Sask. Roughriders take on Fajardo-led Elks Friday at Mosaic

The Saskatchewan Roughriders will look to improve to 6-1 while meeting a familiar face for the first time.

The Edmonton Elks have elected to relegate Tre Ford to the backup spot and have made former Riders’ pivot Cody Fajardo the starter this week.

Fajardo was the Saskatchewan quarterback from 2019-22 before he signed with the Montreal Alouettes after the Riders elected to go in a different direction. Fajardo never faced the Riders as the starter with the Alouettes.

“I think there might be a couple of cheers, but at the end of the day, I am fully expecting some boos,” Fajardo said. “There were some great days and there were some dark days with my time here but I wanted nothing more to win a Grey Cup for this fanbase and the first franchise to give me the franchise tag but it’s crazy when you work so hard for something and when you come up empty, it leaves an empty feeling in your heart.”

Head coach Corey Mace would like the Rider faithful to treat Fajardo similarly to how they treated another former Rider pivot – Henry Burris.

“I was there for that,” said Mace, who was a teammate of Burris in Calgary. “Bring your Christmas hats (for the Christmas in July game) and be the Grinch. Let’s do that. We want as much noise as possible … Let’s have some fun.”

The Riders host the 1-4 Elks on Friday at Mosaic Stadium. Kickoff for the game is set for 7 p.m. The Green Zone pregame show begins at 5 p.m.

Read more:

• Cody’s back: Elks’ Fajardo to start against Riders
• The Blitz Podcast: Riders look to keep building momentum against Elks
• Riders’ Mario Anderson back for a second stint in Saskatchewan

When the Riders moved on from Fajardo, the team signed Trevor Harris, who now has Saskatchewan out to a 5-1 start this season and in the mix for the top spot in the CFL West Division.

Harris and the Riders’ offence will look to take advantage of an Elks defence that is giving up a league-high 34 points per game.
But Harris knows it’s still a tough test ahead of them.

“These guys are good football players and they have played well in games and have held up really well and sometimes they have just been on the field a little bit too long and get put on the field a decent amount,” Harris said. “It’s our job to keep them on the field.”

Harris has had nine straight games where he has had a completion percentage over 70. That’s a CFL record. He has thrown for 1,626 yards, nine touchdowns and four interceptions.

This week will see another change along the Riders’ offensive line as Zack Fry will miss this game due to a head injury Mace said he suffered due to being in a motor vehicle accident earlier this week.

Noah Zerr will start at left guard in his place.

Zerr had been cut by the Riders in training camp but had been brought back due to injuries to the group. He had been the team’s sixth offensive lineman in recent weeks.

“I think the CFL is a blessing and it’s the funnest job in the world and can taken from you at any time and that’s something I learned pretty young in the league,” Zerr said. “At the same time, it’s one of those things you need to stick with. If it’s your dream to play pro football, you have to keep working and stay ready.”

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Centre Logan Ferland said the numbers might show the Elks struggling, but the tape shows something different.

“They play hard and they play together. We are expecting that same kind of play and we are not underestimating them. You can never underestimate a team in the CFL regardless of what their record is,” Ferland said.

A prime example of that is just last season when the Elks were winless but proceeded to beat the Riders 42-31 last season thanks to 276 rushing yards.

“It’s water under the bridge but anyone who was here last year and played defence remembered that. That was one of our worst games and guys weren’t proud of that. We are a prideful defence and we hang our hat on being able to stop the run first,” said defensive tackle Micah Johnson. “That was a big pill to swallow but we are convinced we won’t let that happen again.”

Much like last season, Saskatchewan is one of the top rushing defences in the league, only surrendering 73.8 yards per game. Only the Alouettes have given up fewer per game.