Fajardo and Roughriders defeated Argonautas 30-16 | The Canadian News

REGINA – Ending a frustrating scoring drought on Friday was a huge relief for Cody Fajardo and the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

A 30-16 victory over the Toronto Argonauts, which featured three offensive touchdowns from the Riders, got the offense back on track.

The Riders entered the game without scoring a touchdown since the third quarter of a 23-10 victory over the Ottawa RedBlacks on August 21. The streak, which included back-to-back losses to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, ended when Fajardo scored. on a quarterback breakout on Saskatchewan’s first game possession.

“Toronto is a great defense and I think people overlook it. That’s a difficult defense to score 30 points, ”Fajardo said. “I’m very proud of the offensive group and the way they responded by not scoring lately. We responded with touchdowns. It felt good to hear the roar of the crowd after a touchdown instead of a field goal. “

The victory improves the Riders to 4-2 while the Argos fell to 3-3.

As important as touchdowns were, head coach Craig Dickenson was pleased to see the Riders rebound from a two-game losing streak.

“We needed to play well. We needed a win, without a doubt, ”Dickenson said. “We still made mistakes, but the guys played hard. It feels good to go back to the win column. “

The Riders defense came with three turnovers in the first half. Elie Bouka and Deon Lacey forced fumbles that Saskatchewan recovered. The Riders also had a position on the goal line late in the second quarter, stopping Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle on a quarterback slip from the one-yard line and running back John White on the next play.

Rookie catcher Kian Schaffer-Baker had a great game for the Riders, catching nine passes for 99 yards. He scored his first CFL touchdown in the fourth quarter, catching a short pass and breaking several tackles en route to a 24-yard touchdown. Fajardo connected with Mitchell Picton in a two-point conversion attempt to increase the Riders’ lead to 26-9.

Fajardo couldn’t say enough about Schaffer-Baker’s contribution to the offense.

“The kid is a stud, he belongs to this league and he’s a rookie,” Fajardo said. “I told him there’s no need to think he’s a rookie, he’s a veteran as the weeks go by. I’m excited for Kian. I mean, I throw a two-yard route and he takes it for a 20-yard touchdown while breaking 30 tackles.

“I wish I had known he had 99 yards because I would have found a way to get him one more yard.”

Dickenson also praised Schaffer-Baker, but warned fans to expect the 6-foot-4, 195-pound rookie to perform at this level in every game.

“I’m going to tell you straight, he’s going to have some ups and downs, that’s what rookies do,” Dickenson said. “Tonight was very good for him. We hope there is not much of a dip. You have to be patient with first-year players ”.

Wide receiver Brayden Lenius increased Saskatchewan’s lead to 15-3 early in the second quarter when he caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Fajardo. Running back William Powell set up the touchdown with a 33-yard dash.

Toronto cut Saskatchewan’s lead to 18-9 with a six-play, 66-yard drive to open the second half. Catcher DaVaris Daniels played a major role in the series, catching three passes for 60 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown reception.

Arbuckle threw his second touchdown pass of the game in the fourth minute of the fourth, connecting with Eric Rogers on an 18-yard play. The older cut the Riders’ lead to 27-16.

Powell finished with 122 rushing yards on 21 carries. He had an impressive first half, gaining 86 yards on 13 carries.

Fajardo completed 21 of 31 passes for 212 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also had 58 rushing yards on eight carries.

Running back kicker Brett Lauther was 2-for-4 on field goal attempts, connecting from 23 and 24 yards while missing from 46 and 41 yards.

Micah Johnson, Deon Lacey, Keion Adams and Jonathan Woodard recorded sacks for the Riders, while Nick Marshall had an interception.

Charleston Hughes and Dewayne Hendrix had sacks for the Argos, while Crezdon Butler had an interception.

Arbuckle finished with 309 yards through the air, connecting 22 of 33 attempts. He had two touchdown passes and one interception.

Argos linebacker Cameron Judge was injured six minutes into the game, suffering an apparent leg injury.

This Canadian Press report was first published on September 17, 2021.