‘He’s clutch’: Fajardo proving himself to teammates on, off the field

While Saskatchewan Roughriders fans might have been surprised to see quarterback Cody Fajardo lead a last-minute comeback Thursday, his teammates weren’t.

Fajardo engineered a 42-yard drive that ended with the quarterback taking off with the ball himself and stretching out his right arm for the game-winning touchdown. The play gave the Roughriders their third straight CFL win, a 24-19 decision over the East Division-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.

While it was a pleasant surprise for Roughriders fans to see the newly minted starter score the pivotal touchdown, receiver Kyran Moore wasn’t shocked at the end result.

“When we called the play, I said, ‘Cody’s about to score,’ ” Moore said following the win. “I know Cody and in a big-time game in a big-time situation, he’s clutch.”

That trust from Fajardo’s teammates has been built over his six games as the team’s starting quarterback. Fajardo, who signed a one-year deal in the off-season, was thrust into the starting role after quarterback Zach Collaros suffered a concussion against the Tiger-Cats on June 13.

Fajardo got cemented into the role after the team traded Collaros to the Toronto Argonauts for a conditional 2020 fourth-round draft pick Wednesday.

Since Fajardo was forced into the game in Week 1, he has completed 132 of 177 pass attempts for 1,705 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has rushed for 227 yards and six touchdowns on the year.

His leadership has been on full display for his teammates, with Moore saying Fajardo helped get him past a crucial mistake Thursday.

Moore lost a fumble late in the second quarter at the Hamilton 20-yard line which put an end to what was looking like a promising drive.

Moore said he gained a lot of respect for Fajardo for constantly trusting him.

“It means the world to me because I can’t do anything without Cody because he’s the one who has to give me the ball,” Moore said. “He came to me because I’m young and he said, ‘Keep your head up, keep your head up, I got you.’ It meant a lot to me.”

Fajardo’s encouragement of the second-year receiver paid off as Moore’s 38-yard punt return late in fourth set up the game-winning drive.

Fajardo’s toughness is also being recognized by the team and fans alike. In the third quarter, one of Fajardo’s ankle was rolled on, which led to him pounding the ground in anger.

After the game, he admitted he thought the ankle was broken. But after getting taped up by the trainers, Fajardo was on the field for the next drive.

Defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy says players can tell how resilient Fajardo is just from how he practises.

“He scrambles like that in practice and we’ll be like, ‘Just throw the ball sometimes,’ but we know he’s tough as (expletive),” Purifoy said. “He’s just resilient and when you’ve got a quarterback like that, you’re going to go a long way.”

Puriofy said Fajardo has hurt a leg in each of the past two games but that wasn’t going to stop him.

“He’s still playing; that’s what we mean by he’s not going to give up on his team and we’re not going to give up on him,” Purifoy said. “We love him for that.”

Wide receiver Shaq Evans has emerged as one of Fajardo’s favourite targets this season, catching 29 passes for 587 yards and two touchdowns. Evans had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of 2019 in the victory over the Tiger-Cats, recording 160 yards.

“(Fajardo’s) so poised and so calm no matter what’s going on; he’s never rattled. On the sidelines, he’s never mad and he’s never too high or too low,” Evans said. “You love that in your quarterback because it keeps the rest of the team grounded, it keeps the offence grounded and that showed (Thursday).”

Fajardo and the rest of the Roughriders’ offence will try to keep their form as they travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes on Aug. 9.