The Saskatchewan Roughriders defense sacked Cody Fajardo eight times on Friday night.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-1) hosted the Edmonton Elks (1-5) on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium. Cody Fajardo got the start at quarterback for Edmonton.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed two passes for 21 yards, and running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for three yards to the 39-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther attempted a 47-yard field goal. He missed it wide right. Edmonton returner Arkell Smith caught the ball, but he stepped out of the bounds, and Saskatchewan got a single point. It was 1-0 with 10:43 left.
Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo completed two short passes for 11 yards and took off for a four-yard run to the 55-yard line. After the drive stalled, punter Cody Grace punted the ball 56 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone, where Saskatchewan returner Drae McCray conceded the single point. The game was tied 1-1 with 7:49 left.
Edmonton’s offense struggled in its first two possessions. Late in the first quarter, quarterback Cody Fajardo threw five passes for 72 yards to the seven-yard line. Saskatchewan defensive lineman Micah Johnson sacked Fajardo for a one-yard loss, and the defense forced Fajardo to throw the ball out of bounds. On third down, kicker Vincent Blanchard made a 15-yard field goal. The Elks led the Roughriders 4-1 at the end of the first quarter.
Edmonton’s offense had 95 yards (84 yards passing, 12 yards rushing, 1 yard lost), while Saskatchewan’s offense had 39 yards (29 yards passing, 10 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette had one carry for seven yards, and quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes for 51 yards to the 12-yard line. Saskatchewan faced third down and got Edmonton to jump offsides to get the first down.
A.J. Oullette had two more carries for five yards, and the ball was placed on the one-yard line. On third down, third-string quarterback Tommy Stevens tried to score the touchdown, but Edmonton’s defense stopped him, forcing a turnover.
Late in the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 15-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Trevor Harris tossed the ball to Samuel Emilus. He fought his way to the endzone before hitting the pylon for the touchdown. The Roughriders took an 8-4 lead with 1:48 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 81 yards.
With 24 seconds left, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther kicked a 51-yard field goal. The Roughriders led the Elks 11-4 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan had 187 yards on offense (158 yards passing, 29 yards rushing), 11 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 18 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 13 of 19 passes (68.4%) for 158 yards and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had eight carries for 28 yards, and wide receiver Samuel Emilus made four catches for 78 yards and one touchdown. The defense made two sacks.
Edmonton had 142 yards on offense (148 yards passing, 13 yards rushing, 19 yards lost), 7 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 73 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 13 of 18 passes (72%) for 148 yards and two carries for seven yards.
Running back Javon Leake had two carries for five yards. Wide receiver Zach Mathis made two catches for 51 yards, and Steven Dunbar Jr. made two catches for 47 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for six yards, and quarterback Trevor Harris threw four passes for 72 yards. In addition, a roughing the passer penalty on Edmonton linebacker Nyles Morgan moved the ball 15 yards to the eight-yard line.
On the next play, Edmonton’s defense blitzed Harris, and he threw the ball to KeeSean Johnson for the touchdown. The Roughriders extended their lead to 18-4 with 7:52 left.
Saskatchewan’s defense was on fire in the third quarter. They pressured Fajardo and sacked him three times. Edmonton’s offense had four yards in the third quarter. Saskatchewan’s offense had 102 yards. Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 46-yard field goal. The Roughriders led the Elks 21-4 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Edmonton quarterback Cody Fajardo completed a 13-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. at the 53-yard line. Two plays later, Saskatchewan blitzed Cody Fajardo. As the pocket was collapsing, Fajardo spun around and ran to his left side.
He found a wide-open Kaion Julien-Grant before throwing the ball to him. Grant avoided a tackle by spinning around before scoring a 57-yard touchdown. The Elks trailed the Roughriders 21-11 with 13:21 left to cap off a two-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan’s offense struggled in the fourth quarter. They could not get much going, and Edmonton was building momentum. Quarterback Cody Fajardo threw the ball four times for 67 yards and rushed for 11 yards to get the Elks down the 13-yard line. On the next play, Saskatchewan’s defense pressured Fajardo. Cody threw the ball right into the hands of Steven Dunbar Jr. for the touchdown. The Elks trailed the Roughriders 21-18 with 1:56 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 81 yards.
With 29 seconds left, Edmonton’s offense was pinned on their five-yard line. Quarterback Cody Fajardo rushed for 12 yards to the 17-yard line, plus a roughing the passer penalty on Saskatchewan defensive back Tevaughn Campbell, moved the ball to the 32-yard line.
It was up to Saskatchewan’s defense to finish the game. They sacked Cody Fajardo twice as time expired. The Roughriders held on to a 21-18 win over the Elks. With the win, Saskatchewan moves into first place in the West Division.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan had 332 yards on offense (268 yards passing, 66 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), 16 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 53 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 25 of 33 passes (75%) for 268 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back A.J. Ouellette led the rushers with 15 carries for 62 yards and three catches for 11 yards. Wide receiver Samuel Emilus led the receivers making six catches for 113 yards and one touchdown. He did leave the game in the fourth quarter with a left knee injury.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson was second in receiving making nine catches for 78 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 38 tackles, two tackles for loss, and eight sacks.
Edmonton had 307 yards on offense (346 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 64 yards lost), 16 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 133 yards. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 26 of 33 passes (78%) for 346 yards, two touchdowns, and led the rushers with four carries for 20 yards.
Running back Javon Leake had two carries for five yards. Wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr. led the receivers making five catches for 82 yards and one touchdown, while Kaion Julien-Grant made two catches for 69 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 41 tackles, one sack, and one fumble recovery.
Next Saturday, the Edmonton Elks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 3 pm on TSN, CTV, and CFL+, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Montreal Alouettes at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.