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National Post
3 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
Harris throws for two TDs as Roughriders hold off Fajardo, Elks 21-18
REGINA — The first-place Saskatchewan Roughriders are finding ways to win despite the lack of a killer instinct. Article content The Riders, who improved to 6-1 with a 21-18 victory over the Edmonton Elks on Friday, have had the propensity this season to take an early lead but then allow their opponents to get back into the game. That's exactly what happened against the Elks as the Riders held a comfortable 21-4 lead after the third quarter only to take their foot of the gas and find themselves having to fend off a late Edmonton comeback. Article content Article content Article content Quarterback Trevor Harris was visibly frustrated with the Riders failing to put the Elks away when they had the chance. Article content 'There's obviously some positive things to take away, but I'm sure you guys could probably guess that I'm not happy with the way that we finished the game offensively. You know, if you want to be a championship-calibre team, you've got to put the nail in the coffin and we didn't do that,' said Harris, who completed 25 of his 33 passes for 268 yards with a pair of touchdowns on the night. Article content 'But that being said, I think this is a team that can take a look in the mirror and get better. It's not like, 'We don't have the guys' or 'We're screwed.' It's just one of those things. We've got to take a look in the mirror and be better toward the end of the game. And we will, you can mark my words.' Article content Riders head coach Corey Mace, while sharing some of his quarterback's frustration, also sees glimmers of hope from his players. Article content 'We can talk about it all we want, we can talk situational football, about having a killer instinct and what to expect in certain situations but ultimately, the players win games. There were a couple of plays tonight where I'm going to look back and think I should have called something better defensively. And yet they made the play look unbelievable, you know? They have that talent, man. So, if we get a call, that's awesome, and they can also be unbelievable. That's where we've got to go, we've got to continue to grow,' said Mace. Article content Article content 'We just kind of continue to work at that stuff. I don't know if it's physical or mental or if it's a lack of focus. Maybe we're not coaching it hard enough, we could look in the mirror from that standpoint. So, everybody will continue to do it.' Article content The Elks, who are now 1-5, made a change at starting quarterback this week, replacing Tre Ford with veteran Cody Fajardo. The Edmonton offence struggled to find a rhythm, especially in the third quarter when they were held to four yards of total offence in three possessions. Article content 'I think the thought that comes to mind is our defence and how they got off the field. We had the ball around midfield, and then we went two and out, and that crushed us,' said Fajardo, who was dealt to the Elks in the off-season after two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. 'There was another one of those sacks where it was a run-pass option. I pulled it, I tried to pull up and make a throw, and their defensive ends are athletic and made a good play. If I hand off the ball there, who knows what happens? It was just a terrible read by me, and I've got to be better for this team.'
CBC
3 days ago
- Sport
- CBC
Roughriders bring their season record to 6-1 after defeating Elks
The first-place Saskatchewan Roughriders are finding ways to win despite the lack of a killer instinct. The Riders, who improved to 6-1 with a 21-18 victory over the Edmonton Elks on Friday, have had the propensity this season to take an early lead but then allow their opponents to get back into the game. That's exactly what happened against the Elks as the Riders held a comfortable 21-4 lead after the third quarter only to take their foot off the gas and find themselves having to fend off a late Edmonton comeback. Quarterback Trevor Harris was visibly frustrated with the Riders failing to put the Elks away when they had the chance. "There's obviously some positive things to take away, but I'm sure you guys could probably guess that I'm not happy with the way that we finished the game offensively. You know, if you want to be a championship calibre team, you've got to put the nail in the coffin and we didn't do that," said Harris, who completed 25 of his 33 passes for 268 yards with a pair of touchdowns on the night. "But that being said, I think this is a team that can take a look in the mirror and get better. It's not like: 'We don't have the guys' or `We're screwed.' It's just one of those things. We've got to take a look in the mirror and be better toward the end of the game. And we will, you can mark my words." Riders head coach