Blanchard’s 57-yard field goal lifts Elks to 36-34 win over Roughriders
REGINA — A career night from quarterback Cody Fajardo and a clutch field goal from Vincent Blanchard has put the Edmonton Elks into the driver’s seat of the CFL’s West Division.
Fajardo had his best game as a pro on Thursday, throwing for 510 yards and four touchdowns, while Blanchard nailed a 57-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Elks a 36-34 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a roller-coaster contest before 28,513 fans at Mosaic Stadium.
The West Division-leading Elks improved to 6-1 and are off to their best start since 2017 when they were 7-0. The Riders, second in the West, slipped to 4-2 on an emotional night for the hosts.
In a game that featured seven lead changes, the Elks used two explosive plays from Fajardo and receiver Austin Mack to put the Elks in position to win. The pair connected on a 57-yard touchdown late in the third quarter to give the Elks a 27-21 lead, but when the Riders scored on their next possession to regain the lead, Fajardo and Mack responded immediately with an 81-yard touchdown to put the Elks back on top 33-28.
The pair were teammates for two seasons in Montreal (2023 and 2024) and when Mack became a free agent after the 2025 season, Fajardo did a hard sell on convincing him to head to Edmonton.
“He’s the guy. He’s the reason why I called him every day in the off-season to get him here because this is what I knew he can do from what he did in 2023 with me in Montreal and in 2024,” said Fajardo.
“I just know what he can do and what he brings to a receiving room. The guy just finds ways to score touchdowns and make big plays.
Saskatchewan kicker Alex Hale closed the gap later to 33-31 with a 48-yard field goal and had an opportunity to give the Riders the lead with three minutes remaining but his attempt from 46 yards was wide left and returned to the Edmonton 20-yard line by Javon Leake.
Hale redeemed himself with an 11-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining but that left Fajardo enough time to move the Elks from their eight-yard line to the Saskatchewan 50-yard line and give Blanchard a shot. He made no mistake, hammering the ball through the uprights as the clock expired.
Elks head coach Mark Kilam couldn’t say enough about Fajardo’s effort.
“Cody’s a warrior. I thought that the key drive was in the third quarter when we were backed up. He scrambled a bit. We hit someone for a pass. He got blasted on a play, got up, went back to the huddle, and I think that was awesome. That’s Cody Fajardo,” said Kilam.
“That guy just lays it out there, leaves his heart on the field every time he plays. That’s why I’ll ride with that guy forever.”
Kilam was thrilled how his team fought through adversity to win the game.
“We found a way. Found a way to win. There’s no quit in this football team. They play with heart. They play for each other. They play tough. Some bad (stuff) happened there at the end of the game, and we found a way to overcome it.
“And full credit to Saskatchewan. That’s a good football team. That was two heavyweights going at it, and you know we were fortunate to make the plays.”
While the Elks were ecstatic with the outcome, the Riders felt they let a victory slip through their fingers.
“I thought that was a pretty good CFL football game. Felt like we were going to win it up until the very end. You know, a play here, a play there, a call here, a call there. I’m probably going to be, you know, waking up all night thinking about the last play, but yeah, it sucks but yeah, it’s two good football teams for sure,” said Riders quarterback Trevor Harris, who completed 26 of 36 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns.
The teams took to the field just five days after a two-vehicle accident claimed the lives of Riders linebacker Jayden Dalke and Bhishma Rajyaguru, a 22-year-old from Regina, on Saturday evening just outside Lumsden, about 30 kilometres north of Regina.
RCMP said the 30-year-old Dalke was driving northbound in the southbound lane of the divided highway when his vehicle collided with Rajyaguru’s SUV.
Both victims were honoured with tributes and a moment of silence before the opening kickoff at Mosaic Stadium.
Harris admitted the past week was difficult but he hoped the pre-game tributes expressed the emotions of a team and a franchise.
“I felt it was well done by the organization, honouring both people, and obviously it was a tumultuous, strange week to navigate as a team. But just proud of our team in terms of coming out fighting,” said Harris.
“The effort is going to continue to be there. This is a Corey Mace-led football team, and you’re going to get everything we got every single week, regardless of circumstance. I was proud of the guys for that, and I hope both families that we honoured are proud and could take some solace in the pre-game tribute to them.”
In addition to Mack’s two touchdowns, Brendan O’Leary-Orange, on a 16-yard reception, and Leake, on a 12-yard catch, scored touchdowns for the Elks in the first half. Mack had 173 receiving yards on four catches while TJ Luther had 10 receptions for 157 yards.
Kian Schaffer-Baker, Samuel Emilus, KeeSean Johnson and Dhel Duncan-Busby had touchdown receptions for the Riders. Schaffer-Baker had eight catches for 185 yards.
UP NEXT
Elks: Host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Roughriders: Visit the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, Aug. 1.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 23, 2026.
Jeff DeDekker, The Canadian Press
Comments