EDMONTON \u2014 The West Division\u2019s top two teams meet for the second week in a row when the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks square off to close out Week 9 on Saturday night.<\/p>\n
Edmonton won a 36-34 nailbiter in Week 8.<\/p>\n
A victory for Saskatchewan would move them within two points of the first place Elks.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s three keys to victory for each team ahead of Saturday\u2019s 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN in Canada, on CBSSN in the U.S., and on CFL+ internationally.<\/p>\n
RELATED SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS<\/p>\n 1. PRIDE ON DEFENCE<\/p>\n Allowing 510 yards through the air and four passing touchdowns to quarterback Cody Fajardo<\/a> and the Elks a week go couldn\u2019t have sat well with the Riders secondary. Fortunately for them, they don\u2019t have to wait long to show it was a one-off. Head coach Corey Mace should expect defensive backs Tevaughn Campbell<\/a>, DaMarcus Fields<\/a>, Jaxon Ford<\/a> and Marcus Sayles<\/a> to come out with a chip on their shoulder. They\u2019ll have to produce without Rolan Milligan Jr., who was added to the six-game injured list<\/a>.<\/p>\n 2. KEEP UP THE PRESSURE<\/p>\n Defensive linemen Mike Rose<\/a>, James Vaughters<\/a> and linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. all got up close and personal with Fajardo for a sack last week. It didn\u2019t seem to phase him, but every pressure counts.<\/p>\n 3. PRODUCTION IN THE RUN GAME<\/p>\n Running back AJ Ouellette is also out with a knee injury<\/a>, so it\u2019s up to Quali Conley and Thomas Bertrand-Hudon<\/a> to take the handoffs and find space on the ground. Bertrand-Hudon rushed for nine yards on three carries in the first matchup.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n EDMONTON ELKS<\/p>\n 1. CODY FAJARDO<\/p>\n Quarterback Cody Fajardo<\/a> is oozing confidence after a career game. Will he do it again? Likely not at that level, but he\u2019s a proven veteran playing at his best with plenty of weapons.<\/p>\n 2. AN OPENING FOR JUSTIN RANKIN<\/p>\n Fajardo will be the focal point of the Riders defence, which may benefit running back Justin Rankin. Rankin has had back-to-back subpar performances in the ground game, but is still the same game breaking player he was in the first five games of the season. Holes will be there, it\u2019s up to him to find them.<\/p>\n 3. SETTLE THE GAME DEFENSIVELY<\/p>\n The Elks can\u2019t afford to get caught up in their own offensive hype and think it\u2019s all they need, especially with a quarterback the calibre of Trevor Harris<\/a> on the other side. Head coach Mark Kilam\u2019s secondary gave up 386 yards through the air and four passing touchdowns in Week 8, a performance Tyrell Ford<\/a>, Kordell Jackson<\/a> and Kobe Williams<\/a> will try to improve on.<\/p>\n NEED TO KNOW:<\/p>\n
\u00bb Depth Charts: SSK<\/a> | EDM<\/a>
\u00bb Game Notes: Roughriders at Elks<\/a>
\u00bb Tickets: Saskatchewan at Edmonton<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Injury Reports: Stay up to date<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Who\u2019s gonna win? Play CFL Pick \u2018Em presented by Old Dutch now!<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally<\/a><\/p>\n