Corey Mace, while sharing some of his quarterback's frustration, also sees glimmers of hope from his players. "We can talk about it all we want, we can talk situational football, about having a killer instinct and what to expect in certain situations but ultimately, the players win games. There were a couple of plays tonight where I'm going to look back and think I should have called something better defensively. And yet they made the play look unbelievable, you know? They have that talent, man. So, if we get a call, that's awesome, and they can also be unbelievable. That's where we've got to go, we've got to continue to grow," said Mace. "We just kind of continue to work at that stuff. I don't know if it's physical or mental or if it's a lack of focus. Maybe we're not coaching it hard enough, we could look in the mirror from that standpoint. So, everybody will continue to do it." The Elks, who are now 1-5, made a change at starting quarterback this week, replacing Tre Ford with veteran Cody Fajardo. The Edmonton offence struggled to find a rhythm, especially in the third quarter when they were held to four yards of total offence in three possessions. "I think the thought that comes to mind is our defence and how they got off the field. We had the ball around midfield, and then we went two and out, and that crushed us," said Fajardo, who was dealt to the Elks in the off-season after two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. "There was another one of those sacks where it was a run-pass option. I pulled it, I tried to pull up and make a throw, and their defensive ends are athletic and made a good play. If I hand off the ball there, who knows what happens? It was just a terrible read by me, and I've got to be better for this team." Fajardo, who played for the Riders from 2019 to 2022, was making his first start against Saskatchewan since leaving the franchise as a free agent and signing with the Alouettes in 2023. Despite the slow start, Fajardo completed 26 of 33 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns. Fajardo said the despite the loss, the mood in the Edmonton locker room is still good. "We want to win games but it's hard to take moral victories in professional sports because it's outcome driven. You look at the scoreboard and you see if you win or lose. Stats don't mean anything to me. It's winning or losing," Fajardo said. "We're still learning, but like I said, we're running out of time to learn. We've got to find ways to win football games. But I think this is a confident group that's just going to continue to improve." Two major impact points in the contest were the ability of Saskatchewan's defence to control the line of scrimmage and the undisciplined play of the Elks. While the Riders rung up eight sacks and limited the Elks to 25 yards rushing on nine carries, Edmonton hurt themselves by taking 11 penalties for 133 yards, compared with Saskatchewan's six penalties for 53 yards. The Saskatchewan defence answered the bell on Edmonton's last drive of the game. Trailing by three points with 24 seconds remaining, the Elks started their final possession on their own five-yard line. The Elks moved to the 32-yard line after a 12-yard scramble by Fajardo and a 15-yard roughing penalty against the Riders. Saskatchewan, however, sealed the victory by sacking Fajardo on the final two plays of the game. When asked how the defence was able to continually pressure Fajardo Saskatchewan defensive tackle Micah Johnson said it just the scheme. "All week we were talking about everybody just doing their job. I think it really showed that we could be a great defence. We take pride in stopping the run, that's first and foremost. That's our bread and butter so for us, it was super important to come out and stop the run. We hang our hat on that, and we think we're the best rush defence in the league." Johnson, Malik Carney and Shane Ray had two sacks each for the Riders, while A.J. Allen and C.J. Reavis added one sack apiece. Samuel Emilus, on a 15-yard reception, and KeeSean Johnson, on a six-yard catch, scored touchdowns for the Riders. Emilus had six receptions for 113 yards before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. Johnson added nine catches for 78 yards. Kaion Julien-Grant and Steven Dunbar Jr. had touchdown receptions of 57 and 13 yards respectively in the fourth quarter for the Elks.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Sport
- CTV News
Harris throws for two TDs as Roughriders hold off Fajardo, Elks 21-18
