The Saskatchewan Roughriders will have at least one 1,000-yard receiver heading into the Western finals, and possibly two.
Donte Meyers returned to practice Tuesday after suffering an ankle injury in Week 18 against the Ottawa Redblacks. The 25-year-old recorded 65 receptions for 1,056 yards with eight touchdowns in 15 regular-season games en route to becoming a West Division star.
“I love football and I hate missing games. I missed a lot of games last year and I don't want it to become a habit. I look forward to every game so I can get back there as soon as possible,” Meyers said.
“Donte has definitely played a lot of games,” head coach Corey Mays said. “Seeing No. 88 gain momentum is good for anyone, no matter what team he plays for.”
The five-foot-10, 190-pound pass catcher led the Green and White with 11 plays of 30 yards or more, ranking third in the CFL behind Hamilton Tiger-Cats star Kenny Lawler (14) and BC Lions punter Keon Hatcher (12). He averaged 16.2 yards per reception, ranking fourth in the league with three downs among receivers with 65 or more catches.
“Everything starts from the top. Trainer [Marquay McDaniel]he's had a lot of success, our quarterback has had a lot of success, our O.C. [Marc Mueller] is a great success and the players are a great success. Everyone pushes each other every day, before training and after training. We’re trying to replicate success and get success from each other,” Meyers explained.
Meyers said he and his roommate, KeySean Johnson, are focused on going 1-0 and getting the job done in the Western final to advance to the 112th Gray Cup. Johnson suffered a knee injury in the first half of Week 19 against the Toronto Argonauts.
“KeeSean is going to be one of those guys, what are we going to look like in the next couple of days? He's running and everything. All the guys are moving in the right direction,” Mays said.
The 29-year-old had 86 receptions for 1,159 yards and four touchdowns in 16 regular-season games and became a star in the West Division. Johnson was a key target for Trevor Harris to keep the chains moving while leading the CFL with 39 conversions per second.
The Western Division Coach of the Year believes his franchise quarterback will make the offense work with whoever the team puts on the game-day roster at receiver. Based on what Harris said, it's safe to assume that Samuel Amilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Meyers should be in the starting lineup on Saturday, and he added “who knows” in favor of Johnson.
“I feel like at this point in the year we are making food and we should continue to do so,” Harris said. “We're excited. We have to go out and execute the game plan.”
“It’s going to be interesting, we got some guns back,” Meyers said. “It will be a good show for Readerville.”
The Roughriders (12-6) will host the BC Lions (12-7) in the Western final at Mosaic Stadium in Regina on Saturday, November 8, with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. In the West semi-finals, the Lions defeated the Calgary Stampeders 33–30.while the Riders remained on the sidelines after finishing atop the West Division standings.
The weather forecast in Regina calls for minus three degrees with a 60 per cent chance of hurricanes. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in to 620 CKRM in Regina.
