Since the Saskatchewan Roughriders first explored the potential of the forward pass 90 years ago, there has been only one 161-yard receiving game.
It was produced by Samuel Emilus on Saturday against the B.C. Lions, who won 35-20 in Vancouver.
Saskatchewan’s statistical scroll includes one 162-yarder (by Chris DeFrance in 1981) and four 160s (by Jeff Fairholm in 1988 and 1992, Weston Dressler in 2012 and Shaq Evans in 2019).
Overall, there are 65 examples of a Roughrider amassing 160 or more receiving yards.
A Roughrider has reached or exceeded 100 receiving yards on 520 occasions.
But only one name appears beside “161” on a lengthy list.
“It’s great for individual reasons, but I wish we’d had a W,” Emilus said in advance of Friday’s CFL game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).
“We’re just going to keep on pushing and eventually those stats are going to result in a win.”
Victories have been the norm for the 2024 Roughriders, who carried a 4-0 record into the B.C. game.
During that CFL contest at BC Place, Emilus registered eight catches, also a career best.
“It was the preparation we had during the week,” he said. “We saw a couple of things that B.C.’s defence was giving us and we just took advantage.”
That was especially true on receptions that produced 51 and 50 yards.
Emilus became the first Roughrider in 11 years to register two receptions of 50-plus yards in the same game.
On July 11, 2013, Darian Durant hit Taj Smith for touchdown bombs of 71 and 60 yards during a 39-28 victory over the host Toronto Argonauts.
Overall, there are 15 examples of a Roughriders pass-catcher exploding for two gains of 50-plus in one game.
Fairholm (in 1992 and 1993), Bobby Thompson (1969 and 1972), Curtis Mayfield (1996, 1997) and Andy Fantuz (2007, 2010) accomplished that feat on two occasions.
The list is completed by Emilus, Jack Hill (1958), Gord Barwell (1970), Bob Pearce (1972), Joey Walters (1981), Curtis Marsh (2000) and Chris Getzlaf (2010).
Durant found Getzlaf for gains of 85 and 64 yards on Oct. 17, 2010 against the Calgary Stampeders, on whose behalf defensive tackle Corey Mace — now the Roughriders’ Head Coach — scored on a 60-yard fumble return.
On Saturday, Emilus recorded the highest receiving-yardage total by a Roughrider since Kian Schaffer-Baker caught five passes for 170 yards on Aug. 26, 2022 in a 23-16 victory over the Lions at BC Place.
Vancouver has been the likeliest site for a banner receiving game by a member of the travelling Roughriders.
There have been seven games of 161 or more yards at Empire Stadium or BC Place, dating back to 1954.
The other road games with 161-plus yards have been played in Edmonton (6), Winnipeg (6), Hamilton (4), Montreal (3), Calgary (3), Ottawa (3) and Toronto (3).
In terms of opponents, regardless of the venue, Edmonton has surrendered 12 games of 161-plus receiving yards. B.C. is next with 11, followed by Winnipeg (10), Calgary (7), Hamilton (7), Toronto (5), Montreal (4), Ottawa (4) and Saskatoon (1).
Yes, Saskatoon.
On Oct. 6, 1934, Steve Adkins caught 11 passes for 234 yards against the visiting Saskatoon Hilltops.
The eruption was foreshadowed in the Oct. 5, 1934 edition of the Regina Leader-Post, which presciently published this headline: “Roughriders and Hilltops Promise Forward-Passing Duel.”
The Riders’ Walter (Oke) Olson proceeded to pass for 446 yards, at a time when even a 100-yard performance was a rarity.
All these years later, Olson’s total — which wasn’t topped until Ron Lancaster threw for 492 yards in a Nov. 11, 1963 playoff game against Calgary — is the 21st best in franchise history.
As for Adkins, his single-game receiving-yardage record endured until Aug. 5, 1983, when DeFrance caught nine passes for 260 yards in Edmonton. His yardage total remains a Club record.
DeFrance is among 14 Roughriders who have registered multiple games with at least 161 receiving yards.
Ray Elgaard leads the list with seven, followed by Walters (5), Marsh (4), Dressler (3), Fairholm (3), Narcisse (3), Thompson (3), Hugh Campbell (3), Naaman Roosevelt (3), DeFrance (2), Evans (2), Getzlaf (2), Fantuz (2) and Tom Campana (2).
MOST 100-YARD RECEIVING GAMES BY A ROUGHRIDER
41 — Ray Elgaard
35 — Don Narcisse
28 — Weston Dressler
25 — Joey Walters
21 — Jeff Fairholm
18 — Hugh Campbell
15 — Chris DeFrance
11 — Andy Fantuz
11 — Naaman Roosevelt
10 — Matt Dominguez
10 — Chris Getzlaf
10 — Curtis Mayfield
10 — Bobby Thompson
9 — Gord Barwell
9 — Curtis Marsh
8 — Rob Bagg
8 — Tom Campana
7 — Rhett Dawson
7 — Shaq Evans
7 — Steve Mazurak
6 — Derick Armstrong
6 — Ed Buchanan
6 — Ken Carpenter
6 — Dan Farthing
6 — Ray Purdin
6 — Larry Thompson
5 — Shawn Bane Jr.
5 — Alan Ford
5 — Kyran Moore
5 — Ron Robinson
5 — Kian Schaffer-Baker
5 — B.K. Williams
4 — Ron Dundas
4 — Dwight Edwards
4 — Reggie Jones
4 — Taj Smith
4 — Mac Speedie
3 — Duron Carter
3 — D.J. Flick
3 — Samuel Emilus
3 — Lucius Floyd
3 — Eric Guliford
3 — Rod Harris
3 — Harry Lampman
3 — Travis Moore
3 — Bob Pearce
3 — George Reed
3 — Mike Saunders
3 — Duke Williams
3 — Daric Zeno
NOTE: Current players are boldfaced.
