Cody Fajardo. (File photo courtesy of Saskatchewan Roughriders)

By Britton Gray/ CJME News

Riders’ offence looks to get things going in final three games of season

Nov 3, 2021 | 6:51 PM

With just three games left in their CFL regular season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to round into form ahead of the playoffs.

“You always want to be playing your best football in the latter part of the season when playoffs are close by, so we want to get everything rolling here,” running back William Powell said.

“The defence has been playing well, the special teams have been playing well so (the offence) just wants to complete that and get it going for a complete game as we get near the playoffs.”

Saskatchewan has already clinched a playoff berth, but the team has yet to guarantee a home playoff game.

The Riders’ offence has been struggling to get into a groove for most of the season, with the unit ranking eighth with an average of 313.7 yards a game, eighth when it comes to second-down conversions (40.9 per cent), eighth in average yards per play (5.6 yards) and sixth in points per game (21.7).

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And the hits keep coming for the Riders, with head coach Craig Dickenson announcing slotback Kyran Moore suffered a “significant knee injury” in the 19-14 win over the Montreal Alouettes last week. Moore is the Riders’ leading receiver this season with 64 catches for 585 yards and three touchdowns.

Centre Dan Clark (ankle) and slotback Duke Williams (hamstring) both have their status for Friday’s game against the Edmonton Elks up in the air. Kickoff for the game is set for 7:45 p.m.

“With some injuries that we’ve had throughout the week, we’ve had even more new guys in. It just seems like whenever we get a lineup that we’re set with, something happens where we lose a guy,” quarterback Cody Fajardo said.

But with early-season injuries to wide receiver Shaq Evans and slotback Jordan Williams-Lambert, the Riders have already had to call upon their practice roster receivers earlier this season.

“Now’s the time for it to pay dividends for those guys and the experience that they got to step up and make some plays,” Fajardo said. “I’m really comfortable with those guys. I’m glad we’ve had games under our belt when it has been crunch time.”

One of the ways the Riders could get their offence rolling is through the ground game. The Elks have been struggling when it has come to stopping the rushing attack, giving up 551 yards on the ground over their past three games.

The Riders’ rushing attack has been middle of the pack this year, averaging 98.4 yards a game.

“I feel like we’ve got a great group of guys and we’ve been battling a lot of injuries in the team as a whole,” Powell said. “We’ve been through ups and downs this entire season and we keep battling and we’ve had good games and we’ve had bad games. When all the chips are down, I wouldn’t want to go to battle with everyone else but those guys.”

Notes: Defensive end A.C. Leonard practised on Wednesday after leaving early the day before with a back injury … Defensive lineman Garrett Marino (knee) got in another full practice. He has been on the six-game injured list and is eligible to come off the list.