Edmonton Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo (7) throws against the Saskatchewan Roughriders during the first half of CFL football action in Regina, on Friday, July 25, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Heywood Yu The first-place Saskatchewan Roughriders are finding ways to win despite the lack of a killer instinct. The Riders, who improved to 6-1 with a 21-18 victory over the Edmonton Elks on Friday, have had the propensity this season to take an early lead but then allow their opponents to get back into the game. That's exactly what happened against the Elks as the Riders held a comfortable 21-4 lead after the third quarter only to take their foot of the gas and find themselves having to fend off a late Edmonton comeback. Quarterback Trevor Harris was visibly frustrated with the Riders failing to put the Elks away when they had the chance. 'There's obviously some positive things to take away, but I'm sure you guys could probably guess that I'm not happy with the way that we finished the game offensively. You know, if you want to be a championship calibre team, you've got to put the nail in the coffin and we didn't do that,' said Harris, who completed 25 of his 33 passes for 268 yards with a pair of touchdowns on the night. 'But that being said, I think this is a team that can take a look in the mirror and get better. It's not like, 'We don't have the guys' or 'We're screwed.' It's just one of those things. We've got to take a look in the mirror and be better toward the end of the game. And we will, you can mark my words.' Riders head coach Corey Mace, while sharing some of his quarterback's frustration, also sees glimmers of hope from his players. 'We can talk about it all we want, we can talk situational football, about having a killer instinct and what to expect in certain situations but ultimately, the players win games. There were a couple of plays tonight where I'm going to look back and think I should have called something better defensively. And yet they made the play look unbelievable, you know? They have that talent, man. So, if we get a call, that's awesome, and they can also be unbelievable. That's where we've got to go, we've got to continue to grow,' said Mace. 'We just kind of continue to work at that stuff. I don't know if it's physical or mental or if it's a lack of focus. Maybe we're not coaching it hard enough, we could look in the mirror from that standpoint. So, everybody will continue to do it.' The Elks, who are now 1-5, made a change at starting quarterback this week, replacing Tre Ford with veteran Cody Fajardo. The Edmonton offence struggled to find a rhythm, especially in the third quarter when they were held to four yards of total offence in three possessions. 'I think the thought that comes to mind is our defence and how they got off the field. We had the ball around midfield, and then we went two and out, and that crushed us,' said Fajardo, who was dealt to the Elks in the off-season after two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. 'There was another one of those sacks where it was a run-pass option. I pulled it, I tried to pull up and make a throw, and their defensive ends are athletic and made a good play. If I hand off the ball there, who knows what happens? It was just a terrible read by me, and I've got to be better for this team.' Fajardo, who played for the Riders from 2019 to 2022, was making his first start against Saskatchewan since leaving the franchise as a free agent and signing with the Alouettes in 2023. Despite the slow start, Fajardo completed 26 of 33 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns. Fajardo said the despite the loss, the mood in the Edmonton locker room is still good. 'We want to win games but it's hard to take moral victories in professional sports because it's outcome driven. You look at the scoreboard and you see if you win or lose. Stats don't mean anything to me. It's winning or losing,' Fajardo said. 'We're still learning, but like I said, we're running out of time to learn. We've got to find ways to win football games. But I think this is a confident group that's just going to continue to improve.' Two major impact points in the contest was the ability of Saskatchewan's defence to control the line of scrimmage and the undisciplined play of the Elks. While the Riders rung up eight sacks and limited the Elks to 25 yards rushing on nine carries, Edmonton hurt themselves by taking 11 penalties for 133 yards, compared to Saskatchewan's six penalties for 53 yards. The Saskatchewan defence answered the bell on Edmonton's last drive of the game. Trailing by three points with 24 seconds remaining, the Elks started their final possession on their own five-yard line. The Elks moved to the 32-yard line after a 12-yard scramble by Fajardo and a 15-yard roughing penalty against the Riders. Saskatchewan, however, sealed the victory by sacking Fajardo on the final two plays of the game. 'Honestly, it just was the scheme we were running and everybody just doing the job,' explained Saskatchewan defensive tackle Micah Johnson when asked how the defence was able to continually pressure Fajardo. 