Edmonton Elks' receiver Austin Mack (3) celebrates a first down against the B.C. Lions during their game in Edmonton earlier this month.Timothy Matwey/The Canadian Press
Austin Mack had a Randy Moss moment Thursday night.
The veteran CFL receiver had a tidy four catches for 173 yards and two touchdowns in the Edmonton Elks’ 36-34 road win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Mack came close to mimicking Moss’s iconic ’98 rookie performance when he had just three catches for 163 yards and three TDs in the Minnesota Vikings’ 46-36 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
“Yeah, it was [a dream game], it would be for any receiver,” Mack said in a telephone interview. “To have that type of production, definitely one of the best of my career so far up here.”
Mack’s first TD grab covered 57 yards in the third quarter before he took a Cody Fajardo pass 81 yards late in the fourth. Still, Edmonton (6-1) needed Vincent Blanchard’s 57-yard boot on the final play to earn a third straight victory and move four points ahead of Saskatchewan (4-2) atop the West Division.
The two teams meet again Saturday at Commonwealth Stadium.
Fajardo finished 25-of-32 passing for a career-best 510 yards with four TDs.
The 6-foot-1, 208-pound Mack is in his first season with Edmonton and leads the team in receiving (34 catches, 579 yards, five TDs). The Elks are looking to earn their first playoff berth since 2019.
The former Ohio State Buckeye signed with Edmonton in late January, just three days after being released by Montreal. Mack, 28, spent his first three CFL campaigns with the Alouettes but was let go ahead of a reported $45,000 bonus that was due Feb 1.
The move to Alberta reunited Mack with Fajardo – they helped Montreal win the ’23 Grey Cup. But it has also provided Mack, his wife, Joye, and their two young daughters with a comfortable landing spot.
Mack (81) helped the Montreal Alouettes to a Grey Cup win in 2023 and signed with the Elks in the off-season, reuniting with QB Cody Fajardo.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
“When I got to free agency, it was with my family in mind,” Mack said. “I wanted to go somewhere that cared about them.”
Rankin was Edmonton’s offensive catalyst early this season, rushing for 100 or more yards in four of its first five games while adding 26 catches for 297 yards. Rankin has cooled off (48 yards rushing on 19 carries, nine catches for 73 yards over the Elks’ last two games) but others have stepped up.
“It’s all about how a season develops,” Mack said. “Early on, you see honest boxes, and when we see that, Justin will take the ball to the house every single time, so we’re going to definitely try to exploit that.
“As we continue through the season, teams aren’t going to want to lose to that. So we’ve got to be able to maximize the game plan, and you’re seeing us start to do that.”
And for a receiver, it’s understanding there are more ways to contribute offensively than with catches.
“The first two games of the season we knew we were going to run the ball; everybody in the stadium did,” Mack said. “I had two pancake blocks after those two games; I was out here trying to pancake guys.
“There are so many other ways how you can impose your will on an opponent, not just catching the ball.”
Edmonton last posted a .500 regular-season mark in 2018 (9-9).
“There are guys here who want to play together, who want to work together,” Mack said. “I know culture and identity are a big part of what you try to build in a winning organization, and that’s something we have this year.”