Shawn Bane Jr.’s third touchdown catch was icing on the cake — one day before his birthday.
Bane Jr., who turns 29 today, completed his first CFL hat trick with 1:05 left in Saturday’s fourth quarter to help the Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the host Edmonton Elks 29-21.
Along the way, he tied a franchise single-game record for touchdown catches in a game. The feat has been accomplished 20 times, dating back to 1958. (See complete list below.)
“Our receiving corps has explosive playmakers,” Head Coach Corey Mace said after Saturday’s game. “We’re talking about Shawn Bane today. We could be talking about Schaff (Kian Schaffer-Baker or (Samuel) Emilus or KeeSean (Johnson) or (Jerreth) Sterns next week.”
Bane Jr. celebrated his second multi-touchdown game in the CFL. The first such outing also came against Edmonton — back on Sept. 15, when he caught two TD passes against the visiting Elks.
He had not caught three scoring passes in a game since Sept. 23, 2017, when he helped the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats blank the Missouri Southern Lions 63-0.
“It was much easier in college,” Bane Jr. said with a laugh.
“I don’t know if it looked easy today, but I was definitely battling through some cramping and a hydration issue. In your first game, you kind of figure out your flow and your groove.
“It feels good because we won both games.”
Trevor Harris found Bane Jr. for touchdowns of 40, 33 and 27 yards in the Roughriders’ season opener. Already, he is within one major of equalling his total for all of last year.
“I’m blessed, man, that’s for sure,” Bane Jr., who had 93 catches for 1,104 yards during his breakout season of 2023, said before deflecting the commendation to Offensive Co-ordinator Marc Mueller.
“Shout-out to Coach Muells for dialing up the plays. He’s been moving guys around and putting guys in multiple spots.
“I’m just the byproduct of Trevor’s reads so, yeah, it’s dope.”
Bane Jr. became the first Roughrider to catch three TDs in a game since June 16, 2023, when Harris and Emilus combined for a trifecta.
As was the case with Bane Jr. on Saturday, Emilus caught all three of the Roughriders’ TD passes.
Coincidentally, Hugh Campbell — the Roughriders’ all-time leader in three-TD-catch games — was at Saturday’s contest.
Campbell, who had four treys as a Roughrider, was at Commonwealth Stadium to celebrate the home team’s 75th anniversary.
Now 83, Campbell was part of 10 Grey Cup championship teams in Edmonton, as a head coach, general manager or president.
His first CFL title, though, was won as a member of the Roughriders, in 1966. That season, he registered three of his five career three-TD games.
The Roughriders’ 1966 season began, in fact, when Campbell and Ron Lancaster collaborated for three scores in a 40-13 road victory over Edmonton.
The next time a Roughrider caught three TD passes during a season-opening victory in Edmonton, it was on Saturday.
And it just so happens that the winning team’s plays were called by Lancaster’s grandson, Marc Mueller.
THE ROUGHRIDERS’ THREE-TD-CATCH GAMES
- Jack Hill at B.C., Sept. 29, 1958
- Bob Renn vs. Calgary, Sept. 26, 1960
- Hugh Campbell vs. Winnipeg, Aug. 7, 1964
- Hugh Campbell at Edmonton, Aug. 28, 1964
- Hugh Campbell at Edmonton, July 29, 1966
- Hugh Campbell vs. Winnipeg, Aug. 7, 1966
- Hugh Campbell vs. Montreal, Sept. 5, 1966
- Tom Campana at Montreal, Sept. 16, 1973
- Rhett Dawson vs. B.C., Sept. 28, 1975
- Joey Walters at Edmonton, Aug. 30, 1981
- Joey Walters vs. Edmonton, Oct. 18, 1981
- Ray Elgaard at B.C., Sept. 16, 1988
- Jeff Fairholm at B.C., Sept. 21, 1991
- Don Narcisse at Winnipeg, Sept. 13, 1998
- Curtis Marsh vs. Calgary, July 28, 2000
- Curtis Marsh vs. Toronto, July 28, 2001
- Andy Fantuz at Hamilton, Oct. 14, 2007
- Weston Dressler at Hamilton, June 29, 2012
- Samuel Emilus vs. Winnipeg, June 16, 2023
- Shawn Bane Jr. at Edmonton, June 8, 2024