'All week we were talking about everybody just doing their job. I think it really showed that we could be a great defence. We take pride in stopping the run, that's first and foremost. That's our bread and butter so for us, it was super important to come out and stop the run. We hang our hat on that, and we think we're the best rush defence in the league.' Johnson, Malik Carney and Shane Ray had two sacks each for the Riders, while A.J. Allen and C.J. Reavis added one sack apiece. Samuel Emilus, on a 15-yard reception, and KeeSean Johnson, on a six-yard catch, scored touchdowns for the Riders. Emilus had six receptions for 113 yards before leaving the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. Johnson added nine catches for 78 yards. Kaion Julien-Grant and Steven Dunbar Jr. had touchdown receptions of 57 and 13 yards respectively in the fourth quarter for the Elks. UP NEXT The Elks host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 2. The Riders travel to Montreal to take on the Alouettes on Aug. 3. --Jeff DeDekker This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2025.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
10 Thoughts: Roughriders made life difficult for Fajardo and the Elks
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are living up to expectations. Considered by many as one of the favourites to come out of the West Division in 2025, the Roughriders are off to a CFL-best 6-1 record through Week 8 of the season after a 21-18 win over the Edmonton Elks on Friday. And while the game was probably closed than the Roughriders would have liked in the end, Saskatchewan was able to close it out when it mattered thanks to a strong defensive performance. Here are the top 10 takeaways from the victory: 10 Thoughts: 1. Has there ever been a player that's had to wait two-plus seasons to face his former team in the CFL for the first time? That was the case for Elks' quarterback Cody Fajardo on Friday night, who started for Edmonton in place of the benched Tre Ford. After being shown the door by management following the 2022 season, Fajardo spent two years with the Montreal Alouettes but was injured every time they faced Saskatchewan. The 'Fajardo-return-to-Saskatchewan' finally happened on Friday night although it wasn't as spicy as it would have been if this was 2023. 2. Saskatchewan's defence made life miserable for Fajardo as he was sacked eight times. He took much of the blame for not getting the ball out sooner, but he still threw for 395 yards in the game and two touchdowns, including a 57-yarder to Kaion Julien-Grant, which followed a patented Fajardo spin-o-rama. Sounds like the Elks are sticking with him moving forward, which I think is a good decision. 3. The Roughriders defensive front had its best game of the year. Along with the eight sacks, the group allowed just five yards to Edmonton's two running backs. Saskatchewan's run defence hasn't been as good this year compared to previous years, but Friday's effort was worth noting even if the Elks abandoned the run when they trailed in the second half. 4. Sacks are the sexy stat, but sometimes quarterback pressure can paint a bigger picture. Defensive end Malik Carney, who was one of three Riders who had two sacks on Friday, sits second in the CFL with 25 quarterback pressures this year behind B.C.'s Mathieu Betts. Pressures are something that should be talked about more, along with pass knockdowns. 5. Friday's game not only featured two quarterbacks who replaced each other in the 2023 season — as Harris signed in Saskatchewan after playing in Montreal in 2022 — but it was also a matchup of the two quarterbacks with the highest completion percentage in CFL history. Entering the game, Fajardo ranked first all-time at 71.0 per cent while Harris was just behind him at 70.9 per cent. On Friday, Fajardo kept his all-time lead as he was 78.8 per cent in the game while 75.8 per cent. Harris also extended his CFL record to 10 straight games with a completion percentage over 70 per cent. 6. After being a special teams stalwart for his first three CFL seasons, Roughriders linebacker A.J. Allen is making the most of his opportunity now that he's getting a chance to start. Already with 29 tackles, one interception and one sack on the season, Allen added to his totals on Friday with five tackles, one special teams tackle and a sack for a loss of 18. He's also had a couple near interceptions this year and last week, he deflected a ball into the hands of teammate Marcus Sayles against the B.C. Lions. 7. Allen still plays lots of special teams but injuries to key special teamers Lake Korte-Moore and Aubrey Miller Jr. on Friday forced linebacker Jameer Thurman and Carney into the game on special teams. I know there are some starters who play a lot of special teams, but when you're pressed into it like that, it could be an issue. That wasn't the case for the Riders on Friday so props to them for making sure that 'next man up' mentality isn't limited to offence or defence. 