Career first CFL TD a ‘full circle moment’ for Riders’ Mathew Sexton

Rider returner Matthew Sexton made quite the first impression in Week 5. Donovan Maess has more on his journey.

The road to finding himself in Green and White in Regina, Sask. has not necessarily been straight for Roughrider receiver Mathew Sexton.

A path which took him seemingly every-which-way, culminating with a game-changing punt return in Week 5 against the Ottawa Redblacks.

In his first Canadian Football League (CFL) regular season game, Sexton took a 101-yard punt return all the way to the endzone for his first career CFL touchdown. A score which at the time, gave Saskatchewan a 20-13 lead.

“When I bounced outside, [the hole] was wide open,” he told reporters after the team’s practice Thursday. “I could see the punter right when I hit the outside – the hole I ran through past the punted was really small.”

“The one thing about returners, you make sure you don’t get tackled by the punter; that’s the biggest thing,” Sexton added.

For the Riders’ new return man, the play is the culmination of years of hard work.

Saskatchewan is the ninth professional franchise he has been with since 2021.

Coming out of Eastern Michigan University, the Clinton, Mich. product signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sexton went on to try out for five different NFL squads, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins.

He also spent time in the XFL with the Vegas Vipers, then the UFL’s San Antonio Brahmas before coming north to Canada.

The Riders are not even the first CFL team he was with this year, as Sexton attended Ottawa Redblacks rookie camp.

He was cut by Ottawa and then signed by Saskatchewan in May.

“I bounced around a lot,” Sexton said. “So it feels really nice [to get a touchdown]. Even though it was in Ottawa, all this type of stuff is just a full circle moment for my career.”

Sexton says he is the only active professional athlete from Clinton, Mich.

Scoring the touchdown Saturday made quite the stir.

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“My phone was blowing up,” he said. “There’s a lot of people back home, a lot of love; my whole family, my whole hometown watches like every game.”

The 101-yard punt return is the sixth longest in Saskatchewan franchise history.

Sexton also became the first Roughrider return man to score a touchdown in his debut.

Sexton is the spark Saskatchewan was looking for with multiple injuries striking the Riders’ receiver room and return game.

“What you see is what he’s been,” head coach Corey Mace said Thursday. “But he’s a heck of a receiver, too. He’s a guy who brings us some juice and we certainly needed a bit last week.”

Sexton says he prides himself on being versatile and available to do whatever his team asks.

“I’ve always been told, ‘The more you know, the more you play,’” he said. “I truly believe that and I live by that.”

“I’m going to go out there and put my best foot forward, to do what the team requires,” Sexton added.

A spark the Riders will be looking for again Sunday when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium.