because Jarret Doege took the second quarter in a planned rotation.
Raw yardage does not capture every quarterback decision, but production through both the air and ground forced Toronto to defend the entire field. Ford’s mobility also extended plays when the original design broke down.
The fourth-quarter comeback
Edmonton trailed by 11 in the fourth quarter before scoring three touchdowns. In the final minute, Ford connected with Eugene Lewis for 50 yards and then found Zach Mathis for a 40-yard touchdown, the first of Mathis’s CFL career.
The two-play, 90-yard drive gave the Elks a 30–27 lead after the convert. Toronto responded to force overtime, preventing the regulation comeback from being the final act.
How a rouge ended it
Canadian football awards one point when a kick other than a successful field goal enters the opponent’s goal area and is not returned out, subject to the league’s rules. Edmonton used that distinctive scoring option in overtime.
Head coach Jarious Jackson asked Julien whether he could kick through the back of the end zone. The punter delivered from 54 yards. Toronto coach Ryan Dinwiddie said his team had considered catching the ball and kicking it back out, but the distance prevented that plan.
A season-ending contrast
The Elks finished 7–11 and outside the playoffs. A dramatic final win gave supporters a positive result without erasing the record or the organizational decisions ahead.
The Argonauts were preparing for postseason football. Their admiration for Ford did not lessen the defensive breakdowns that allowed Edmonton to overturn the late deficit.
What the performance meant
One game cannot settle a player’s long-term value, especially against a team with no standings incentive. It can provide film under pressure: down late, Ford created three scoring drives and executed two explosive throws when Edmonton needed them.
The final point belonged to the punter, but the opportunity existed because the Elks’ offence recovered from an 11-point hole. Ford’s contract situation made the night a personal audition; the 31–30 score made it one of the season’s most unusual finishes.
It also left Edmonton evaluators with a vivid final performance to consider when planning the next roster.
