Terry Williams knows he has big shoes to fill.

Figuratively and literally.

A Size 14, to be exact. Shoes big enough to carry a 255-pound entity into the whirring teeth of a carnivorous Cuisinart of enraged humanity multiple times on 18 to 20 afternoons/evenings a year.

The shoes of a pending two-time CFL rushing champion.

“I can’t worry about that,’’ says the man chosen to fill in for a nicked-up Jerome Messam on Friday when the Montreal Alouettes invade McMahon Stadium. “I just have to go out and play.

“I’m definitely excited. Super excited. I’m trying to keep it all in right now. But everything’s about assignment football so I feel if I get too overwhelmed . . . I mean, too excited, then I’m not going to play my best.

“I’m just trying to keep all my emotions and everything in, play fast, play assignment football.”

Williams will get his first CFL start on Friday (Photo by David Moll)

The first-year man from Morristown, N.J., draws in because the Messam Express has been taken to the maintenance shed for slight chassis repairs.

“He had a little fluid on his knee, we had to get it drained and put a little bit of cortisone in there,’’ explains coach Dave Dickenson. “Just not his week to play.

“He’s had a few weeks we weren’t sure he was going to be able to play. He’s been toughing it out, doing a great job. Just this five-day week and that workload he had last week, he wasn’t able to respond.

“It’s a big loss.

“But I feel (Williams) is a true tailback. He’s strong, can run between the tackles. He’s just young and raw. You have a lot of faith in Mess out there, protection and that type of thing.

“It a good chance for Terry to show what he can do.”

The Stampeders tailback position, outside of the odd cameo, has been the private domain of Canadians over the past half-dozen seasons. With New Westminster, B.C.’s Jon Cornish seamlessly handing off to Brampton, Ontario’s Messam, the locals have been fortunate enough to be able to field a homegrown star at a traditionally import position.

“It’s funny, we were just talking about it on the sidelines,’’ mused fullback Rob Cote following Friday’s walk-through. “The last import . . . 2014, maybe? We had a room of talented backs then – Hugh Charles, Martell Mallett and a bunch of other guys I’m forgetting the names of now. They were starting because both Cornish and Matt Walter had gone down.

“And they played well.

“After that . . . I don’t know. I know it’s rare for us to start an American tailback and that’s a rarity in this league. Everywhere else it’s rare to start a Canadian there. It’s been the opposite for us.”

Williams has played in two games so far this season (Photo by David Moll)

Messam, at 897 yards, takes a seat for Friday’s inter-divisional clash carrying a lead of 145 over BC’s Jeremiah Johnson in the rushing race.

Stylistically, Williams means a distinct change of pace from the jackhammer-like Most Outstanding Canadian award winner of a year ago.

If Messam is a tire-treads-down-your-back Hummer, the 5-foot-9, 204-pound Williams is more of a low-slung Italian sports coupe.

“We’re eager to see what we’ve seen in practice every day Friday in a real game situation,’’ said the gent in charge of ball-toters, coach Marc Mueller. “It’s definitely going to be different, a change of pace, we’re talking two very different backs. But the stuff we’re going to be doing is similar.

“Just a different guy with a different style getting to the same place.

“We’re going to see what Terry can bring to the table and we’ve always got Roy (Finch), another excellent runner. We’re excited to see what happens.”

Friday beckons.

There’s no doubting the massive Messam casts a massive shadow. And Terry Williams doesn’t wear anywhere near Size 14s.

But his concern lies in doing a job, he tells you, not in filling shoes.

“In college, they always gave me the ball. They didn’t ask for me to block too much and everything else. Coming up here, it’s more team-oriented. It’s not all about me.

“I just have to do my assignments. When the receivers get the ball, blocking for them.

“Honestly, I wouldn’t care if I had zero touches. If we get the win, we get the win. That’s most important. I’m not really worried about individual statistics.

“I just want to help, to contribute.”