Saskatchewan Roughriders don’t think Samuel Emilus injury is season-ending

Photo: David Friedrich/B.C. Lions

It appears the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be without Samuel Emilus for the foreseeable future — but not the rest of the season.

“I don’t think it’s a season-ending (injury),” head coach Corey Mace told the media on Wednesday. “It’s just super unfortunate. I know how much this game and this team means to that guy. Football can suck sometimes.”

The veteran receiver was injured late in the fourth quarter of Saskatchewan’s game against the B.C. Lions on Sunday night. According to the team’s injury report, Emilus is dealing with a leg injury. He made seven receptions for 66 yards in the 30-16 loss.

The Montreal native has caught 38 passes for 514 yards and five touchdowns through seven regular-season games this year. He recently missed three games due to a foot injury.

The six-foot, 200-pound target was originally a first-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft out of Louisiana Tech. He has made 242 receptions for 3,428 yards and 18 touchdowns over 64 career regular-season games with Saskatchewan.

The 28-year-old helped the Roughriders win the Grey Cup last year. He made 10 receptions for 108 yards to be named the game’s Most Valuable Canadian. He was also named All-West Division in 2024.

Saskatchewan’s loss in Vancouver marked the team’s second-straight loss and third in its last five games.

Despite the skid, the Roughriders are expecting a crowd of over 30,000 for their game against the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday. The Boatmen won 40-34 in their most recent visit the Mosaic Stadium on June 26.

“A lot of team in this league are good, and you’ve gotta show up every week or else you might be on the wrong side of it,” said Mace.

“For us, we’ve gotta get back to playing Rider football. We try to pride ourselves on being a physical football team, but also playing within the rules.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-4) will host the Toronto Argonauts (5-5) at Mosaic Stadium on Saturday, August 29 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Argonauts are coming off a 39-20 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while the Roughriders lost in Vancouver by a score of 30-16.

The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 26 degrees and sun. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1050 in Toronto or 620 CKRM in Regina.