Fajardo set for first outing as Riders’ undisputed starter

There are no more ifs, ands or buts about it — Cody Fajardo is the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback for the foreseeable future.

The CFL team officially ended the Zach Collaros experiment Wednesday, trading the 30-year-old quarterback to the Toronto Argonauts.

“That kind of cop-out of me saying ‘I’m the backup’ is over now,” Fajardo said Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium, where the Roughriders are to face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday.

“There’s more added pressure because everyone’s going to look at you like the franchise guy. But like I’ve always stated, you can’t put any more pressure on the quarterback position than what’s already on it. For me, I’m just taking it one game at a time.”

Fajardo claimed the quarterback job for his own after Collaros suffered a concussion against the host Tiger-Cats on June 13.

The illegal hit by Hamilton linebacker Simoni Lawrence that sidelined Collaros ended up being the turning point for the Roughriders’ 2019 season to date. Lawrence received a two-game suspension for the hit and will serve his second game Thursday.

Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m.

Fajardo said things have been a roller-coaster of emotions for him since that hit. He also said the news surrounding the Collaros trade can’t distract the team from its next task.

“Hamilton’s a really good team who has got a really good defence and has shown a lot of good things on tape,” Fajardo said.

“(Hamilton) is going to come out swinging. They’re a very physical defence so we know it’s going to be a very physical game and I think the most physical team is definitely going to win.”

Hamilton will be looking to capture the same success the Roughriders have had with their own backup quarterback.

Dane Evans is to make his first start of the season for the Tiger-Cats, who lost starter Jeremiah Masoli to a torn ACL against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday.

The Roughriders could look to their run game to provide that physicality for a second straight week.

Running back William Powell enjoyed his best game as a Roughrider during the team’s 45-18 victory over the B.C. Lions on Saturday. Powell gashed the Lions’ defence for 146 yards rushing and three touchdowns.

Head coach Craig Dickenson said during training camp that he wanted his team to focus on using the run game to set up the offence for success. That mantra hasn’t changed a third of the way through the season.

“There’s a lot of reasons we feel like running the ball is good for our team,” Dickenson said. “One of them is to control the pace of the game and two is to wear out the teams that we are playing. You do that by going at them, not by retreating.”

If there was a blemish on the Roughriders’ victory over the Lions, it would be special teams.

B.C.’s Ryan Lankford racked up nearly 300 return yards, including an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 118-yard missed field-goal return for a score.

“We just have to do our job. If you look at those two coverages, we’re just lazy. Lazy and sloppy,” Dickenson said. “It’s like a heavyweight fight; you can be dominating somebody but if you put your hands down and they catch you on the chin, you’re going to get knocked out. I felt like we put our hands down twice.

“That stuff should never happen. I’m not happy about it.”

The Roughriders won’t need to deal with one of the Tiger-Cats’ main weapons, as receiver Brandon Banks is out for the game.

Dickenson said even though Banks isn’t in the lineup, the Roughriders’ preparation for Hamilton never changed.

“There’s going to be good players out there regardless,” Dickenson said. “They’re a good team and they’ve got good players and they will have good players across the board.”

After starting the season 1-3, Dickenson said the Roughriders reached their goal last week by getting back to .500 after six games.

“It’s a long season where six of the nine (teams) get in (to the playoffs),” Dickenson said. “If you can stay above .500 and start to play your best ball near the end of the year, you’re in good shape.

“We certainly feel like we’ve got a lot more improvement to make as a football team.”

Defensive lineman Charbel Dabire is to make his first appearance on an active CFL roster. Saskatchewan picked him in the fifth round (44th overall) of the 2019 CFL draft.

“(Dabire has) been one of the hardest-working guys in our locker room,” Dickenson said. “He has been killing it in the weight room (and) practises hard every day. We feel like he’s got a bright future and he was the next Canadian up for us.”

Linebacker Brandyn Bartlett (undisclosed) was put onto the six-game injured list, opening up a roster spot for Dabire. Guard Brendon LaBatte, who has been on the six-game list all season with a leg injury, will miss another game. Kicker Brett Lauther (groin) is to miss his fourth straight game, so Gabriel Ferraro is to start in his place.

The Green Zone pre-game show gets underway at 5:30 p.m.

Here’s the Roughriders’ depth chart for the contest: