After spending the first eight weeks of his rookie season on the Stampeders practice roster, DaVaris Daniels finally had his number called on Friday night.

In the Stamps’ 37-9 win over the hometown BC Lions, the six-foot-one, 207-lb. receiver had four receptions for 66 yards, including a 34-yarder down the seam midway through the final frame.

As to be expected, the former Notre Dame standout experienced his fair share of butterflies leading up to his inaugural game as a pro, but quickly settled in to the role he had long been preparing for.

“A little bit early (on),” said the Vernon Hills, Ill., native when asked if he sensed any nerves prior to experiencing live CFL action for the very first time. “At the end of the day, it’s all football so, once I got through that first series, everything kind of slowed down for me. I’ve just got to keep working and see how things go.”

Daniels was first targeted by Bo Levi Mitchell on the final play of the opening quarter, enabling the first-year pass catcher to quickly become acclimated to his newfound surroundings.

It was then mostly smooth sailing from there on out for No. 89, who had brief stints with the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles before coming to Canada.

“It was nice just to get my feet wet with the first game,” Daniels uttered. “We got a good team win and we knew it was going to be tough. I think we came in and executed the gameplan. We executed on all cylinders and we won big.”

Calgary’s opening drive also helped boost the confidence of the 23-year-old, as Daniels and the rest of his offensive teammates orchestrated an impressive possession that culminated in a touchdown strike from Mitchell to Bakari Grant.

“It was nice just to get the first four plays all down the field,” stated the Fighting Irish alum, who posted over 100 yards receiving in the BCS National Championship to conclude his sophomore season. “It was exciting to see and I think that’s the kind of offence that we can be and that we want to be this year. Once we start gelling all together, I think that’s what we’ll be doing on a regular basis.”

With the hopes of continuing to be replied upon moving forward, Daniels views the Stampeders most recent outing as simply a sign of things to come.

“I think we’re just now starting to figure each other out and work well as a group,” Daniels remarked. “On defence, special teams and offence, everything is clicking right now. Hopefully we can keep it rolling.”