Injuries continue to pile up for Riders ahead of West final

Injuries continue to plague the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the playoffs.

A number of big names are headlining the injury report leading up to the CFL West Division final against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.

Slotback Duke Williams (turf toe) and linebacker Micah Teitz (foot) didn’t practice Wednesday or Thursday.

“Micah Teitz is definitely questionable this week so there will probably be someone up for Micah Teitz,” Dickenson said. “(Williams) wasn’t out there (Thursday) so the turf toe must be worse than I thought.”

The injury report grew on Thursday with defensive end A.C. Leonard – who led the CFL in sacks this season with 11 – injuring his hip in practice.

“(Leonard) is 50/50 also, so same old story this year for us,” Dickenson said.

Loucheiz Purifoy, who was going to be moving to short-side linebacker after a shoulder injury to Jay Dearborn, injured his ankle in Thursday’s practice. Dickenson was more optimistic about his outlook for the game.

The Riders have 16 players on the six-game injured list ahead of Sunday’s game.

For much of the season it’s been a case of next-man-up for Saskatchewan.

An example of that in the West final will be safety Elie Bouka, who is set to start in the game.

“It means everything. I had a long journey to get to this point and for me, being able to be in this position to help my team out, I’m beyond grateful,” Bouka said. “Winnipeg is a team that took us away from that Grey Cup (in 2019) so we’re excited to get back out there and get another chance.”

Bouka joined the Riders in September after coming in late due to prior work commitments. He spent most of the year on the practice roster and as a backup.

He was given a chance to start in the regular-season finale against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with the Riders resting a number of starters. Bouka recorded two interceptions in the 24-3 loss.

“Loucheiz and I spent a lot of time in the morning and after practice and we talk a lot. Being able to learn from a guy as experienced as him helps a lot.”

The Riders’ defence will try to stop a Winnipeg offence that has averaged a league-high 25.8 points per game.

Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros has been a major contributor to that with 3,185 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only six interceptions.

Collaros was with the Riders in 2018 and 2019 before being traded to the Toronto Argonauts who later traded him to Winnipeg.

“Zach’s a great guy and a great leader. He has a lot of hidden weapons that come out at the right time,” Bouka said. “A lot of people didn’t see (what he did in Winnipeg) coming but we all knew here he was a good quarterback and it was just a matter of time for him to showcase that as well.”

Bouka is looking forward to a chance to face the Bombers after Winnipeg ended the Riders’ season in 2018 and 2019.

“The clock is ticking. I can’t wait. We’ve been waiting for this game the whole season – we can’t look ahead but now we’re here and there’s no hiding,” Bouka said. “We’re coming and we’ve got a lot to prove and we’re excited to take on that game and make sure we take care of business.”