Riders turn to Fine in pivotal showdown with Stampeders

In an up-and-down season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are hoping everything will be Fine with their playoff hopes on the line.

The Riders’ coaching staff has made a change at the game’s most important position, going with Mason Fine over incumbent Cody Fajardo as the CFL team’s starting quarterback.

“We need a spark and we feel like Mason has done a good job of staying ready and getting ready,” Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson said when asked Wednesday why the move was being made.

“We just need to be better on offence. We’re not scoring enough points. We need to score more and that involves all of us. But we feel like maybe with a different quarterback, we can give teams a little different look and hopefully score a few more points.”

The game Saturday against the Calgary Stampeders will be the 25-year-old quarterback’s first start, with the stakes being the highest they have been thus far in the 2022 CFL season for Saskatchewan.

The Riders (6-10-0) are hanging on by a thread when it comes to the 2022 playoffs: They need to finish the season with a better record than the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-10-0) to cross over into the East Division playoffs.

Hamilton earned its seventh victory of the season Friday, downing the Ottawa Redblacks 30-27. If the Riders lose to Calgary on Saturday, they’ll only be able to reach a maximum of seven wins in the regular season — and that wouldn’t be enough to earn the crossover.

A win or a tie against Calgary will keep Saskatchewan’s hopes alive.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game is set for 5 p.m. The Green Zone pre-game show begins at 3 p.m.

“I’m grateful for the opportunity. I’m excited to go out there and be the best player I can be for this team,” Fine said.

Fine has made sporadic appearances during the 2022 campaign, throwing for 326 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

“I’ve felt very prepared just from what I’ve been doing over the past two years,” Fine said.

While it is an opportunity for Fine, the move has now cast doubts on Fajardo’s future in Saskatchewan.

“I hope there’s somebody out there that might still want me,” he said when asked about being demoted during a contract year. “I don’t think it’s the end of the Cody Fajardo football book; I think it just might be the end of a chapter. It’s tough to say, you never know, but it’s difficult to go out like this, in your last home game, and not be able to start.

“I love everybody in this building. This organization gave me an opportunity to play and (was) the first organization that gave me confidence and pride and took pride in me. It’s bittersweet and it’s going to be a tough, difficult off-season. I need to think and take time with my wife — I have a baby now — so I’ve got to take a lot of things into account.

“I don’t think my playing days are over and I hope I can stay in the CFL for more years to come.”

Fajardo has thrown for 3,360 yards with 16 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the 2022 season.

Wide receiver Shaq Evans, who has been one of Fajardo’s top targets since he earned the starting job in 2019, said Dickenson alerted the team of the decision Tuesday.

“He made sure he told us all at once … and he told us that Mason would be starting. At the end of the day, all we can do is what the coaches want and go out and try to make plays,” Evans said.

“It’s nothing we foresaw but we’re just rolling with it. At the end of the day, there’s nothing the players can say or do about it. We support Mason.”

Saskatchewan has seen its season enter a tailspin. The Roughriders have lost nine of their last 11 games, which has included a five-game losing streak at Mosaic Stadium.

The Riders’ offence has averaged only 22.7 points a game when Fajardo has started, and Saskatchewan has eclipsed 20 points only twice in its last eight games.

One of the key additions for the Riders in their matchup with Calgary will be running back Jamal Morrow. He has been out since Aug. 19 due to a broken hand.

Morrow has 564 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground while adding 305 yards and a touchdown through the air.

“I’m excited,” said Morrow. “I feel fresh and I definitely feel like I can give this team a boost of confidence and help us turn that corner and get a W in a must-win situation.”

The Riders’ offensive line will try to clear the way for the running back against a stout Calgary rushing defence that has given up only 1,450 yards, the third-fewest in the CFL.

Saskatchewan, a team that has given up 66 sacks this season, will also need to try to stop a Calgary pass rush that entered the week with a CFL-leading 45 sacks.

“They are good all around. There is no weakness on their defence. They are strong in all their personnel. They do quite a bit. Up front they can give you a lot of different looks,” said offensive co-ordinator Jason Maas. “They are a solid group, as good as anyone we’ve played.”

The game against Calgary will also be the first time Riders middle linebacker Darnell Sankey will face the team that brought him into the CFL. Sankey signed with Saskatchewan in the off-season after one year in Calgary.

“I go into every game pretty much the same way — ready to perform and execute,” said Sankey, who leads the league with 104 defensive tackles this season.

“I know what they have, I know who is on the team, but I know that every week because I watch film and I study.”

Sankey and fellow Riders linebacker Larry Dean are on the cusp of making history as well. If Dean reaches the 100-tackle plateau as well — he’s at 92 — they will be the second pair of teammates in CFL history to reach that mark

Solomon Elimimian (129) and Adam Bighill (108) accomplished the feat in 2016 as members of the B.C. Lions.