ESKIMOS 38 ARGONAUTS 15
EDMONTON – Rookie quarterback James Franklin threw one touchdown and ran in another as the Edmonton Eskimos beat the Toronto Argonauts 38-15 on Friday.
The win moved the Eskimos (6-3) back into a first-place in the CFL’s West Division with the Calgary Stampeders. Edmonton was coming off a 49-20 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last week.
Toronto saw a three-game winning streak snapped and fell to 6-3 on the season.
Franklin, making his first career start in place of Matt Nichols, engineered a 92-yard opening drive before capping it off by eluding a tackle and scrambling 18 yards into the end zone for an early 7-0 lead.
Franklin hit Derel Walker with a 53-yard pass, setting up a 23-yard Grant Shaw field goal on Edmonton’s second drive.
Toronto got on the scoreboard midway through the second quarter, getting a single on a missed Swayze Waters field goal attempt. The Eskimos responded with a punt single.
The Argos put together a late drive culminating in a one-yard TD plunge by backup quarterback Adrian McPherson to make it 11-8 at the half.
Edmonton started the third quarter with a 21-yard Shaw field goal.
Franklin completed a 62-yard pass to Walker midway through the third, resulting in another Shaw field goal and a 17-8 Eskimos lead.
Toronto closed the gap to two points late in the third after a controversial pass interference call led to a one-yard touchdown pass from McPherson to Vidal Hazelton.
The Eskimos got a huge boost with just over 10 minutes to play when Kendial Lawrence exploded through coverage for a 65-yard punt return touchdown.
Edmonton made it 31-15 with five minutes to play when Franklin found Walker for an eight-yard TD pass.
The Esks put the game away for good when Aaron Grymes picked off a Trevor Harris pass and took it back 54 yards, setting up a nine-yard quarterback keep by third-stringer Jordan Lynch.
Both teams are off until Labour Day on Sept. 7 when the Argos travel to Hamilton and the Eskimos head south to Calgary to face the Stampeders.
(Canadian Press)
Before this year started. Franklin was sending out highlight tapes. I guess Taman didn't get his.
Wonder where all the Eskimo fans went last night, stadium seemed empty.
Maybe because it seats 68 billion people genious
Commonwealth Stadium always seems empty–60,000-seat stadium far too big for the CFL.
Also, the Eskimos are deemed as a minor-league competitor to the Oilers. It's all Connor MacDavid and the new arena.
True enough. The Eskimos are a distant 2nd to the Oilers in terms of public interest in E-town.