Rob Vanstone: “I know we have something special in this room” — Roughriders’ Brett Lauther

Saskatchewan Roughriders placekicker Brett Lauther, ever the perfectionist, wouldn’t ordinarily accentuate the fact that he went 1-for-2. 

But that was his sterling stats line, predictions-wise, on Thursday when the Green and White outlasted the Edmonton Elks 12-11 at Mosaic Stadium. 

Not long before his post-game yak session with the media, Lauther had snapped an 11-11 tie with an 80-yard single on a kickoff. 

The Rouge had followed back-to-back key passes by Trevor Harris, who hit Mitch Picton for a four-yard touchdown and Kendall Watson for a two-point conversion. 

“We have a special group,” Lauther said. “I never doubted it for a second. It wasn’t pretty all night, but I knew if we just had one drive or one more play, we’d be OK. 

“I talked to Mitch in the third quarter and I said he was going to score the touchdown to tie it and I was going to win it in overtime for us. It didn’t really go that way, but it was pretty close.” 

Let’s just call it 1-for-2, even though it was Watson — not Picton — who scored the game-tying points. 

It was, quibbling aside, a neat demonstration of clairvoyance by Lauther, who envisioned a touchdown at a time when the Elks’ end zone had appeared to be fenced off. 

Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan had advanced as far as the three-yard line before throwing back-to-back incompletions and lamenting a turnover on downs. 

Nicely into the third frame, the Roughriders had travelled 85 yards in just four plays before Harris was intercepted in the end zone. 

Again, nothing. 

It was looking like that kind of night for the Green and White — at least from the comfort of the press box. 

But the people who actually play and coach the game had a different mindset. 

That was evident as the Roughriders were poised to begin their final possession, with just 2:52 remaining in what had been an exasperating game. 

“We were in the huddle before that series and I said, ‘I believe and I know y’all do, too,’ ” Harris said. “Everybody was like, ‘Heck, yeah!’ 

“We’ve just got a bunch of guys who believe in each other. The defence never said one thing to us, like, ‘Let’s go, offence,’ or anything like that. That’s the mark of a good championship-calibre team in terms of your culture and your locker room and your character.  

“You like those building blocks, but we’ve got a way to go offensively to keep building.” 

Oddly enough, the Roughriders’ best offensive game was likely the one in which the team suffered its only loss of the season. 

On June 16 at Mosaic Stadium, Harris threw for 413 yards and three touchdowns against the perennially powerful Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who pulled away late in the game to win 45-27. 

The 27 points were the most in regulation time this season for Saskatchewan, which outgained Winnipeg 437 to 403 in terms of net offence. 

“I think the best thing I’ve heard this year is actually from Trevor Harris,” Lauther said. “We had a hard-fought game here against Winnipeg and they took a win. After that game, he just said, ‘They’ve been together for four years. We’ve been together for four weeks.’  

“We’ve got a lot of new faces and a lot of great guys in here. I think each and every week, we’re going to keep building and keep getting better. If you find ways to win, it’s the sign of a good team.” 

Resourcefulness and resiliency have been trademarks for the 2023 Roughriders, whose three victories have been by a combined margin of eight points. 

For starters, the Roughriders won 17-13 in Edmonton on June 11. After a goal-line stand by the Saskatchewan defence late in the fourth quarter, the visitors moved the ball 83 yards — 70 of which were gained along the ground — to extinguish most of the four minutes that remained on the clock. 

Then came the aforementioned home opener against Winnipeg, followed by a 29-26 double-overtime victory over the host Calgary Stampeders (on June 24) and Thursday’s stress-fest against the Elks. 

“We got the win — an ugly win — but we knew what we needed to do and we got it done,” Roughriders receiver Shawn Bane Jr. said. 

“I think it’s a character thing. We’ve got high-character guys in this locker room and it’s not over until all the zeroes are on the board. We just had to keep fighting.” 

As for infighting … well, there will be none of that. 

In terms of team unity, the latest edition of the Roughriders is tighter than, well, the knots in their fans’ stomachs for most of Thursday’s contest. 

“You can sign all the players and pay them all this money but, when it comes down to it, culture and character are the two big things, along with connection in the locker room,” Harris said. 

“We’ve got those three C’s, so I feel like we’ve just got to keep building, but we’ve got to get better offensively in terms of putting drives together.” 

Once that happens, Lauther will be happy to provide the extra points, although he is already a convert when it comes to believing in the fifth Roughriders team of which he has been a part on a full-time basis. 

“I’m just confident in what we have here,” said the Roughriders’ placekicker, who has delivered the winning point(s) in all three victories. “It’s a great group of guys. It’s one of the most special groups that I’ve seen and I’ve been around (the CFL) since 2013.  

“I know we have something special in this room and we’re going to be there when it counts at the end of the year. 

“There’s going to be a lot of ups and downs, like any football team, but adversity is what you need, anyways, to really get to where you want to go.”