On Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium, the Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0) pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-1) 30-13 in front of the home crowd.
In the first three quarter, points were scored on field goals with the Roughriders leading the Tiger-Cats 12-6. Then, the action picked up in the fourth quarter.
Roughriders’ quarterback Cody Fajardo was 22/32 for 311 yards, one touchdown, no interceptions, and led the team in rushing with ten carries for 42 yards and one touchdown. Fajardo’s touchdown pass came late in the fourth quarter when he scrambled out of the pocket and heaved a 20-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker, making it a 22-13 lead with 2:58 left in the game.
After the Roughriders’ defense intercepted the ball and returned it to the one-yard line, Fajardo scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak. Then, Fajardo converted a two-point play finding Duke Williams that made it 30-13 with 2:38 left in the game.
Roughriders’ wide receiver Shaq Evans led the team in receiving with four catches for 92 yards, while kicker Brett Lauther went 5/5 in field goals (48 yards, 30 yards, 39 yards, 41 yards, and 32 yards).
Cody Fajardo did not have a bad game considering he was dealing with an aggressive Tiger-Cats defense, which kept him out of the endzone for three quarters. However, after Hamilton scored a touchdown to make it a close game, Fajardo went to work and ensured they did not have a chance to win the game.
However, Saskatchewan’s offense needs to get touchdowns instead of field goals. Not scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter will kill any team, especially when you’re in the same division as Winnipeg. If they can score touchdowns early in the game, they will be fine.
The Roughriders’ defense was the star of the show. They allowed 286 yards, 47 tackles, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and three fumble recoveries. This defense ate the Tiger-Cats alive. They created problems for the Tiger-Cats offense and created turnovers on the ground and in the air. Their ability to strip the ball out of an opponent’s hands and recover it will carry this team all season long. If they keep this up and do not lose any players to injuries, Saskatchewan will have a chance to go far in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Tiger-Cats’ quarterback Dane Evans went 18/28 for 222 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and had one carry for one yard. Running back, Tim White led the team in rushing with two carries for 11 yards, while wide receiver Steven Dunbar had two catches for 75 yards and one touchdown.
Tiger-Cats quarterback Dane Evans looked uncomfortable all day. The offensive line could not protect him, and he looked lost at times. Despite getting knocked around, Hamilton was not out of the game. Trailing 15-6, Evans made a nice 45-yard touchdown pass to Steven Dunbar, making it a two-point game 15-13 with 7:10 left. That was as close as the Tiger-Cats got to Saskatchewan. Kicker Michael Domagala made 2/3 field goals (52 yards, 25 yards).
Like Fajardo, Evans needs to do a better job getting into the endzone early in the game. Hamilton took a beating this offseason, losing many players. If Hamilton can’t find the endzone early, they will have problems and might have a hard time trying to get to their third straight Grey Cup appearance.
The Tiger-Cats defense did a nice job in the first three quarters. They allowed 386 yards, 57 tackles, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. However, the defense needs to find a way to puncture the offensive line and get to the quarterback. The fourth quarter alone allowed Cody Fajardo to score two touchdowns that ended any chance of them winning the game.
Next week, both teams play next Saturday when the Tiger-Cats host the Calgary Stampeders at 6:30 pm on ESPN+, followed by the Roughriders against the Edmonton Elks at 9:30 pm on ESPNews. Tickets for both games can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
