EDMONTON - Through the first eight games of the Edmonton Elks season, running back Justin Rankin averaged 5.2 yards a carry for 308 yards, twice was held to zero yards in a game, and scored just two touchdowns.

The Elks were 2-6 over that stretch.

In the seven games since, the five-foot-10, 215-pound native of Oberlin, Ohio, has rushed for 530 yards, a 6.8-yard average, and six touchdowns. The Elks won four of those games to resurrect their playoff hopes, which are on the line again Saturday night when they host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

So what happened between Weeks 10 and 11 of the CFL season that led to the turnaround for both Rankin and the Elks?

“Nothing really changed,” Rankin said this week after he signed a contract extension through the 2027 season. “We had a lot of new guys

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