Ever since throwing for three touchdowns for the Edmonton Elks during a fourth-quarter appearance against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, Tre Ford’s name has been a hot topic of discussion among CFL football fans and sports commentators.
In an interview with radio host Dave Campbell on 630 CHED’s Inside Sports on Tuesday night, Edmonton’s interim head coach confirmed the team’s 26-year-old Canadian-born backup quarterback will start Saturday’s game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2).
“Tre came in and gave us a spark that we were looking for this past weekend,” Jarious Jackson said.
“He deserves an opportunity to try and lead this team to a win.”
Ford relieved starting quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson in Sunday’s game, creating offensive excitement and moving the team down field although the Elks lost 44-28 to Hamilton and saw their record fall to 0-7 this season.
The young pivot, who was named the Elks’ most outstanding player of 2023, completed 10 of 15 passes for 121 yards and rushing for 19 yards on three carries.
“I thought he went out there and put his best foot forward,” Jackson said of Ford.
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Jackson indicated the decision to start Ford in Regina on Saturday also relates to Bethel-Thompson’s health, although he will dress for the game and be on the sidelines.
“Mac has been a little up and down the past couple of weeks along with dealing with some injuries that he won’t tell anybody about,” he said. “It’s been hard for him to even throw the ball these last couple of weeks.
“That’s not to make any excuses, but at the end of the day, Tre came in, did well.”
Chris Jones, who was fired as the Elks’ head coach and general manager earlier this month, signed Bethel-Thompson in the summer with the intention of him being the football team’s starting quarterback while also serving as a mentor to Ford. Jackson said he believes Ford has learned a lot from the veteran this season.
“I think Mac has definitely helped Tre in a lot of different ways,” he said. “He hadn’t had that in the past as far as being able to learn from a veteran.
“I think Mac has definitely started to rub off on him.”
Jackson did not confirm if he is planning to start Ford in games beyond the upcoming one against Saskatchewan.
“We’re going to handle this one first and we’ll figure it out from there,” he said, adding that Bethel-Thompson is “a true pro and he’s definitely going to support Tre in every way he can on and off the field.”
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