Elks to face Alouettes in Grey Cup after beating Lions in West final

Cody Fajardo used his legs and his arms to engineer two fourth-quarter touchdowns to guide the Edmonton Elks to a 28-16 win over the B.C. Lions in the West Division final on Saturday.

With 40,183 noisy fans at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium — the CFL's largest crowd of the year — two key Fajardo second-down runs of 11 and 14 yards ended with rough play penalties against B.C. The Elks capitalized both times with Fajardo scoring on a five-yard run and later hitting Austin Mack with a 23-yard touchdown strike for a 25-16 margin.

Justin McInnis fumbled after a pass reception and Edmonton's JJ Ross returned it to the B.C. 20. Three plays later Vincent Blanchard's third field goal of the night gave Edmonton a 28-16 lead with three minutes left.

The Elks will meet the Montreal Alouettes in the Grey Cup in Calgary next Sunday. Montreal earned its spot earlier Saturday with a hard-fought 33-23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Montreal Alouettes defeat Winnipeg Blue Bombers in CFL East final

The first time either team started a drive in the opponent's side of midfield came midway through the third quarter. Montrell Washington returned a punt 35 yards to the B.C. 54 but two straight penalties promptly moved the Elks back to their own 49. Fajardo then ran for 15 yards and a rough play penalty put the Elks on the B.C. 18-yard line. A 13-yard pass to Mack set up Fajardo's run for the game's first major and a 16-9 lead.

The Lions instantly responded. Four straight successful passes, including a 33-yarder to James Butler, left the lions second and two on the Edmonton eight. Quarterback Nathan Rourke broke loose over the left side and pushed his way into the end zone 37 seconds into the fourth quarter.

Another Fajardo run, this one