Fajardo, Hughes among Roughriders’ award nominees

Quarterback Cody Fajardo and defensive end Charleston Hughes headline the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ nominees for CFL awards this season.

The players were selected in voting by members of the Football Reporters of Canada and CFL head coaches.

The East and West Division award winners will be named on Nov. 7. The CFL awards will be handed out during the Grey Cup Festival on Nov. 21 at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary.

Most Outstanding Player — Cody Fajardo

Fajardo came into the 2019 season expected to only contribute on short-yardage plays, but he has taken over as the team’s leader and signal-caller.

Fajardo was thrust into the starting role after quarterback Zach Collaros suffered a concussion on the third play of the season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 13.

“In terms of the opportunity I had, I knew I just didn’t want to regret it. If I go out there and I didn’t perform to my abilities, I could’ve been out of the league as well,” Fajardo said after the team practised at the University of Regina on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old Fajardo now leads the league in passing yards (4,302) and has thrown 18 touchdowns against just eight interceptions.

He has thrown for the second-most yards by a quarterback during the season of their first start. David Archer holds the record with 6,023 yard while quarterbacking the Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993.

Fajardo, who was a unanimous selection, also has sprinkled in some running back-esque rushing stats with 611 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground.

While Fajardo was honoured to get nominated, he would trade in the award for a Grey Cup victory.

“You win a Grey Cup, you get a ring and the bond you build with your teammates winning a Grey Cup. All the hard work, the blood, the sweat, the tears, it all pays off at the end,” Fajardo said.

“When you win an individual award, it looks cool on your shelf or in your man cave but that thing’s just going to collect dust. But when you win a championship with a team and you get close to the guys and the bonds you build, that’s going to last forever.”

In his first year as a starter in the CFL, Fajardo has led the Green and White to a 12-5 record with a chance to claim the West Division’s top spot against the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.

Most Outstanding Defensive Player — Charleston Hughes

To the 35-year-old defensive end, age appears to just be a number.

Hughes has caused nightmares for quarterbacks for most of the season, recording a league-leading 15 sacks in 16 games. That includes a three-sack performance against the B.C. Lions on July 20.

Hughes has also forced four fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 48 tackles in 2019.

“(The nomination) means a lot. That’s really what you play for, right? You play for recognition and as long as you get recognition throughout the league and the respect to let everyone know what kind of player you are on and off the field, it means a lot,” Hughes said.

Hughes has gone four games without a sack but if he finishes the season as the league leader, he will be the oldest player to ever lead the league in that category. Hughes has been the league leader the past three seasons.

He’s ranked eighth all-time with 129 sacks.

“That’s my No. 1 goal: To lead the entire CFL in sacks and be No. 1 in history,” Hughes said.

This is the fourth time he has been nominated for the award (2012-13, 2016, all with the Calgary Stampeders) and he was the West finalist in 2013.

Most Outstanding Special-Teams Player — Jon Ryan

On May 13, Ryan posted a music video on Twitter to announce he was coming back to his hometown of Regina to play with the Roughriders.

It was the first time the punter had played in the CFL in 12 years after spending time in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, winning a Super Bowl with the latter in 2014.

Ryan said he was last nominated for the award back in 2005 while he was a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“This time around it means a lot more to me,” Ryan said. “Back then I was kind of always looking for the next thing, the next level, the next contract or whatever. Now I’m just kind of happy where I’m at and this means a lot to me.”

Since coming back to Canada, the 37-year-old has punted the ball 104 times for 5,098 yards. That’s an average of 49 yards per punt. While it’s not a stat punters hold in high regard, he has kicked a league-leading 12 rouges this season.

“I’m hitting the ball better than I have in my 16-year career so I’m happy with that and happy with where I’m at right now and hopefully ride this through for three more games,” Ryan said.

Most Outstanding Canadian — Cameron Judge

Judge has enjoyed a career year in 2019, proving why he was taken second overall in the 2017 Canadian draft.

After playing only three games in his rookie season and earning the starting job in 2018, Judge has been a force on defence for the Green and White. He was a unanimous selection for the nomination.

He has recorded a career-high 59 tackles, 11 special-teams tackles, five sacks, one interception and one forced fumble in 16 games in 2019.

The 24-year-old linebacker has come a long way since considering retirement after suffering a torn labrum his rookie year.

“It feels good. It’s probably something I’ll tell my kids when they want to quit something,” Judge said. “Once you quit one thing, it gets easy to quit a lot of things. I’m glad I was able to get past that and move on and come back. It means a lot to be at this point right now.”

This is the first time Judge has been nominated for the award.

The last Rider to win the award as the CFL’s most outstanding Canadian was Andy Fantuz in 2010.

Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman — Dan Clark

In a year where the Roughriders’ offensive line has dealt with a bevy of injuries and shakeups, Clark has been a steady presence in the middle of it all. The Regina-born centre has played in all 17 games for the Green and White in 2019.

It’s something Clark is proud of especially since he wasn’t sure if he’d ever walk much less play football again after a car crash in May.

“To think that I could have not been here playing football at all, this is very important to me and very important for my family,” Clark said.

At the time of the crash, Clark said football was the furthest thing from his mind.

“I was thinking more along the lines on if I’ll be able to hug and kiss my wife or see my kids again or if I’ll be able to walk again,” he said. “Standing in the field that day beside the car, maybe waiting for STARS to show up or an ambulance, a lot goes through your mind and football was the least important thing at that moment.”

The offensive line as a whole has given up only 35 sacks on the season, good enough for third-fewest in the league. The O-line also has led the way on the ground for the Roughriders, who lead the league in rushing touchdowns (25) and are third with 115.2 rushing yards per game.

Clark was a unanimous selection for the nomination. Teammate Brendon LaBatte was the last Roughrider to be named the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman, having won the award in 2013.

Most Outstanding Rookie — Dakoda Shepley

Much like fellow nominee Clark, Shepley helped the offensive line remain one of the CFL’s best despite many injuries to the group.

While the unanimous rookie-of-the-year nominee has returned to a backup role with guards Philip Blake and LaBatte getting healthy, Shepley started in 14 games this season.

“I had to fill some shoes and step in. I’m thankful for that opportunity and I made the most of it, I think,” Shepley said. “(The nomination) is a good start. I think I kind of set the standard for myself moving forward in my professional career and something I’ll look back on.”

The Windsor, Ont., product joined the Roughriders late last season after attending training camp with the New York Jets. He signed a two-year deal with the Roughriders in March.

The last Roughrider to be named the CFL’s top rookie was Weston Dressler in 2008.