Elks running back Rankin looks for answers against Lions defence

EDMONTON · Edmonton Elks running back Justin Rankin will try to solve the one defence that has consistently slowed him down this season when his team hosts the B.C. Lions in the CFL's Western Final on Saturday. Rankin rushed for 1,170 yards at an average of 5.7 yards per carry over 17 regular-season games. In two meetings with the Lions, however, he managed just 28 combined yards on 14 carries. The Elks finished first in the West at 13-5 to earn home-field advantage for the final at Commonwealth Stadium, while the 10-8 Lions advanced by beating Saskatchewan in last weekend's Western semi-final.

Rankin, a five-foot-10, 210-pound back, was held to 19 yards on seven carries in a 36-24 B.C. win on July 4. Two weeks later, in Edmonton's 19-17 victory, he gained just nine yards on seven attempts. He averaged 2.7 and 1.3 yards per carry in those games, respectively. Elks offensive-line coach and running-backs coordinator Stephen Sorrells said Tuesday the team is confident it can counter B.C.'s run defence after returning to practice following a week off. "Their two interior guys are as good as you're going to find," Sorrells said. "They've got really good players, and they do some good things schematically on defence. We feel like we have answers this week."

Rankin said the Lions did a good job of plugging the middle, leaving him few holes to run through. Sorrells agreed that blocking needs to improve. "We need to do a better job of blocking," Sorrells said. He also noted that Rankin carrying the ball only 14 times across the two games was not part of the plan. "The way those games played out, we didn't get enough attempts as we needed, for different reasons," Sorrells said.

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Sorrells added that a successful run game requires persistence and opportunities. "It's like if you throw an incompletion on the first attempt, you're not going to stop throwing," he said. "A successful run game is about giving it opportunities and attempts, especially with our backs … they can take it the length of the field every time they touch the ball." Rankin can also shift to receiver when the running game bogs down or the Elks want a different look on offence.

For Rankin, the final outcome matters more than his individual statistics. "If it's zero yards and we win, that's fine," he said. "The biggest thing is that we're winning games regardless of whether the run game is hitting or not. Obviously, we want to be able to run the ball; we want to be able to dominate the line of scrimmage, but when it's not going our way, we still have other avenues. And I think that just shows how much depth that we have, you know, on the offensive side of the ball." The forecast for Saturday's game at Commonwealth Stadium calls for temperatures around 10 C, with cloudy skies and light winds.

With files from The Globe and Mail, Sportsnet and Winnipeg Sun