Late Duke Williams touchdown pushes Riders past Elks

Duke Williams decided he earned a seat, and perhaps a chip, after hauling in a 24-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown Saturday in Edmonton.

Williams caught the TD pass from Cody Fajardo, giving the Saskatchewan Roughriders a 28-23 lead over the Edmonton Elks. Williams then jumped into a small contingent of Rider fans who were seated behind the end zone, sat down on one of their couches, and appeared to eat a nacho.

“Coach kept emphasizing have fun and that was on my mind all night long and that’s what I did,” Williams said. “I came back like the old me. I felt good today and I’m going to continue to lead my receivers, lead this team and continue to be great.”

“Duke’s a guy I can rely on; when you throw up the ball, he is going to make a play,” Fajardo said. “He brings a dynamic receiver and that’s why he’s one of the highest-paid guys.”

After a Rolan Milligan interception on the following Elks drive and a rushing touchdown from Fajardo, the Riders put an end to their three-game CFL losing streak with a 34-23 win.

“We needed it for our confidence (and) we needed it for the standings. We needed that win in a big way,” head coach Craig Dickenson said. “It wasn’t pretty but they found a way to do it and I’m proud of them for doing so.”

Williams, who has struggled in games this season, led the Roughriders with four catches and 80 yards to go along with his touchdown.

Fajardo, who has been dealing with an injured medial collateral ligament in his left knee, rushed for 45 yards — a season high for the pivot.

“I took a few shots (to my knee) and I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t have any setbacks in the game, I was able to run fairly well and move around in the pocket,” Fajardo said.

“To be able to feel like myself again and have my legs back and escape the pocket, it makes it easier for the guys up front and it creates some big plays downfield.”

While Fajardo had his best game rushing in 2022, it was one of his worst as a passer. Fajardo threw for only 130 yards, with one interception and the touchdown to Williams.

Elks pivot Taylor Cornelius proved to be a spark for the Elks’ offence, throwing for 209 yards and an interception while adding 86 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

“We just understood the first half we didn’t play our best game as a defence,” linebacker Darnell Sankey said. “We know that we’re the better team so we just had to come out and do what we had to do.”

Saskatchewan Roughriders Mario Alford (2) and Justin McInnis (18) celebrate a touchdown against the Edmonton Elks during first half CFL action in Edmonton, Alta., on Saturday Aug. 13, 2022. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken)

The Elks were set to enter halftime with a lead but Mario Alford returned a kickoff for 98 yards to give Saskatchewan the lead back with 22 seconds left in the half.

“Hats off to my team. I couldn’t have done it without the guys,” Alford said. “We needed that momentum going into the second half.”

The Riders’ defence found a way to start getting pressure on Cornelius in the second half. After giving up 236 yards, two touchdowns and a field goal in the first two quarters, the defence made adjustments during a slightly extended halftime due to lightning in the area.

In the last two quarters, the defence only gave up 109 yards and two field goals.

“We found a way to win,” Dickenson said. “Hopefully this will give us some confidence that when the chips are down we can make plays and win the game.”

Coming into the game, the Riders had given up a CFL-high 29 sacks. Fajardo found himself under pressure again as the Riders gave up three more sacks in the game.

The Riders’ defence, which has averaged only 1.66 sacks a game over the past three games, got to Cornelius four times – one sack from Sankey, one from defensive end Keion Adams and two from defensive tackle Anthony Lanier II.

While the win puts the Riders above .500 at 5-4, Dickenson said the team is still a middle-of-the-pack squad.

“We’re trying to get to that upper third. We will take it — it’s certainly better than losing more than winning — but we feel our best football is ahead of us,” Dickenson said.

The Riders will have a tough test at home next week with the 7-1 B.C. Lions at Mosaic Stadium.

“We know what kind of team we have – the league doesn’t, but we do,” Williams said. “We will continue to come together closer and closer and we will see the Lions.”