8. In his second game filling in for the injured Mario Alford, rookie returner Drae McCray looked a little shaky early with a couple of drops on punt returns. However, none of them were costly as they didn't result in turnovers and he redeemed himself with a nice 42-yard return in the third quarter. After an impressive pre-season, many fans were excited to see what McCray could do and so far through two games, he's averaging 13.6 yards per return, which ranks fourth in the CFL among primary returners as he's just ahead of Alford who has a 12.1 yard average in five games. 9. Kicker Brett Lauther did not have a good start to the game as he missed a 47-yard field goal early on. However, like McCray he redeemed himself with a successful 51-yarder and 46-yarder later on. With Lauther kicked at a CFL-low 69.6 success rate, some fans want to see the Riders bring in competition. However, that might do more harm than good in a tight-knit locker room. We'll see. 10. There's also lots of talk about 'killer instinct.' If this were a team from the past, Saskatchewan would have found some weird way to lose that game by allowing a return, committing a turnover or some other strange play. Instead, after giving up a pair of touchdowns earlier in the fourth quarter, the defence was able to close it out with a pair of sacks on the final Edmonton drive, which followed a great punt by Joe Couch. This Corey-Mace led team is not going to be one of those teams. tshire@ Related Roughriders hold on for 21-18 victory over Elks on Friday Up Close: Meet Roughriders running back A.J. Ouellette The Regina Leader-Post has created an Afternoon Headlines newsletter that can be delivered daily to your inbox so you are up to date with the most vital news of the day. Click here to subscribe. With some online platforms blocking access to the journalism upon which you depend, our website is your destination for up-to-the-minute news, so make sure to bookmark and sign up for our newsletters so we can keep you informed. Click here to subscribe.
National Post
4 days ago
- Sport
- National Post
10 Thoughts: Roughriders made life difficult for Fajardo and the Elks
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are living up to expectations. Article content Considered by many as one of the favourites to come out of the West Division in 2025, the Roughriders are off to a CFL-best 6-1 record through Week 8 of the season after a 21-18 win over the Edmonton Elks on Friday. Article content Article content And while the game was probably closed than the Roughriders would have liked in the end, Saskatchewan was able to close it out when it mattered thanks to a strong defensive performance. Article content 10 Thoughts: Article content 1. Has there ever been a player that's had to wait two-plus seasons to face his former team in the CFL for the first time? That was the case for Elks' quarterback Cody Fajardo on Friday night, who started for Edmonton in place of the benched Tre Ford. After being shown the door by management following the 2022 season, Fajardo spent two years with the Montreal Alouettes but was injured every time they faced Saskatchewan. The 'Fajardo-return-to-Saskatchewan' finally happened on Friday night although it wasn't as spicy as it would have been if this was 2023. Article content 2. Saskatchewan's defence made life miserable for Fajardo as he was sacked eight times. He took much of the blame for not getting the ball out sooner, but he still threw for 395 yards in the game and two touchdowns, including a 57-yarder to Kaion Julien-Grant, which followed a patented Fajardo spin-o-rama. Sounds like the Elks are sticking with him moving forward, which I think is a good decision. Article content Article content 3. The Roughriders defensive front had its best game of the year. Along with the eight sacks, the group allowed just five yards to Edmonton's two running backs. Saskatchewan's run defence hasn't been as good this year compared to previous years, but Friday's effort was worth noting even if the Elks abandoned the run when they trailed in the second half. Article content Article content 4. Sacks are the sexy stat, but sometimes quarterback pressure can paint a bigger picture. Defensive end Malik Carney, who was one of three Riders who had two sacks on Friday, sits second in the CFL with 25 quarterback pressures this year behind B.C.'s Mathieu Betts. Pressures are something that should be talked about more, along with pass knockdowns. Article content 5. Friday's game not only featured two quarterbacks who replaced each other in the 2023 season — as Harris signed in Saskatchewan after playing in Montreal in 2022 — but it was also a matchup of the two quarterbacks with the highest completion percentage in CFL history. Entering the game, Fajardo ranked first all-time at 71.0 per cent while Harris was just behind him at 70.9 per cent. On Friday, Fajardo kept his all-time lead as he was 78.8 per cent in the game while 75.8 per cent. Harris also extended his CFL record to 10 straight games with a completion percentage over 70 per cent.
