Collaros, Fajardo to battle as Bombers, Riders meet in West final

A tale of two quarterbacks will reach its conclusion Sunday in the CFL’s West Division final.

Zach Collaros and Cody Fajardo are set to cross paths as opponents for the first time since an illegal hit changed the course of the 2019 season for both players, who at the time were teammates with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Simoni Lawrence hit Collaros — then Saskatchewan’s starter — on June 13, giving the quarterback a concussion. Fajardo entered the game and began his rise to become the Roughriders’ franchise guy.

Collaros was traded by the Roughriders to the Toronto Argonauts on July 31. He then got traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Oct. 9.

On Sunday, the quarterbacks will meet each other for the first time since Collaros was traded, as the Roughriders welcome the Bombers to Mosaic Stadium with a trip to the Grey Cup on the line. The West final’s kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

The health of Fajardo has been the hot topic around the water cooler for Rider Nation.

The CFL’s leading passer and West Division most outstanding player nominee has been dealing with an oblique injury since Oct. 30. He missed the team’s regular-season finale against the Edmonton Eskimos on Nov. 2.

“All things considered, it’s feeling probably the best that I’ve felt since the injury,” Fajardo said Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.

Fajardo was officially named the starter by head coach Craig Dickenson ahead of the showdown between the storied rivals.

Fajardo said he’s excited about the opportunity to face Collaros in the game.

“It seems like he kind of went in (to Winnipeg) and they welcomed him with open arms, which is pretty cool to see for a guy who has been traded twice in one year,” Fajardo said. “We obviously competed throughout training camp and he taught me a lot of things about playing quarterback in the CFL.”

The Roughriders’ defence will need to find a way to keep in check the Bombers’ two-headed monster attack from the quarterback position.

Collaros handled the air attack, throwing for 193 yards and a touchdown, while Chris Streveler did damage on the ground, rushing for a game-high 82 yards and a touchdown in a 35-14 win over the Calgary Stampeders in the West semifinal.

Collaros is making history, becoming the first CFL player to ever start a division final having been on the roster of both teams in the same season.

“It has been a long season for sure. These last four, five weeks have been awesome but I’m just trying to live in the present right now and enjoy that,” Collaros said.

Collaros said he remembers winning 12 games with the Roughriders last season and how special it was to play in front of Rider Nation.

“I’m obviously grateful for the relationships I made while I was here. I made a lot of good friends in that locker room,” Collaros said.

Dickenson said he never thought Collaros would be lining up against the Roughriders this season in a playoff game.

“Just to be clear, we didn’t trade him to Winnipeg, we traded him to Toronto and then they traded him back (to the West Division),” Dickenson said. “I want him to stay healthy and play well. I just hope we play a little bit better.”

This will be the fifth meeting between the teams in 2019, including a 35-29 Winnipeg win in the pre-season. The Roughriders won two of the teams’ three regular-season meetings.

This is the fourth time the Roughriders and Bombers will battle in the West final. Winnipeg spent 21 years as a member of the CFL’s East Division.

The Roughriders won their last meeting in a division final, prevailing 27-24 in 1972. Prior to that, the Roughriders swept the best-of-three series in 1966, and Winnipeg emerged victorious by winning two of three games in the 1941 series.

The Blue Bombers won 23-18 over the Roughriders in the 2018 West semifinal in Regina.

Been there, done that

There’s a wide range of playoff experience on the 2019 edition of the Roughriders.

Running back William Powell is appearing in his fifth straight post-season, four of which were with the Ottawa Redblacks.

“I don’t really get nervous anymore in the playoff games. It’s making sure all of my teammates are on the same page and making sure all of those guys get those jitters out,” Powell said. “(It’s about) making sure I do my part as a guy that has been (to a Grey Cup) and making sure they’re down to earth and level-headed and ready to go.”

The Redblacks made the Grey Cup three times during Powell’s tenure there, but he didn’t play during their 2016 championship season after suffering a ruptured Achilles in the pre-season.

“It was very tough (to watch from the sidelines) but I always told myself if I ever get the chance I’m going to play my hardest to try to get back there again and be on that field with my teammates to get one,” Powell said.

Powell played in the 2015 and 2018 Grey Cup games, both of which ended in Ottawa losses.

Defensive lineman Micah Johnson could reach his fourth straight Grey Cup contest, going to the big game as a member of the Stampeders in each of the three previous seasons.

Johnson said execution is key if a team wants to reach the Grey Cup.

“Anytime we’ve lost or I didn’t go to the Grey Cup, I’m pretty sure we lost the turnover battle and things like that,” Johnson said. “We can’t let the emotions get the best of us. At the end of the day, it’s just another game.”

Meanwhile, players like defensive back L.J. McCray will make their first-ever CFL playoff starts.

“I’m super-excited; it’s a great opportunity,” McCray said. “It’s my first time playing in the post-season since becoming a professional.”

McCray said the last time he played in a playoff-type game was when he was in high school.

Despite the extra importance of Sunday’s game, McCray said it doesn’t change how he’s approaching it.

“I try to stay consistent and be the same me,” McCray said. “I’m going to go into the game and feel the same way I feel about every game and just be ready to make the big plays.”

The Green Zone pre-game show gets underway at 1 p.m.

Here’s the Roughriders’ depth chart for Sunday’s game.