Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Brett Lauther had to run on to hit a walk-off.
Normally, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ kicker has plenty of time to go through his pre-kick routine prior to attempting a field goal during a CFL game.
However, Sunday’s last-second 43-yard three pointer with time expiring to give the Roughriders a 33-30 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats was unlike any other.
“It was definitely a different one because we just went out and hit the kickoff,” explained Lauther.
Following a touchdown pass from Trevor Harris to Kian Schaffer-Baker with 43 seconds left, Lauther was called upon to kick the convert, which successfully tied the game 30-30.
The 33-year-old Nova Scotia product proceeded to hit the ensuing kickoff before becoming a spectator as the Tiger-Cats took over on offence.
However, on Hamilton’s first play, Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass went off the hands of receiver Tim White and into the hands of Riders’ linebacker C.J. Avery, putting the Riders in field goal position.
Lauther, meanwhile, was just making his way back to the sideline.
“On road games, I don’t a kickoff kid (to get the tee) with me, so I went all the way back to get the tee,” he said. “I kind of cut up their sideline and I wasn’t even back fully to our sideline when (the interception) happened.
“I knew that we were going to have a couple plays so just took some deep breaths, got the heart rate back where I wanted it.”
During the shortened warmup on the sideline, Lauther asked general manager Jeremy O’Day, who was standing nearby, to direct traffic away from the kicking net so Lauther could get two warmup kicks in before going out on the field and attempting the game winner.
As it turned out, the rushed routine didn’t faze him.
“Then just went out and put it through,” said Lauther. “Great snap, great hold as usual from the guys; great blocking up front and (I’ve) got the easy job after that just trying to put it through and get the win and get out of there.
“Definitely didn’t want to play overtime.”
Not only did he have to make the final field goal and the convert just prior, but he was also called upon to hit a three pointer from 34 yards out with just over three minutes left, which made it a 30-23 game at the time.
For Riders’ head coach Corey Mace, he was glad he could call upon his clutch kicker in the final moments.
“That’s the weapon we know we have,” said Mace. “He’s confident and he’s had a lot of big kicks in his career.
“We’ll lean on him in those situations and that’s the outcome that we expect when we put him out there because we just have confidence in him.”
The pressure-packed kick was nothing new to Lauther, a veteran of 87 career games in the CFL.
Since becoming the Riders primary placekicker in 2018, Lauther has attempted 246 field goals and made 207 of them — an 83 per cent success rate, which puts him atop the Riders’ all-time list.
And over that time, he’s had numerous game winners, including his latest on Sunday, which was part of a 4-for-4 effort on the day.
“Just tried to treat it like every other one,” he said. “Doesn’t matter if it’s the first one or the last one.”
And while there was a lot on the line riding on the last kick, Lauther tries not to see those situations as pressure.
“(Pressure) is just something that’s made up,” he said. “If there isn’t pressure, there isn’t pressure.
“If you don’t make pressure on yourself then there isn’t any and that’s how I’ve always felt with it.
“First kick of the game (or) last kick of the game, it doesn’t matter; I’m just thankful to be able to put on green and go out and play football.
“I’ll look back someday maybe but for now just trying to go 1-for-1 and that’s my mindset each and every kick … What gives my teammates, the organization and the fans the best chance to make the next kick is to not be riding the wave too high or too low — it’s just go out and try to put your best foot forward and hit the next one.”
Return to Hamilton
Not only did Lauther secure Saskatchewan’s second victory of the season, but he did so against the team that drafted the kicker in the seventh round, 53rd overall, in the 2013 CFL Draft.
He suited up for four games that season, making 6-of-10 kicks, before bouncing around the league for the next few years until he finally got the job in Saskatchewan in 2018.
So, you could say Sunday’s final kick meant a little something more.
“I think it always does a little, as much as I don’t let,” said Lauther. “It’s the team that drafted me, played some games there, was up and down, wasn’t given the opportunity again and went out on my own.
“Always kind of keep that chip on my shoulder and use it as motivation going forward.”
tshire@postmedia.com
