OVERVIEW
The Saskatchewan Roughriders boast accomplished personnel across the board on special teams. Jorgen Hus, the Roughriders’ current leader in continuous service, has been an ultra-reliable long snapper since 2015. Brett Lauther cemented his roster spot with a breakout season in 2018. Mario Alford has scored seven return touchdowns over two seasons as a Roughrider. As a first-year CFLer in 2023, Australian-born Adam Korsak was a West Division All-Star.
PERSONNEL
CFL Returnees
MARIO ALFORD (A-#2): CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams player in 2022.
JORGEN HUS (N-#46): CFLPA’s All-Star long snapper in 2023.
ADAM KORSAK (G-#10): Averaged 47.6 yards per punt — second-best in team history — in 2023.
BRETT LAUTHER (N-#12): Roughriders’ All-Time leader in field-goal accuracy (83.9 per cent).
Newcomers
JOE COUCH (G-#76): Averaged 44.7 yards per punt over three seasons at Ouachita Baptist.
A—American
N—National
G—Global
FAST FACTS
- Since joining the Roughriders full-time in 2018, Lauther has delivered all 11 times that a go-ahead/tying field goal or 32-yard convert has been required in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter or in overtime.
- Over two seasons (2010-11 and 2011-12) with the Nova Scotia Junior Hockey League’s Brookfield Elks, Lauther registered 11 goals and 14 assists in 20 games. Early in the 2011 calendar year, he had 11 points over a stretch of five games. The Roughriders’ future field-goal kicker also had two three-pointers, appropriately enough, during the 2010-11 hockey season.
- In 2023, Alford tied Roughriders records for punt-return touchdowns in a game (two) and a season (three). In only 31 games since being acquired from the Montreal Alouettes early in the 2022 season, he has become the Roughriders’ All-Time leader in return touchdowns (seven).
- On July 22, 2023, Hus registered his first CFL fumble recovery — in his 119th career regular-season game. He pounced on the football after it was dislodged by Evan Johnson against the host B.C. Lions.
- Korsak, who starred at Rutgers before being chosen by Saskatchewan in the first round of the 2023 Global Draft, received the Ray Guy Award in 2022 as the premier punter in NCAA football.
QUOTABLE
“Getting to wear the green is such a privilege.” — Brett Lauther
