Cody Fajardo aims to continue his strong play on Friday as the Edmonton Elks host the Toronto Argonauts in a battle of cellar-dwelling teams in their respective divisions.
Fajardo has fared well since taking over for Tre Ford under center, throwing for 892 yards and five touchdowns over the last three games. The two-time Grey Cup champion threw for 289 yards and two scores to lead the Elks (2-6) to a 23-22 victory over the Montreal Alouettes last Friday.
Fajardo found fellow former Alouette Kaion Julien-Grant for a 15-yard touchdown with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. The late scoring strike enabled Edmonton to notch its first win since a 39-33 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks on July 6.
“You can’t rest on your laurels, right?” Fajardo said. “Just because we win a football game, ‘OK, everything’s figured out.’
“Like I said, you validate the work. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not going to do the extra stuff, I’m not going to do what I need to do to get that win.”
The Elks will now set their sights on a Toronto defense that yielded 429 yards of offense to Ottawa in a 46-42 setback to the Redblacks on Saturday.
The defending Grey Cup champion Argonauts (2-7) saw their 21-point lead in the first quarter go by the boards, much to the chagrin of head coach Ryan Dinwiddie.
“I sound like a broken record talking to them after the game,” Dinwiddie said. “I just told them I’m not going to quit on them and I don’t think those guys quit on us, but I think we have some pretenders in the building who like to talk a big game and don’t show up on game day.
“If you don’t love it, let me know. I know I love it and I’m not going to quit.”
Nick Arbuckle completed 32 of 38 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for another score.
Arbuckle, who is second in the CFL in passing yards (2,651) and passing touchdowns (16), will now take aim at an Edmonton defense that has allowed at least 28 points on six occasions this season.
Toronto’s Damonte Coxie leads the league in receiving yards (794).
–Field Level Media
