The Canadian Press
VANCOUVER — The Saskatchewan Roughriders claimed their first win of the season over the division rival BC Lions with a 23-16 road win to close out Friday night’s doubleheader.
In the win over BC, Riders’ quarterback Cody Fajardo put together what has been statistically his best game of the season through the first 12 weeks of play. Fajardo completed 19 of his 24 passing attempts for a season-best 321 yards and two passing touchdowns.
The performance from the Saskatchewan pivot is a far cry from his 41-yard showing in Week 11 before he was ultimately replaced by backup quarterback Mason Fine in the team’s 28-10 loss to the Lions.
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When asked about the road win on Friday evening, the significance of the moment was not lost on Saskatchewan head coach Craig Dickenson.
“It’s huge, it went unspoken, but everybody in that locker room knew we needed to play well and find a way to finish, and I’m really proud of those guys,” Dickenson explained in a post-game interview with TSN.
Fajardo threw for his first 300-yard game of the season as he led the Riders in a hard fought road win in Week 12. When asked about the play of his quarterback, Dickenson was proud of the way his leader played, especially when it mattered the most.
“I thought he did a great job, I mean, he’ll be very critical of himself because he’s a perfectionist and he’s a pro,” said Dickenson. “But I’ll tell you what, when we needed throws he made them and he had great command in the huddle to drive the field and give us a couple of first downs to seal it. He’s getting the game ball tonight, Cody is.”
However, the Saskatchewan head coach was quick to note that the win over BC was an entire team effort and that he was proud of the way his offensive unit played as a whole.
“That’s what good teams do, and I was really proud of the offence,” said Dickenson. “They knew we needed three or four first downs to kneel down and they did it against a defence that had to stop them, hopefully we can build off that.”
The Roughriders will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 13, as the Riders get set for their Labour Day Classic matchup from Mosaic Stadium on Sunday evening.
