Evans eclipses 1,000 yards receiving
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers weren’t any match for the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Shaq attack.
Shaq Evans had seven receptions for 193 yards and a touchdown in the Riders’ 21-6 win over the visiting Blue Bombers on Saturday.
He now has 60 receptions for 1,096 yards and five touchdowns this season. He had 50 catches for a team-high 785 yards in 2018 — without scoring a TD — and vowed to improve on those statistics in his second CFL season.
“It feels great when you set a goal like that,” Evans said. “I pretty well set that goal since the end of the season last year. I felt like I could have had it last year, but things just didn’t work out. To get it this year is a testament to my work ethic, the work I put in during the off-season, and the determination that I had.”
Evans underwent off-season shoulder surgery that slowed his progress during the pre-season. He picked up the pace during the regular season and is fifth in the league in receiving yardage.
“He can take over a game,” Riders quarterback Cody Fajardo said.
“What he does best is what he does after catching the football. Shaq does a great job of putting his head down and gaining positive yards.”
An example of Evans’ ability to gain yards took place late in the fourth quarter, with the Riders holding a 14-6 lead. He turned a seven-yard pass into a 61-yard touchdown reception that, combined with Brett Lauther’s convert, completed the scoring.
“I was one-on-one and I knew that as long as I caught the ball, I was going to break the first tackle,” Evans said. “I just had to make a play after that and I did.”
Evans also had a highlight-reel reception after Bombers defensive back Winston Rose tipped a deep pass intended for the Riders receiver. Evans was able to corral the ball for a 49-yard gain, to Winnipeg ’s 13-yard line.