‘I knew I was going to make it’: Lauther’s last-minute field goal lifts Riders past Montreal

Saskatchewan Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther wasn’t perfect Saturday night, but he hit the most important kick of the night when it mattered.

Lauther kicked a 39-yard field goal with 25 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Roughriders a 27-25 win over the Montreal Alouettes in front of 30,205 CFL fans at Mosaic Stadium.

“I was apologizing to (the team) for putting them in a bad situation like that but I just knew I could go out and make that last one,” Lauther said following the game. “The offence did a great job just like in the last game against Winnipeg (in the Labour Day Classic) and putting me in a position to make that kick.

“I knew I was going to make that (last kick).”

Lauther wasn’t automatic in the game, missing an extra point and a 33-yard field-goal attempt earlier.

“Honestly, it was just a couple bad kicks,” Lauther said. “With what I do, if you make one little mistake, it’s not like other positions. I thought I hit the ball well on a couple but it just wasn’t going where I wanted it.”

Lauther also hit a 14-yard field goal and his other extra-point attempt.

The previous time these teams met, the game was called due to weather with 2:31 remaining in the third quarter, giving the Roughriders a 17-10 win on Aug 9.

The Roughriders needed all 60 minutes in Saturday’s game to walk away the victors, with quarterback Cody Fajardo leading his third game-winning drive with less than three minutes to go. Along with the Labour Day Classic against the Blue Bombers, Fajardo ran in the go-ahead score with 24 seconds left in a 24-19 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 1.

“We knew that we had to put something together; we knew that this was it,” Fajardo said. “Our entire offence did a great job of staying calm. Guys just knew that, ‘Oh, here it is again, we’ve got an opportunity and let’s go win the game.’ ”

Fajardo said these comeback wins help the team mature and improve as the season goes on.

“They give guys trust and faith in the sidelines knowing that if we get in those situations, they will be like, ‘Well, we’ve been here before,’ ” Fajardo said. “When we get that on both sides of the football, special teams included, we’re able to play some good football.”

Fajardo completed 19 of 27 pass attempts for 254 yards. He also rushed for 56 yards and a touchdown.

Running back William Powell was unleashed for the first time in two games. After only getting 12 rushing attempts for 60 yards in the back-to-back games against Winnipeg, Powell carried the football 15 times for 94 yards and a touchdown on Saturday. He also hauled in three passes for 30 yards and a touchdown.

“It feels good to provide a spark and get loose and get my legs moving around and feel like I’m active out there,” Powell said. “It was a dogfight but once again we came out in the clutch on that last drive and got it done.”

On the defensive side of the ball, defensive lineman Micah Johnson caused havoc for the Alouettes’ offensive line. He knocked down a screen pass and met Alouettes running back William Stanback four yards in the backfield, blowing up a run play by the Als. He also recorded his second sack in two games on the final play of the evening.

“Hopefully I can just finish the season strong,” Johnson said. “I want to continue to be a game-wrecker and be somebody that offences have to prepare for.”

Defensive end Chad Geter, who rejoined the team earlier in the week, recorded the other sack in the game. The team was without CFL sack leader Charleston Hughes (elbow).

Alouettes quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., was able to find success through the air against the defence, throwing for 344 yards, but he was able to find a receiver in the end zone only once.

“It’s no secret at this point, (Adams Jr.) can play in this league,” Johnson said. “He’s been balling all season, making big throws. We all know what he can do with his feet but it’s been real impressive what he’s been doing with his arm.”

Eugene Lewis caught the only touchdown for the Als. Stanback finished with 57 yards rushing and a touchdown on 12 carries. Kicker Boris Bede was 3-for-3 on field-goal attempts and hit both of his extra-point attempts. A conceded single by the Roughriders rounded out the scoring for the Alouettes.

Johnson said he feels that the Roughriders are trending in the right direction as they head towards the final third of the season.

“Everybody here understands the talent that we have and I think that trust is important because it allows us to stick together better,” Johnson said. “It’s just about us sticking together and fighting through the adversity and tough times and believe that we can beat anyone on any given day.”

The Roughriders (8-4) will now have a bye week. Montreal (6-5) will host the Blue Bombers on Sept. 21.