Re-energized Riders looking forward to Lions clash

More than a couple members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders are going to see familiar faces lined up across from them against the B.C. Lions this weekend.

Quarterback Cody Fajardo, linebackers Solomon Elimimian and DyShawn Davis, along with wide receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux, all spent the 2018 season with the Lions.

Kickoff for Saturday’s game at Mosaic is set for 5 p.m.

“It’s a game that I know that there’s going to be a lot of emotions because of my time with the Lions for some many years,” Elimimian said Thursday on the Green Zone. “I just can’t let the emotions get the better of me and I don’t think I will. I’m just going to go out there, play hard, compete and help the team win. It’s not about revenge, it’s about what I’m trying to do with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.”

Elimimian was released from the Lions in May and signed with the Roughriders shortly after that. During his time in B.C., Elimimian was voted the CFL’s most outstanding player (2014) and most outstanding defensive player twice (2014, 2016).

“Any time you get released and the signals aren’t communicated proper, I think for any player it’s going to be frustrating,” he said. “It wasn’t ideal — and I think people know it wasn’t ideal — but at the end of the day, that’s just business. I’m just moving forward and I’m in a good situation here with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. I’m just excited.”

During his 10 seasons in the CFL, Elimimian has tallied 750 tackles and 29 sacks. He made his Roughriders’ debut on July 6 against the Calgary Stampeders in a 35-10 loss.

Following the loss, the Roughriders got some time off during their bye week.

Elimimian said the bye week came at a good time for them, but the team is ready to take the field.

“This is an important week for us to get back on track, come out and play hard,” he said.

Elimimian and the rest of the Roughriders defence will try to make things uncomfortable for Lions quarterback Mike Reilly early. The Lions have given up a league leading 17 sacks throughout the first five weeks of the season.

“We have to start fast, get our crowd involved and take advantage of (the fact) they maybe can’t protect the quarterback,” Elimimian said.

Fajardo will be under a microscope as he tries to bounce back from his worst outing as a starting CFL quarterback. During his first two starts at quarterback, Fajardo threw for 790 yards and four touchdowns. He struggled against the zone-scheme the Stampeders ran in their July 6 game, only throwing for 89 yards and two interceptions before being pulled early in the fourth quarter.

“When you get in those ruts where adversity strikes a little bit, you’re trying to score the 10-point play that doesn’t exist,” Fajardo said. “Sometimes, when you’re down by multiple scores, you try to hit the big play to spark the team.”

While Fajardo spent the 2018 season with B.C., he said that doesn’t add any extra motivation to the game.

“I think, at the quarterback position, you can’t put any more pressure on yourself than you already have,” Fajardo said. “I loved everyone in (the B.C. locker room) and the front office, they treated me great. There’s no hard feelings there for me at all. I’m just excited to go out there and play a team I was with and just show my talents to the whole CFL and continue to improve.”

Fajardo expects the Lions to run a similar zone-style due to the success Calgary had against Saskatchewan’s offence. He said the team will need to rely on the run game more this week.

“We have to be very productive on first-down. If we can get William Powell going early, it makes my life as a quarterback a little bit easier,” Fajardo said. “Then (the B.C. defence) has to declare if they are going to stack the box and let us take those shots down the field or are they going to stay in those zones.”

Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson also expects the run game to play a major role in the showdown.

“We don’t want to give Reilly the ball,” Dickenson said. “I’ve said from day one that I think teams that run the ball effectively and do a good job of taking the football away are successful. Defensively, our emphasis this week is on creating some takeaways.”

If the offence does need to take shots down the field, Fajardo will have a new target to throw to with Arceneaux making his season debut. Arceneaux suffered a torn ACL in the Aug. 25, 2018 game against the Roughriders as a member of the B.C. Lions. During his time with the Lions, Arceneaux caught 556 passes for 8,169 yards and 55 touchdowns.

“It’s like having an extra coach on the field playing so I think that’s going to be big for us,” Fajardo said. “I think his overall presence on the sidelines will be huge for us. He’s just going to (have to) be able to control his emotions.”

The two teams will play a back-to-back series with the Roughriders travelling to Vancouver on July 27.

Dickenson said Saturday’s game has a little extra importance to it.

“Any time you can do well in your division, it gives you a leg up,” Dickenson said. “Each game is worth two points, but there’s some games that are more important than others — this is one of the more important games.”

The Roughriders will get some more healthy bodies back on their roster as well. Defensive back Nick Marshall and returner Christion Jones make their return to the lineup. Kicker Brett Lauther (groin) remains out for the game. Gabriel Ferraro will handle kicking duties for the second straight game. He went one for two against Calgary.

Listen live to the Green Zone Game Day pre-game show, which begins at 3 p.m.

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