Shawn Bane Jr. has just become the first Saskatchewan Roughrider since — get this! — the year he was born to register 10 or more receptions in back-to-back games.
Bane Jr. arrived on June 6, 1995, only four months before future Canadian Football Hall of Famer Don Narcisse produced duplicate double-digit performances during his 123-catch season.
Narcisse caught 13 passes for 127 yards against the host Baltimore Stallions on Oct. 7, 1995 and followed up one week later with 11 receptions for 95 yards against the visiting Calgary Stampeders.
Most recently, Bane Jr. caught 10 passes for 144 yards and one touchdown in Saturday’s 31-13 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in Halifax.
A week earlier, he had also caught 10 passes, gaining 74 yards against the victorious B.C. Lions in Vancouver.
“Obviously, the results aren’t what we want them to be, but it is fun to be able to just do what I do at a high level and just execute,” said Bane Jr., who has 41 receptions for 527 yards in seven games with the Roughriders.
Over his previous two CFL seasons — both spent with the Calgary Stampeders — he had caught 24 passes for 388 yards in 13 games.
The Roughriders felt Bane Jr. was capable of considerably more and therefore made it a priority to secure his services on Day 1 of the 2023 free-agency period (Feb. 14).
With the Green and White, he has received a long-awaited opportunity to be a preferred target in the professional ranks.
“That’s kind of why I signed here,” Bane Jr. said. “I just wanted to be a reliable target and let the QBs know that I can catch it and, whatever coverage they’re in, I can see what needs to be seen and sit down in zones and get open in man.
“It’s an honour.”
That comment was made on Saturday while he was clutching the football he caught for his touchdown of the season — a 31-yard pass from Jake Dolegala with 1:57 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Bane Jr.’ scored after making an over-the-shoulder catch near the Argonauts’ goal line.
“I asked him how he made that catch and he said it’s all that post-practice work he does,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said. “Him and (Jake) Wieneke are out there doing over-the-shoulder throws.
“Bane is a worker. He loves football. He’s a football junkie. He’s a gym rat. I love having him on our team.
“He has been a pleasant addition on the field and an even better addition in the locker room. He’s a super guy.”
Bane Jr. is the first Roughrider to record multiple double-digit receptions totals in a season since Duron Carter in 2017. Carter had 10 catches versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Sept. 3) and 11 against the Ottawa REDBLACKS (Oct. 13).
The Roughriders are to face the REDBLACKS on Saturday, 5 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium.
