The Canadian Press photo
CALGARY — In a fashion typical of a team that has come to expect excellence , the mood around the Calgary Stampeders following their 27-18 win — the team’s seventh in a row to begin the season — over BC on Saturday night was mixed.
On the one hand, there was Kamar Jorden — victorious after a career-high 185-yard performance — and on the other was head coach Dave Dickenson lamenting his team’s performance on the ground.
“It was a hard-fought win, (but) I sensed our guys were running out of gas a bit,” said Dickenson following Calgary’s win, which maintained his team’s two-game lead atop the West Division. “Bo (Levi Mitchell) was super sharp, him and KJ had something special going, (but) we’re not running the ball as well as we should. We’ll see if we can get reinforcements in there.”
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With starting running back Don Jackson on the shelf, Romar Morris handled rushing duties and was limited to 48 yards on 15 carries for an average of 3.2 per-carry.
“We left a lot on the table,” lamented Dickenson. “They ran a front that we’d seen last year, but hadn’t seen this year. We knew how to block it, but a lot of things go into it…running back had to be sharp, receivers had to be sharp…(but) we went to the pass game and we’re able to win.”
The run game has long been a pillar of Calgary’s offence, but struggled on Saturday against BC.
“I’m not worried, (but) I want to get better,” said Dickenson. “I think we’re at our best when we can play-action and have balance. It doesn’t mean our guys didn’t do well in protection — Bo moved around really well, he managed the pocket real well.
“I don’t think we’re overly pretty (running), we’re not doing the right things at time. I’ll watch the film, and before I comment on somebody I’ll watch the film and see if (I’m) right.”
Kamar Jorden, meanwhile, was all smiles following his career day, and not just due to his 185 yards: Jorden received a thank-you tweet from Hollywood star Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson after initially snapping a pre-game photo in a “D. Johnson” Stamps jersey.
Note: Johnson, once a linebacker, was briefly a member of the Stampeders in 1995.
“I was hoping that he’d see it, (and) I was hoping (my) blue check would help,” quipped Jorden. “I’m going to have to go see Skyscraper now because he tweeted it…it’s just a good day in general. We got the win, everything’s good (and) we’ve got to keep going.”
The Stamps will now have two full weeks off before a Saturday night visit to Regina in Week 10 to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
