TORONTO — It was less than a year ago that Queen’s receiver Doug Corby set the stage on fire at the 13th annual East-West Bowl, and now he’ll be one of the players to watch at this week’s National Combine presented by Adidas.
Corby, a 6-foot-3 receiver from Burlington, Ont., is one of 11 CIS players in the CFL Scouting Bureau’s Top 20 heading into the weekend’s showcase of the country’s top amateur football talent. And while his 2015 season for the Gaels only asserted his status as a top prospect, it was his performance in Montreal last May that put him on everyone’s radar.
The Queen’s receiver was simply outstanding in that East-West Bowl, hauling in 131 yards receiving and a record-setting three touchdowns to lift the East squad to a 29-21 win over the West at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal.
“In a game like this, you don’t want to put too much pressure on yourself but at the same time you know people are watching,” Corby reflected after the game. “It was a fun game and a fun week to be a part of. There were a lot of great players here this week and I’m happy I was able to have a solid performance today.”
Corby finished up with 156 all-purpose yards and was named the Adidas Offensive Player of the Game for the East. More than that, though, he did it against the top draft-eligible talent for the 2016 CFL Draft, putting his name in the spotlight a year ahead of the time he’d be picked by a CFL team.
“Doug’s outstanding showing all week at the 2015 East-West Bowl really caught the attention of CFL scouts,” said CFL.ca Combine insider Justin Dunk.
Corby opened the game’s scoring with a 63-yard touchdown toss from quarterback Brandon Leyh at 4:31 of the first quarter. Corby put his side up 22-14 with a seven-yard touchdown reception from Drew Burko midway through the third quarter, then completed his hat-trick with a 50-yard reception from Leyh at 9:43 of the final stanza.
In the end, it was Corby’s performance that led the East to its fifth victory in six years against the West, improving it to 6-7 overall in the annual CFL prospects game.
The East led from start to finish, holding an 8-7 edge after the opening quarter, which it improved to 15-7 at the half and 22-21 after three quarters. The combined 50 points scored was the third-highest scoring game in the 13-year history of the event. The only higher scoring contests both went into overtime – a 34-27 East victory in 2011 and a 34-26 decision for the West in 2006.
Both teams generated over 400 yards in net offence, with the East racking up 494, while the West had 407.
“I was very impressed with the execution on both sides of the ball, for both teams,” said East head coach Danny Maciocia after the game, who in 2014 led his Montreal Carabins to the first Vanier Cup title in program history at Molson Stadium.
“Hats off to the players but also the coaches for producing such a quality game despite the short preparation time.”
Llevi Noel of the Toronto Varsity Blues, another big name to watch in this weekend’s combine, was the only other receiver to reach the century mark with 127 yards on six receptions. Both he and Corby have only improved their draft stock since then, each putting up career numbers in their final chance to impress before the 2016 CFL Combine.
2016 By the Numbers:
| Player | Team | Scouting Bureau | Games | REC | YDS | TD | YPG |
| Doug Corby | Queen’s | 19 | 5 | 30 | 592 | 5 | 118.4 |
| Llevi Noel | Toronto | 17 | 6 | 49 | 758 | 4 | 126.3 |
While Noel had a career-high 758 yards and four touchdowns with Toronto, averaging 126.3 yards per game in the process, Corby finished up his fourth season with Queen’s with 592 yards and five touchdowns over five games.
Noel, a Toronto native, ranks 17th overall in the most recent CFL Scouting Bureau while Corby sits two spots back at 19th. Despite only playing in five games in 2015 due to injury, Corby was named an OUA All-Star.
– With files from CIS
