REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders will be without one of their top weapons on offence when they take the field against the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field on Friday night.
The team’s weekly injury report revealed eceiver Samuel Emilus will officially be out of action after not taking the field in practice this week thanks to an injured foot. It’s a less than ideal situation for the Riders’ receiving group, who also have Shawn Bane Jr. on the one-game injured list as he recovers from a knee injury.
“It’s going to be pretty tough for ol’ Sammy this week. I’m not anticipating anything long-term, which is good, but it’s just going to be tough for him this week,” head coach Corey Mace said.
Emilus was able to play the majority of the game in Week 2, with his last catch coming with one minute and 14 seconds gone in the fourth quarter. The 18-yard haul was actually his longest of the game, as Emilus finished four catches on eight targets for 37 yards in a 28-23 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“It was pretty early to be honest,” Mace said when asked when the injury occurred. “He pushed through a lot of stuff and we identified that as a team. He still made a few plays actually even after being banged up and it was a game that shows his character.”
That Emilus pushed through the injury until he could go no further was of little surprise to the team — and fortunately, he’s not expected to be out for long.
“Later in the game it got to the point it was too much,” Mace said. “He’s a warrior type of guy, that doesn’t shock us. Ultimately you want to make sure he’s fine for the long haul so we’re being cautious about it.”
Emilus emerged as Saskatchewan’s top receiver last season, making 87 catches for 1,064 yards and finishing seventh in the Canadian Football League.
There’s some good news on the injury front, as Canadian running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon was listed as available against Toronto after recovering from a groin injury suffered against the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 1.
The Riders travel to Toronto on Friday to take on the Argos. Catch the pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 2:30 p.m. while Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the call at 5:30 p.m. You can hear everything on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
