On Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium, the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) took on the Edmonton Elks (0-2) in their home opener.
In the first quarter, the Roughriders’ offense moved the ball to Edmonton’s 42-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 50-yard field goal, putting Saskatchewan up 3-0 with 11:25 left of the first quarter. Saskatchewan controlled the first quarter but were unable to add any more points. The Riders led 3-0 after one-quarter of play.
In the second quarter, Elks’ quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass was intercepted by Derrick Moncrief at their own 50-yard line. The Riders’ offense moved down to the Elks’ ten-yard before Brett Lauther made his second field goal for 18 yards, and Saskatchewan led 6-0 with 6:58 left.
On Edmonton’s next possession, they drove it down to the Riders’ 43-yard line before stalling. Elks’ kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 53-yard field goal, but the Elks caught a break when Samuel Emilus fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Edmonton, giving them new life.
This time, Elks’ quarterback Nick Arbuckle scrambled out of the pocket and made a five-yard touchdown pass to a jumping Kenny Lawler, putting the Elks up 7-6 with 2:46 left in the second quarter. Kenny Lawler led the Elks receivers with 12 catches for 149 yards and one touchdown.
On Saskatchewan’s next possession, they moved the ball to the Elks’ two-yard line, where Jamal Marrow finished the drive off with a touchdown. The Riders went for a two-point conversion but failed. However, they led 12-7 at halftime. Jamal Marrow led the Riders rushers with 17 carries for 126 yards and one touchdown.
The third quarter was dominated by Edmonton. Despite this, they only scored six points on two Sergio Castillo field goals (12 yards, 30 yards), leading 13-12 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, the Riders gained the lead back 15-12 on a Brett Lauther 41-yard field goal. Then, the Elks battled back to the Riders’ 29-yard line, and Sergio Castillo made another field goal for 37 yards, putting Edmonton back up 16-15 with 7:11 left in the game.
Riders’ quarterback Cody Fajardo commandeered Saskatchewan down to the 28-yard line. On the next snap, the Elks blitzed Fajardo, and he escaped the blitz and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Picton, who was all alone in the endzone. The Riders went for a two-point conversion and got it when Fajardo went to Picton for three yards, and the score now was 23-16 with 4:12 left in the game. Picton was second in receiving with five catches for 56 yards and one touchdown.
On the next Elks possession, the Riders’ defense got the ball back when Larry Dean knocked the ball out of Nick Arbuckle’s hand, and it was recovered by AC Leonard. After going two-and-out, the Riders went for another field goal, but Brett Lauther missed it wide left, and the Edmonton returner Martese Jackson returned it out of the endzone to prevent a single point.
However, the Elks could not take advantage and went three-and-out. The Riders put the game away with 1:07 left on a 21-yard field goal by Brett Lauther, his fourth of the day. Cody Fajardo had a decent night going 20/26 for 247 yards, one touchdown, and five carries for ten yards. The Riders’ defense capped it off with an interception by Mike Edem that sealed the game, and Saskatchewan beat Edmonton 26-16. Nick Arbuckle had a decent day going 21/35 for 315 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and one carry for one yard.
The Riders’ defense did a nice job despite allowing 360 yards, but 42 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble, four pass breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery will get the job done. The defense is the Riders’ strength, and as long as they continue to play well, they will be a problem for opposing teams down the road.
The good news for Edmonton was that they did not give up 59 points, unlike last week. The bad news is they have a long way to go to become contenders again, and not many people are picking them to reach the playoffs. However, Chris Jones knows how to put a team together, and it will take time to put a winning product on the field.
Next week, the Roughriders battle the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday night at 7:30 pm on ESPN+, while the Edmonton Elks battle the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN+. Tickets for both games can be purchased thanks to our friends at StubHub.
