The Saskatchewan Roughriders' kicking game has suddenly become one of the hottest talking points in Rider Nation.
After Saturday’s dramatic 40-37 overtime win over Calgary, attention shifted to rookie kicker Alex Hale following a challenging afternoon in difficult conditions.
Hale finished 2-for-3 on field goals and 2-for-3 on converts, but the play everyone remembers came on his lone missed field goal, a kick that was returned 120 yards for a touchdown and helped swing momentum back to the Stampeders.
Despite the scrutiny surrounding the Roughriders’ first-year kicker, TSN analyst and former Roughrider Glen Suitor says the organization needs to stay the course. Speaking on SportsCage, Suitor defended both head coach Corey Mace’s decision-making and the confidence the team continues to show in Hale.
“There is no way that Corey Mace makes any other decision than that,” Suitor said. “You have to put your field goal team out there and expect them to perform.”
Suitor pushed back on the idea that Saskatchewan should have been thinking about the possibility of a return touchdown before attempting the kick.
“There’s no way you start second-guessing whether or not a 120-yard return is possible when you miss a field goal. If you start thinking like that, you’re right down in the gutter. Believe in your team, believe in the guys that are out there, and you have to believe in your kicker.”
The former Rider defensive back, who famously held the field goal for Dave Ridgway’s iconic game-winning kick in the 1989 Grey Cup, said missed kicks are part of a young kicker’s development.
“Even if he’s young, he’s going to miss a couple, and there’s great returners in this league. This happens.”
Suitor also pointed out that one play changed the feel of a game Saskatchewan largely controlled.
“That game was way more lopsided than it looked for most of it,” Suitor said. “Without that return, it could have been a three-score game. Instead, it gave Calgary life and momentum, which is a huge thing in football.”
While Hale’s numbers through two regular-season games, 5-for-7 on field goals and 5-for-6 on converts, have sparked conversation, Suitor believes context matters.
Listening to the Rider Broadcast Network, Suitor noted repeated mentions of the conditions at McMahon Stadium and of how coaches must adjust strategy to the wind.
“He talked about the wind for most of the first half,” Suitor explained. “You want to make sure you change your play calling choices depending on whether you have the wind at your back or in your face.”
Suitor added that Calgary’s swirling conditions can be especially difficult for a young kicker to manage.
“I couldn’t really tell from the television angle how bad it was, but clearly there was wind. Big-time wind and gusts in Calgary coming off the corner. It’s tricky to read, and he’s a young guy.”
Still, Suitor acknowledged that patience at kicker doesn’t last forever in professional football. Referencing legendary CFL coach Don Matthews, Suitor explained the standard that kickers live under.
“Don Matthews used to say if you have one bad game, no problem, everybody does. If you have two, it’s becoming a trend, and there’s concern you might not get a third.”
Suitor clarified he isn’t sounding alarms yet.
“I’m not saying it was a bad game, but if over three or four games there starts to be real inconsistency, then you bring in competition.”
For now, though, Suitor believes Hale deserves the opportunity to settle into the job. The Roughriders signed the Australian-born kicker in April after a collegiate career at Oklahoma State that saw him become one of the most productive kickers in the FBS. Hale led the nation in made field goals per game during his senior season and later signed with the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent before arriving in Saskatchewan.
Two games into his CFL career, Suitor’s message to Rider Nation is simple: trust the rookie, at least for now.
