Dr. Richard Buckley had a valid reason for missing out on the fun Saturday night.

At the time his son Andrew was aiding the Calgary Stampeders in cruising past a badly bruised band of Hamilton Tiger-Cats, dad was cruising at 35,000 feet over the Middle East, on a nine-hour flight from India to Frankfurt, having been the keynote speaker at an orthopaedic conference in Bangalore, India.

“It was just,’’ sighs Buckley Sr., having paused a PVR recording of the blowout to answer the phone, “bad timing.

“I kinda thought with Hamilton having a poor record . . . there was a shot for Andrew to get into the game.

“I was hoping he’d get to play. And it worked out.”

And how.

In second-half relief, Andrew Buckley, a pristine 10-for-10 for 106 yards (including deflected pass that he wound up catching himself) and his first CFL touchdown toss, to fellow U of C alum Anthony Parker.

Buckley throws a pass on July 29 against Hamilton (Photo by David Moll)

“Of all the games …,’’ laughed Andrew Buckley. “Before, sneak here, sneak there. He’ll miss maybe one a year and it happened to be a pretty good game.”

The ‘Cats were admittedly reeling when Buckley trotted onto the field. Still, now upgraded to backup, it represented a first real opportunity to run the offence in regular-season game conditions after a heaping helping of third-down and goal-line QB sneaks through his freshman campaign.

“It’s huge for my confidence,’’ acknowledged the two-time Hec Crighton Award winner as the CIS’s top player. “Kinda goes to show when I do get in a game situation I can be relied on. It’s always easier going in with a 38-point lead but to be able to be called on, to execute, and have the success we did, is awesome.

“Every time you move up the depth chart – I’m No. 2 now – there’s more pressure, more expectations.

“So it’s nice to go out there and deal with responsibilities. The coaching staff put their trust in me and to show that I deserve their trust is huge.

“I don’t think confidence can be underplayed. It comes with time. It comes with reps. It comes with being on the field in games.”

The own-catch play occurred on the first snap of the fourth quarter, the ball swatted away by the meaty paws of Ticats D-lineman Adrian Tracy. So the official play-by-play sheet reads: A. Buckley Completed Pass to A. Buckley, caught at H20 (-4 yards, -4 YAC).

“A first for me. I threw it and it got batted right in my arms. As soon as I caught the ball I’m thinking: ‘Shoulda dropped that.’ But it would’ve been a fumble at that point so I had to hold on. And being a second later, the defence is that much closer, making me an easier target, so I lost, I think, three yards.”

A more conventional – if every bit as memorable – moment, the touchdown toss travelled 10 yards to end the same drive. It marked Buckley’s first pro TD pass, Parker’s first of the season and the first, ever, as an all-U of C collaboration.

“Feels good to get it out of the way,’’ Buckley confesses. “No more talk about when. It happened. It’s done with. And, yeah, that’s pretty cool, from Dino to Dino.”

Toss an incomplete pass attempt to kicker Rene Paredes off a mangled field-goal try – drive nonetheless kept alive via penalty – into the Buckley Blender and he had a memorable Saturday evening at the ol’ ballyard.

File it under: Local Kid Makes Good.

Even if the family patriarch couldn’t be in attendance, per usual, there were no shortage of red Stamps’ No. 15 jerseys clustered in the McMahon Stadium pews. Mom Lois Torfason, sister Shannon, grandparents, aunts, uncles, friends galore.

A whole whack of support.

Buckley with his mom and sister after the game (Photo by Eric Boldt)

“I keep saying to people: ‘You know, it hasn’t gotten old yet.’ It’s still so exciting,’’ enthuses Lois. “The fun part is I’ve got some new seats and I was cheering so loud and so hard for Buck that the people around me were asking: ‘What’s the connection? I don’t get it.’ When I told them ‘I’m his mother,’ well, then the whole area around me picks up and starts giving the what-for, too.

“Watching? It’s hard and easy. Both. You so much want him to get in and get a chance, want him to do well but you’re also worried – What if it doesn’t work? What if he gets hurt? What if he gets hit?

“What if? What if? What if?

“As I said, good and bad. Right now the good seems to be really outweighing the bad.”

So the kid who grew up dreaming of being a receiver like his favourite, Nik Lewis (“I went to some of his receiver camps. I had a Nik Lewis jersey”) has indoctrinated himself nicely into the professional QBing ranks.

“I’ve just got to try and build off of this,’’ reasons Buckley. “Whenever I get another chance. Next game or 10 games down the road. Just gotta be ready. That’s the role of the backup: Just gotta be ready.”

The Stamps are in Toronto on Thursday and then get some R&R time on the bye week before a game on the west coast.

Buckley runs the ball against Hamilton (Photo by David Moll)

Calgary’s next home date isn’t until Aug. 26.

When you can bet the Buckley clan, each and every one, will be out in force.

“When you’re starting out with any team, in any new experience,’’ says Richard, “you’re trying to develop confidence, in yourself, from your teammates and coaches. It just slowly develops. He’s only in his second year now but it’s coming. He’s doing great.

“Everybody underestimates his speed. Everybody underestimates his quick decisions. He doesn’t make too many wrong choices. He moves the ball. That’s one thing he does very well. He keeps drives going and he’ll score on you, one way or the other.”

Any disappointment of being somewhere over the Middle East at 35,000 feet on Saturday is already giving way to anticipation of what lies ahead.