Watch: Former Mountaineer Mario Alford Returns Game-Changing Kickoff for TD in CFL

You may have heard this before, but former Mountaineer Mario Alford made headlines in the CFL. Alford returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown Saturday night.

The return changed the game, happening with his Saskatchewan Roughriders team trailing the Edmonton Elks 17-14 before Alford’s burst up the field. Alford’s Roughriders ended up winning the game by the score of 34-22.

TSN tweeted a highlight of the play on their official Twitter account.

Mario Alford returns it for a 98-yard TD! #CFL pic.twitter.com/HxQmYoDPlQ

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) August 14, 2022

Alford played for WVU for two seasons from 2013-14. As a wide receiver, he snatched 92 catches for 1,497 yards and 13 touchdowns in his collegiate career.

He was also used as a kick returner at WVU and had 972 return yards and two touchdowns on 37 kick returns, which puts him at a 26.3 yards per return average. Despite success with kickoff returns, Alford wasn’t used as a punt returner at WVU, only getting three such returns in his two-year career and lost a combined 13 yards on those returns.

Alford was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round with the 238th overall pick. He had a three-year NFL career prior to the CFL, splitting time with four different teams in the Bengals, New York Jets (practice squad) Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears (practice squad).

Alford originally came to the CFL with the Argonauts in 2018, but only spent one year with the team. He then spent two seasons with the Montreal Alouettes before being traded to the Roughriders for a sixth round pick in the 2023 CFL Draft.