Saskatchewan Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo (7) celebrates a touchdown during first half CFL action against the Ottawa Redblacks, in Regina, Saturday, Aug. 24, 2019. To move atop the West Division standings, Fajardo and the Saskatchewan Roughriders will have to do something no other CFL club has this season: Beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at home.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Matt Smith
Proverbs says “Opportunity knocks only once.”
When opportunity knocked this season, quarterbacks Cody Fajardo, Nick Arbuckle, Chris Streveler, Dane Evans and Vernon Adams, Jr. kicked the door down and came right in. Edmonton’s Logan Kilgore walked in while Redblacks Dominique Davis and Jonathon Jennings, as well as Montrealers Matt Shitltz and Antonio Pipkin cowered under the front porch in this year of the backup quarterback.
The latter’s performance was particularly egregious. The Als were trailing B.C. 25-23 with 1:10 left on the clock. Rookie head coach Khari Jones, who has really made the most of his opportunity, decided to gamble on third and one at the enemy two. In came backup Pipkin. He fumbled the ball, snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.
After the game he hid in the trainer’s room to avoid facing the music (the media). Pipkin has proved he can’t sub for Adams. His only job is short yardage. That’s what this “pro” gets paid for. Nothing else.
You might question Jones’ decision to try and put the game out of reach rather than settle for a field goal and a one-point lead. But he made the right call. He didn’t want to give Mike Reilly the chance to complete a couple of passes and put the Lions in a position to kick the winner. A minute left in the CFL is an eternity.
After the Argos were defeated 41-16 by Saskatchewan, long-time Toronto scribe Frank Zicarelli compared Roughrider quarterback Cody Fajardo to hall-of-famer Matt Dunigan. Like the former Eskimo, Lion, Argo, Blue Bomber and Ti-Cat great, Fajardo will do whatever it takes to win, putting his body at risk in the process. Two years ago he was the backup on the team he destroyed Saturday. He completely dismantled the team he backed-up for.
Dunigan was 5-foot-11 and 190 pounds. Fajardo is bigger at 6-2 and 223. On Sept. 15, 1991, Dunigan, playing for Toronto broke his collarbone in several places. The last game of the season, he re-injured it. There was no chance he would play in the Grey Cup against the Stamps. But lo and behold, “I had my shoulder shot up to see if I could throw the football.” He could, leading his team to victory.
It is too early to anoint Fajardo as the new Dunigan but he possesses the same will to win and competitive spirit. Of the starters, Fajardo ranks first in percentage completion at 72.4. Like Dunigan he runs a lot, currently No. 7 in league rushing. More important he has nine wins and a genuine shot at winning the west. One only hopes he doesn’t sustain the injuries Dunigan did, especially the concussions.
He could very well be playing against another backup, Hamilton’s Dane Evans in the 107th Grey Cup. Although sixth in passing, all he does is win by taking full advantage of his excellent receivers. Or maybe it will be Montreal’s Vernon Adams, Jr. leading the East into McMahon Stadium Nov. 24. Adams sat out the game in B.C. because he was suspended for hitting Bomber linebacker Adam Bighill over the head with his helmet. Not as skilled as Evans, Fajardo or Arbuckle, he nonetheless can put a team on his back and carry it to victory.
Of the others, Blue Bomber Chris Streveler keeps drives alive with his feet but some pundits think he doesn’t have the arm to get to the Grey Cup. He ranks 13th in passing and has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns. Under his leadership the Bombers have lost three of four and go to Regina Sunday. Will it be bye-bye-Bombers?
Until he got hurt, Eskimo Trevor Harris led the league in passing. In their loss to Hamilton Sept. 20, Logan Kilgore saw his first real action in two years. He acquitted himself well and won over Ottawa. He faces a big challenge in Hamilton Friday but should be up to it. He has to be since Harris isn’t slated to return until the playoffs.
After the weekend, the Stampeders find themselves in first place and they didn’t play a game. The Blue Bombers slipped to third. The Roughriders are in second and might go undefeated the rest of the way. Graham Kelly has covered the CFL for the Medicine Hat News for 47 years. Feedback for this column can be emailed to sports@medicinehatnews.com.
