Edmonton Elks starting bench Trevor Harris for Friday’s rematch against Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Edmonton | The Canadian News

Currently mired on a four-game losing streak, Edmonton Elks head coach and offensive coordinator Jamie Elizondo made a bold move Monday.

He’s sitting his number one quarterback, Trevor Harris, for Friday’s comeback game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Taylor Cornelius and Dakota Prukop will be the quarterback duo on Friday; Harris will not get dressed.

Elizondo says that several factors influenced the decision.

“We are not getting the play we need from the quarterback position,” Elizondo said.

“He’s not alone (Harris). Every time you have 2-6, they are all. We just feel right now that (Cornelius and Prukop) give us the best combination to be able to get the ball onto the field, get into the rhythm and then do some things. “

Harris struggled in a 30-3 loss to the Bombers last Friday in Winnipeg, hitting nine of 21 for just 87 yards passing. Harris was pulled by Cornelius in the fourth quarter and says the loss was a low point for him and the Elks this season.

“It just wasn’t a great performance for us on offense,” Harris said.

“We couldn’t get anything going, we couldn’t get up to speed and we all made our mistakes. I need to be responsible for the mistakes I made and I need to improve. Obviously, we will do our best to fix a few things on offense so that we can make this work. We have too much talent in our squad to be stagnant. “

Cornelius took most of the first team reps on Monday and Prukop took the other reps, while Harris only participated in individual exercises. Harris is not injured, so taking him out of the mix for Friday’s game is strictly a coach’s decision.

Cornelius will start in his third game of the season. He came off the bench in relief from Harris during last Friday’s loss in Winnipeg. So far this season, Cornelius has passed for 624 yards and thrown three touchdown passes to six interceptions.

Cornelius hopes to be back under the center this Friday.

“You never dream of being the backup quarterback,” Cornelius said.

“Obviously now I have a good chance to play and hopefully we’ll play very well.”

In six games this season, Harris is fifth among quarterbacks in passing with 1,568 yards. He has thrown six touchdown passes to five interceptions.

Those numbers aren’t at the level we’re used to seeing Harris at, but Jamie Elizondo says that with his team’s back against the wall at 2-6, the desperation level is at its peak.

“Really tough, especially with how much I care about Trevor and the relationship that goes back years,” Elizondo said.

“It is not an easy decision, but at this point, it is a team decision. We have to put the needs of the team first, apart from my feelings for him and my relationship with him. “

In other news, the Elks signed 11-year CFL veteran Martin Bedard as regular Chad Rempel is dealing with an injury. The 37-year-old Bedard is a two-time Gray Cup champion (2009, 2010), has played 179 CFL games in his career and recorded 68 special teams tackles. Bedard had announced his retirement on July 1.

Additionally, defensive end Chris Casher has been removed from the Elks’ suspended list and placed on the team’s practice list. Casher spent the 2019 season with the Calgary Stampeders and recorded 34 defensive tackles and seven sacks at quarterback. He was released by the BC Lions during their training camp this season.

The Elks host the Blue Bombers Friday night at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium. Kick-off will be at 7 pm 630 CHED will have live coverage beginning with Countdown to Kick-off starting at 5:30 pm