Stampeders.com
By Max Campbell
CALGARY — Despite finishing with more attempts and passing yards than any of the other three pivots on the Stampeders roster, Andrew Buckley can’t wait for another crack at earning his keep.
The homegrown pivot saw ample playing time in the Stamps’ 23-13 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos and was critical of his performance in the team’s first pre-season game, a fixture typically filled with a series of errors across the board.
“Not great,” Buckley stated when asked about the Stamps offensive proficiency with him under centre. “I’d say a 75-per cent execution rate, but there were just tonnes of little mistakes that we’ve got to fix. We showed moments of brilliance but moments of not-brilliance.”
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After he was selected with the 62nd and final pick in the 2015 CFL Draft, Buckley saw pre-season action with the Red and White last year before returning to the University of Calgary to complete his CIS eligibility. Now back with the CFL club and without the option of returning to school, No. 15 still felt the butterflies when he came off the bench just before the halftime break.
“Nerves were a little lower, but it’s a faster game of football so I was certainly nervous getting in there,” admitted the two-time Hec Creighton Trophy winner as the top player in Canadian university football. “But I calmed down a little bit after a while and I was good.”
Completing six of his 13 passes for 69 yards, the highly decorated Dinos alum did not commit a turnover and came oh-so-close to leading the offence into the end zone.
On the opening play of the fourth quarter, Buckley found a wide-open Lache Seastrunk as Calgary threatened to pull within 10 points of the Green and Gold. But the rookie running back out of Baylor was dispossessed, and the lengthy drive came to a crashing halt.
“It’s a faster game of football so I was certainly nervous getting in there. But I calmed down a little bit after a while and I was good.”
Andrew Buckley
Andrew Buckley drops back to throw during practice at Stamps camp (Stampeders.com)
“It’s frustrating to drive the whole field and come up short,” the 22-year-old Buckley said. “It just comes down to ball security. We’ve got to hold on to the football in moments like that and we didn’t, so we have more things to work on, I guess.”
With less than a week until the Stampeders pre-season finale versus the Lions at BC Place, the six-foot, 201-lb. signal-caller is aiming for bigger and better things come Friday night as he attempts to create separation once and for all in the race for a roster spot.
“It’s hard to say right now – I think it’s too early,” explained Buckley when asked about where he now believes he sits on the quarterback depth chart. “I’m happy with my performance but I think (all the quarterbacks) did well in their own facet. (We have) another week of practice, another game to hopefully play in. All I can do is go up from here.”
