The West Division’s top two teams meet for the second week in a row when the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Edmonton Elks square off at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton to close out Week 9 on Saturday night.
Edmonton won a 36-34 nailbiter in Week 8.
A victory for Saskatchewan would move them within two points of the first place Elks.
Here’s three keys to victory for each team ahead of Saturday’s 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff, which can be watched on TSN in Canada, on CBSSN in the U.S., and on CFL+ internationally.
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» Game Notes: Roughriders at Elks
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
1. PRIDE ON DEFENCE
Allowing 510 yards through the air and four passing touchdowns to quarterback Cody Fajardo and the Elks a week go couldn’t have sat well with the Riders secondary. Fortunately for them, they don’t have to wait long to show it was a one-off. Head coach Corey Mace should expect defensive backs Tevaughn Campbell, DaMarcus Fields, Jaxon Ford and Marcus Sayles to come out with a chip on their shoulder. They’ll have to produce without Rolan Milligan Jr., who was added to the six-game injured list.
Watch live. Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Edmonton Elks, Aug. 2, 01:00 CET (1 am, 7 pm Aug. 1 ET)
2. KEEP UP THE PRESSURE
Defensive linemen Mike Rose, James Vaughters and linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. all got up close and personal with Fajardo for a sack last week. It didn’t seem to phase him, but every pressure counts.
3. PRODUCTION IN THE RUN GAME
Running back AJ Ouellette is also out with a knee injury, so it’s up to Quali Conley and Thomas Bertrand-Hudon to take the handoffs and find space on the ground. Bertrand-Hudon rushed for nine yards on three carries in the first matchup.
EDMONTON ELKS
1. CODY FAJARDO
Quarterback Cody Fajardo is oozing confidence after a career game. Will he do it again? Likely not at that level, but he’s a proven veteran playing at his best with plenty of weapons.
2. AN OPENING FOR JUSTIN RANKIN
Fajardo will be the focal point of the Riders defence, which may benefit running back Justin Rankin. Rankin has had back-to-back subpar performances in the ground game, but is still the same game breaking player he was in the first five games of the season. Holes will be there, it’s up to him to find them.
3. SETTLE THE GAME DEFENSIVELY
The Elks can’t afford to get caught up in their own offensive hype and think it’s all they need, especially with a quarterback the calibre of Trevor Harris on the other side. Head coach Mark Kilam’s secondary gave up 386 yards through the air and four passing touchdowns in Week 8, a performance Tyrell Ford, Kordell Jackson and Kobe Williams will try to improve on.
NEED TO KNOW:
- In Week 8, the teams combined for 70 points, 896 passing yards, 974 total yards, eight touchdowns and eight lead changes.
- Trevor Harris is 8-7 against Edmonton. He’s 288 passing yards shy of becoming the 12th player to reach 40,000 in his career.
- Edmonton is 5-0 in games decided in the final three minutes.