Riders ride arm and feet of Fajardo for second win

If there was a knock against the Saskatchewan Roughriders after their first outing, a complete game effort fell short by 30 minutes.

Convinced a halftime lead was good enough, they nearly squandered a 31 point advantage holding on to beat the B.C. Lions by just 4.

Saturday night against the eastern cats, the Riders built on a 17-8 halftime lead, outscoring the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 13-0 in the second half to win 30-8.

It wasn't just the points differential — it was the way they manhandled the team many picked as early Grey Cup favourites.

The Roughriders dominated every aspect.

Craig Dickenson says winning the turnover battle is the biggest indicator of wins and losses.

The Riders took advantage of four of six Hamilton turnovers, converting them into 24 points

"As bad as we were in a lot of ways on penalties, sloppiness in the return game and special teams, I thought winning the turnover battle was key." said Dickenson following his 15th victory as the Riders' head coach.

"We did a pretty good job of protecting it when we had it and we tried to take it away when we needed it."

Dickenson praised his club for keeping the penalties in check against B.C. That blew up his face against Hamilton as the Riders were flagged twenty times.

The biggest head scratchers came on a second quarter goal line stand as the defensive line was called for offside three times because they couldn't keep their fingers inside the white paint, the easiest call for officials to make.

"That could have bit us in the end" said Dickenson, who will be sure to emphasize that with the group when they start prepping for week three, but overall the coach is pleased with the progress.

"Our legs are coming back and our confidence is growing."

Especially in his quarterback.

'Sprinkle of Jesus'

If there were any Cody Fajardo doubters — and I don't see why there would be — they are quiet today.

The Riders rode the arm and feet of their quarterback for their second win of the season.

Fajardo's game story: 17 for 25, 222 yards passing including two touchdowns, 66 yards rushing including a 14 yarder for a touchdown.

It won't make anyone in the CFL forget Doug Flutie, but it was the performance of a confident leader — one that can take a team a long way.

It was actually a game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats more than two years ago when it was realized Fajardo was a keeper.

The spiritual quarterback who likes to say "sprinkle of Jesus' for his good fortunes, called his own number in the last minute in August of 2019 diving for the touchdown as the Riders won 24-19.

Fajardo was all Saskatchewan talked about following that game, including his post-game meal consisting of a corn dog and cherry Coke at the Queen City Ex.

He'll have to wait another week for the Exhibition corn dog, but a cherry Coke was waiting after he was finally done with the media at midnight Saturday.

"Our biggest issue from week one was not staying on schedule, I thought tonight we did a really good job on first down getting us to second and manageable."

Regina Air Force

A big part of their offensive success against Hamilton came from the play of the offensive line keeping Fajardo on his feet, and also from a small group we may have to dub the Regina Air Force.

Regina products Brayden Lenius and Mitch Picton have become trusted targets for Fajardo, who found Lenius for his first CFL touchdown last week and Picton in the endzone for his first pro major in week two.

"Those Canadian receivers are saving us right now." said Dickenson.

While Lenius' progression has been quick, Picton, the former University of Regina Ram, has had to have more patience biding his time on the practice roster after being drafted in 2017.

"You're either getting better or getting worse, and Picton used all that time he was on the PR to work on his craft and work on his body and turn himself into a pro football player, and I think he's done it."

And he was noted by the team as one of the smartest guys in the room as Picton personally took a young Kyran Moore under his wing and through the playbook.

Despite scoring a touchdown of his own Saturday night, Moore — one of the rising stars in the league — said after the game he was most proud of Picton's first CFL touchdown.

"That's my boy!" Moore boasted proudly at game's end.

Moore may have to adapt to more pressure on his 165 pound frame as Saskatchewan's primary receiving threat. Saturday's victory may prove costly as Shaq Evans suffered an ankle/foot injury while clearing a path for Fajardo's second quarter touchdown. Evans limped off and never returned.

"Hopefully he's good to go for Ottawa and then we have a bye week after. That's the toughest thing, when you score a touchdown and you lose your all-star receiver, it's kind of bittersweet." said Fajardo.

The Roughriders have started the season with two straight home wins, taking advantage of two straight losses by Calgary and Edmonton.

"Money in the bank" said Dickenson, as this short 14-game season will wind down before you know it.

The Riders host the Ottawa Redblacks next Saturday at 5:00.

Extra Points

The game ball may have been presented to the offensive line, but there was strong consideration for the defence — especially first-year lineman Jonathan Woodard.

The former NFL'er contributed three sacks and a forced fumble.

A.C. Leonard had two sacks and a fumble recovery.

Charleston who?