It was next man up.

And Romar Morris was that man.

Prior to the Stampeders clash against the Saskatchewan Roughriders last Saturday, Morris got the news that he was waiting to hear. He was getting the start.

“It was a blessing to get my number called and to be able to contribute to the offence,” he said. “I was so excited to get out there and see some game action. I work hard in practice and try and go as hard as I can. It felt good to be rewarded for my hard work and commitment.

“As the game went on my confidence grew.”

The 25-year-old was filling in for Don Jackson, who was a late scratch, and in turn had a solid outing ending the night with 41 yards on 12 carries to go along with three catches for 12 yards.

There were a bit of nerves at first that Morris was able to contain and he then kept reminding himself of an aspect of being a running back that often gets overlooked.

“Protection, protection, protection. That was on my mind all game,” he said. “I kept remembering how that is an area of emphasis. It doesn’t matter where you line up on offence you need to protect your quarterback as much as you can. It’s the little things like that I was looking
to be successful in to help the team get the win.

“Every time I was out there on the field I wanted to give it my all whether it was on the run or in pass protection.”

Stamps running backs coach Marc Mueller overall liked what he saw from Morris, and knew that he was capable of holding his own and making a seamless transition into the role.

“Romar played really well and played how we expect all our guys to,” Mueller said. “Our room always support each other and our running backs are no different. If there’s something they see to help each other out to get better, they’ll do it and in turn it strengths the group as a whole.

It’s that key chemistry between Morris, Jackson and Terry Williams that have made the Stamps backfield a strength and helped Morris prepare for the start.

“We are very tight-knit,” he said. “Whether it’s on or off the field we’re always hanging out talking football or unwinding listening to Don’s mix tape and so many other things.

“Having a close friendship among us translates over to having success on the field. If you don’t have that chemistry you don’t know what that next man up is going to do but we know that no matter who it is we all are ready to step up and keep rolling.”

With the state of who will get the start this Saturday against the BC Lions at McMahon Stadium still yet to be determined, Morris is hopeful he’ll get the call for the second week in a row, itching to get back into more game action.

“If I get that start I’ll be ready to go. It’s all about the preparation in practice that translates over on how you’ll preform in the game. I can’t wait to get back out there.”