Saskatchewan Roughriders

Riders bench franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo in favour of Mason Fine

by
3Down Staff
August 19, 2022

Courtesy: AP Photo/Larry MacDougal

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have benched franchise quarterback Cody Fajardo following a poor start in Friday night’s game against the B.C. Lions.

The 30-year-old completed 8-of-13 pass attempts for 41 yards and two interceptions before being pulled just prior to halftime. He also ran three times for five yards while being sacked three times. The Riders trailed 21-3 when Fajardo was replaced.

North Texas product Mason Fine came on late in the second quarter and led a quick touchdown drive, capping it with a four-yard strike to Canadian slotback Justin McInnis. The score made it 21-10 at halftime.

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Head coach Craig Dickenson indicated to TSN at halftime that the decision to pull Fajardo was made partially due to his lingering knee injury as well as his poor play. He also indicated that Fine would play for the rest of the game.

Fine is in his second CFL season and saw action in two games earlier this year, completing 8-of-11 pass attempts for 91 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.

As of the publishing of this article, B.C. leads Saskatchewan by a score of 28-10 midway through the third quarter.