You wouldn’t have known it was his first game in more than a year.

Rookie running back Don Jackson made his regular-season debut for the Red & White on Saturday, and he made quite the impression with a fourth quarter 44-yard rush to the endzone for his first CFL touchdown, followed by a successful scamper for a two-point conversion.

The eight points put the cherry on top of a 28-14 win over the visiting Hamilton Ti-Cats in Calgary’s season-opener.

“It was so loud, I love it,” said Jackson of the roaring home crowd after the play. “It’s been a while, so I forgot what that felt like.

“It definitely woke me up and it’s an experience I want to keep getting.

“I haven’t played in a year and some change (since Nov. 06, 2016 when he played for the Green Bay Packers, to be precise), it felt really, really, good to be out there.”

The big play from Jackson would cap off a night where he racked up 87 yards on the ground.

Not surprisingly, the coaches liked what they saw.

“It’s been a good first impression and he continues to build on that impression every day,” said running backs coach Marc Mueller.

“It was a very special play, and he also did well in plays earlier in the quarter. He made some guys miss to get positive runs, and that’s a big deal.

“We saw the same guy we saw during camp – he’s a tough runner, a smart guy, runs with great ball leverage, he can make plays with his feet, and also in the backfield blocking and catching.”

For Mueller, Jackson is already meeting expectations.

“Anyone we bring in we expect them to be what the starting running back for the Stampeders has been since Hufnagel came back in 2008,” Mueller explained.

“It’s a guy that can carry the ball, make plays when given the opportunity, block, and be the back that we envision.

“Don was that.”

There’s plenty of confidence in the 24-year-old’s technical and athletic abilities but that’s not the only thing Jackson’s contributing to the team.

“I bring passion,” he said. “In a dog fight I don’t have time to be frowning about what’s going bad.

“I want to make sure I’m that guy to bring energy for the offence and defence. When they’re on the field doing their thing I want to make sure I’m on the sidelines screaming.

“When we make mistakes, or when we do things right, I want to make sure I’m cheering my guys on, and telling my guys we got the next play to go.”

Jackson and the Stamps look to keep their momentum going when they head East this Saturday to take on the Toronto Argonauts in a Grey Cup rematch.

“We have a standard now, and we want to keep raising it,” said Jackson.