Ex-Cal WR Kenny Lawler in CFL: A Spectacular Catch and a Great Game
Former Cal wide receiver Kenny Lawler signed a $300,000 free-agent contract in the offseason with the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League, and he has demonstrated why he commanded so much money.
This week, he was a key cog in the Elks’ 32-31 comeback win over Toronto, and last month he made a touchdown reception that is already a candidate for catch of the year.
First his performance this week: On Thursday in Montreal, Lawler had seven receptions for 92 yards and the game-winning touchdown as the Elks rallied from a 31-12 deficit to beat the Alouettes. His reception numbers don’t tell the whole story of his value, however, as Montreal was called for pass interference penalties on four passes intended for Lawler, amounting to 118 yards. So it wouldn’t be a stretch to say Lawler was responsible for 210 receiving yards.
And he made a clutch catch in the end zone late in the game that tied the score, allowing the Elks to go ahead with the extra point. The pass was low and Lawler was covered like a rug, but he came up with it, as seen here:
Click here for a video of highlights of the game and a postgame interview with Lawler, which begins about 2:45 into the video.
With the win, Edmonton is still just 2-4 in the CFL Grey Cup standings, but that cannot hide the brilliance of Lawler.
Lawler is second in the CFL in receptions with 33, one behind league leader Greg Ellison, who passed Lawler for the CFL lead this week by catching 11 passes in Winnipeg’s win.
But that stat will not be remembered as long as a catch Lawler made last month against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Like the American college rule, Canadian Football League rules only require a receiver to get one foot down inbounds after a catch to make it a legal reception.
Take a look for yourself:
And from another angle:
Lawler had 143 receptions for 1,706 yards and 27 touchdowns in his three seasons at Cal (2013-2015). Jared Goff was the Golden Bears starting quarterback all three of those seasons. Goff was the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, and Lawler was a seventh-round choice (243rd overall) of the Seattle Seahawks in that same draft.
Lawler never caught a pass in an NFL game, but in two-plus CFL seasons, Lawler has 140 receptions for 2,035 yards and 13 touchdowns. Last year, while playing for Winnipeg, Lawler had 64 catches for 1,014 yards and six touchdowns in 13 games.
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