AVAILABLE HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n\u201cI feel like this is really going to be the milestone,\u201d Djete said on Thursday. \u201cWhen I get my first catch and I make people miss and just do what I do, that\u2019s going to be the real milestone \u2026 my first touchdown and everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo hopefully it\u2019s this game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Djete was a late activation for last week\u2019s contest after veteran receiver Samuel Emilus, who was listed as a game-time decision due to a foot injury, was scratched.<\/p>\n
Daniel Wiebe moved into a starting role in place of Emilus. Djete, who had been on the six-game injured list, was activated as the sixth receiver.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat whole week I came off the injury list, they told me, \u2018Be ready. We don\u2019t know what\u2019s going to happen with Sam,\u2019 \u201d Djete said. \u201cI had to be in the mindset of, \u2018I\u2019m going to play,\u2019 even though I\u2019m not taking the reps (in practice).\u2019 The whole week, I was preparing myself mentally and physically for \u2018maybe I will play.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes it\u2019s hard to do the extra work when you\u2019re not certain of the outcome, but I just kept on course. An hour before the game, they told me, \u2018Suit up.\u2019 I was like, \u2018OK.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n
Djete\u2019s responsibilities were expanded after Kian Schaffer-Baker suffered a knee injury while making a catch with four minutes remaining in the third quarter. Just like that, Djete was taking regular reps on offence.<\/p>\n
Schaffer-Baker and Emilus were placed on the six-game injured list on Thursday.<\/p>\n
KeeSean Johnson and Dhel Duncan-Busby are the only opening-night starting receivers who will be in the lineup on Friday. They will be joined by Djete, Johnny Johnson III (making his fifth consecutive start) and D\u2019Sean Mimbs (second career start).<\/p>\n
The start will be the first for Djete since Nov. 27, when the 22-year-old product of Levis, Quebec made a 46-yard catch in his final game at Alabama State.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a dream to play in the CFL and at the pro level, to have a start this early in my career, it means everything,\u201d the Roughriders\u2019 No. 80 said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m glad that I prepared myself and I stayed ready for that opportunity.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor the next few weeks, I\u2019m taking the opportunity to put out a statement that I belong there. I doesn\u2019t matter what I age I am \u2014 whether I\u2019m a rookie or not. I\u2019ve played football my whole life.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis, to me, is just a statement that I\u2019m ready to be there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Better yet, the first start will also constitute his home-field debut.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s going to be amazing,\u201d he said with a smile. \u201cI\u2019m not going to lie.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re on the football field, you kind of have a bubble, so you don\u2019t hear the crowd. I had the opportunity to hear the crowd from the sideline while I was hurt. I just hope the fans are going to show up like they do every time. I appreciate the love from the Riders fans.\u201d<\/p>\n
FULL NELSON<\/p>\n
Nelson Lokombo\u2019s full range of talents has been on display this season.<\/p>\n
On Friday, he will start at a third different position \u2014 field-side cornerback \u2014 for the 2026 Roughriders.<\/p>\n
The former University of Saskatchewan Huskies standout\u2019s previous starts this season had been at safety (June 13 versus the visiting B.C. Lions) and boundary halfback (July 3 at Ottawa).<\/p>\n
\u201cI guess \u2018defensive back\u2019 is probably my natural position,\u201d Lokombo said. \u201cWherever you want me at, I can play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve played everywhere my entire life, so I\u2019m used to moving around and adapting that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lokombo, who missed the past three games with an ankle injury, takes over for a fellow Canadian, Tevaughn Campbell, at cornerback.<\/p>\n
Campbell, an All-CFLer last season, was placed on the Roughriders\u2019 ever-expanding six-game injured list on Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo have Nelly available for us, certainly at this time, is extremely helpful,\u201d Head Coach Corey Mace said. \u201cUltimately, we\u2019re looking for him to go out there and execute and get his feet under him again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lokombo, who since 2022 has played in 54 regular-season games as a Roughrider, was the starting safety for most of 2024 and 2025. He had also started at halfback and on the corner in previous seasons.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of expect myself to be able to do that,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m glad that the coaching staff trusts me to be able to go out there and fill in at those positions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to play wherever it is.\u201d<\/p>\n
HISTORY LESSON FROM HARRIS<\/p>\n
With an 0-7 Ottawa team providing the opposition on Friday, the Roughriders do not have to be reminded of the dangers that accompany a matchup with a winless club.<\/p>\n
\u201cRewind two years,\u201d quarterback Trevor Harris said. \u201cThe 5-and-2 Saskatchewan Roughriders were playing the 0-and-7 Edmonton Elks. How\u2019d that work out?\u201d<\/p>\n
Edmonton posted its first win of the season, by a 42-31 count, on Aug. 3, 2024 at Mosaic Stadium.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn high school when you play an 0-and-7 team, it\u2019s a little bit different,\u201d Harris said. \u201cThis is professional football. These guys are scratching and clawing.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey pushed Winnipeg to the limit and Montreal to the limit very, very recently. We know what type of club these guys are. We know what type of coaching, intensity and leadership they have over there. They have guys who were in this locker room last year.\u201d<\/p>\n
WELCOME BACK, JAKE<\/p>\n
Jake Maier is to make his eighth consecutive start at quarterback for the REDBLACKS. He started twice last year with Saskatchewan after spending his first four CFL seasons with the Calgary Stampeders.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the guy,\u201d Harris said. \u201cHe has quickly become one of my better friends. I talk to Jake almost every week.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith quarterbacking in this league, you become a little bit of a fraternity. You get close with the guys you work with, because you talk a lot of ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s an intelligent guy \u2014 similar in mold to me in terms of the way he plays the game. He likes to take what the defence gives him and to find opportunities for his shots.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only that, he\u2019s a very funny guy. He does a tremendous job with the media. I feel like he\u2019s one of the best ones in the league at doing that. He\u2019s an adult and he takes accountability. But he\u2019s a clown behind closed doors.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a funny dude and a really fun guy to work with. We quickly developed an appreciation for one another. When I watch CFL football, it\u2019s easy to root for Jake, especially since he plays in the East now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Dylan Djete keeps stacking milestones. Djete, the Saskatchewan Roughriders\u2019 second-round selection in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft, made…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":848896,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-848895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848895"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/848895\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/848896"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=848895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=848895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}