‘We want to scare teams’: Fajardo, Riders look to get back to winning ways

There’s sunshine in the forecast, which might be music to the ears of the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes as they meet Saturday.

The previous meeting between the CFL teams ended with 2:41 remaining in the third quarter due to a weather stoppage. The Roughriders were awarded the 17-10 win on Aug. 9 in Montreal.

“It was a very physical game and it was everything we expected. It was a one-possession game with a whole quarter left but that’s just kind of how the chips fell. We were fortunate enough to have been winning,” Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo said Friday.

“If I was on the opposite side of it, I would be upset as well knowing there was a whole quarter left.”

Both teams have enjoyed a run of success since that meeting. The win in Montreal was the fourth in a six-game winning streak for Saskatchewan. The Roughriders suffered their first loss since July 6 in the Banjo Bowl, falling 35-10 to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sept. 7.

“We’ve had this bad taste in our mouth for the week now and I think it has gone on long enough,” Fajardo said. “We’re ready to get out there and show that what we were on tape last week isn’t what we are.”

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 5 p.m.

The air attack for the Roughriders has had trouble finding the end zone over its past six games, throwing for only three touchdowns in that span.

Fajardo said he’s not too worried about the offensive struggles because the team has still found ways to get wins.

“I just am big in wins and losses. As a quarterback you’re judged on wins and losses,” Fajardo said. “If our defence is playing great, there’s no point in me taking a shot down the field and throwing an interception. We understand that we’re a really good offence and we’ve shown we can be a really good offence.

“We want to scare teams. The last couple of weeks we haven’t scared teams offensively and we want to get back to that where we can stretch the field with our guys throwing the ball down the field or even running the ball and gashing defences with our run game.”

Fajardo will have a different target to toss to this week with Regina-born receiver Mitch Picton getting his first career start. Picton slots into the lineup due to a shoulder injury to rookie receiver Justin McInnis.

Picton was drafted by the team in 2017 and has been on the practice roster for most of his CFL career.

“I have a lot of respect for Mitch because not once has he complained about his situation,” Fajardo said. “He just wants to do anything he can to make the team better. When we had injuries early on and we were switching around guys, he wasn’t the next one up. I feel like he has paid his dues here.”

Meanwhile, the Alouettes haven’t lost since their Aug. 9 meeting with Saskatchewan, winning three straight games.

The Als were without two of their top offensive weapons — quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., and running back William Stanback — when these two teams played last.

With both playmakers in the lineup this week, Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson said the defence has a challenge ahead this week.

“We do think they are going to go heavy in the run game just like they did last time but Vernon’s got a little more mobility (than Antonio Pipkin) and he’s playing with great confidence right now,” Dickenson said. “Our guys know they have their work cut out for them.”

The Roughriders’ defence will have a few new faces in the lineup.

Defensive end Chad Geter is back with Saskatchewan after being one of the team’s final cuts after training camp. He suited up for two games with the Alouettes but was released. He signed with the Roughriders on Tuesday.

Defensive end Earl Okine is getting the start after Charleston Hughes (undisclosed) was added to the one-game injured list Friday. Hughes is the league leader in sacks with 13.

Hughes currently sits at No. 8 on the all-time CFL sacks list with 127. Ahead of him at No. 7 is Alouettes defensive end John Bowman, who has 130 career sacks.

“Inside, I know I can still play, ” the 37-year-old Bowman said. “I just probably can’t go out there and play three games in 12 days like we used to back in the old CFL. If I couldn’t play, I wouldn’t be out here.”

Bowman recorded two sacks in the Alouettes’ 21-17 win over the B.C. Lions on Sept. 6.

The Roughriders’ offensive line has struggled over the past two games, allowing 10 sacks.

The line of scrimmage could prove to be an important battleground in the meeting. CFL teams who win the sack battle have gone 28-12 in 2019.

Here’s the Roughriders’ depth chart for Saturday’s game: