EDMONTON — If the Calgary Stampeders had managed to cap off their comeback with a miraculous win on Saturday night, fans who’d made the trek to Edmonton might have left Commonwealth Stadium breathlessly recalling Romar Morris’ breakout game.

Reggie Begelton probably would have gotten a shoutout, too.

While Morris had appeared in four games as the Stamps’ running back earlier this season, there was a sense that he hadn’t quite gotten fans excited.

On Saturday night, he had his breakout.

Morris scored four touchdowns against the Edmonton Eskimos. Two were on the ground, two were through the air.

His head coach put it as succinctly as possible.

“Romar had a great game,” Dave Dickenson said.

The great performances that get remembered tend to come in winning efforts, and that’s always a little unfair.

Morris, after all, ran for 95 yards on seven carries, while one of his two rushing touchdowns came on a 75-yard tear downfield — after some excellent blocking from the offensive line, it should be noted.

He also provided a consistent outlet for quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell through the air, finishing with three catches for 64 yards, including a 32-yard TD catch at the beginning of the fourth quarter that breathed new life into a game that appeared to be over.

“It was definitely what we saw from him in pre-season,” Mitchell said. “I thought he was better in his blocking and receiving game, he definitely stepped up.”

Speaking after the game, Morris kept it humble. He’s a rookie whose team had just lost, so nobody should have been expecting him to stand on any rooftops and declare himself to be the second-coming of Barry Sanders.

But in a game where there were a lot of negatives — ball security, mostly — Morris was a positive.

“I thought I was able to put my talents out there and showcase them,” Morris said. “It’s the coaching staff putting me out there, I’m thankful for that. They could have gone a different route, so I’m thankful.”

Begelton, meanwhile, stepped into the starting lineup and put on a performance that showed why his teammates have been singing his praises even while he’s been stuck on the sidelines in recent weeks.

He finished with seven catches for 153 yards.

“We’re here as professionals to play professional football,” Begelton said. “Unfortunately we didn’t get the win, but at the end of the day football is a fun sport.”

With the injury bug hitting the Stamps hard this week, the team needs some of its younger players to take advantage of the opportunity that’s in front of them and start contributing.

The team couldn’t get the win Saturday night in Edmonton, but there were signs that both Begelton and Morris are ready to do what’s asked of them.

Stampeders celebrate a touchdown in the first half.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson

STOUDERMIRE IN

Late in Saturday’s game, the Stamps opted to go with Troy Stoudermire for punt returns.

Terry Williams had fumbled a ball earlier in the game, and the team chose to go with Stoudermire in the dying minutes.

“We needed the returner to catch the ball in the air and we felt like Troy had a little more experience and could do that,” Dickenson said. “We didn’t do a great job fielding the ball, we also had the cough-up early.

“Troy is a very quality returner, as well. (Special teams coach Mark Kilam) probably felt he had the best chance to make a play and put him in.”

STATEMENT

Earlier in the day on Saturday, Stamps receiver Kamar Jorden released his first statement since he underwent season-ending knee surgery on Thursday.

Jorden hurt his knee in the Labour Day Classic, and while there’s been speculation as to whether he’ll ever be able to return, he promised Saturday that he’s going to be back.

“Wrote a note to myself before the season started saying ‘Be the best WR in North America?’ ” Jorden wrote on Instagram. “Regardless of what you may think or believe about that statement, this was my mindset every time I stepped on the field this season.

“Everything about this game has been a uphill battle for me, but a battle I always believed I could overcome. This knee injury will be the toughest battle I’ve ever had, but the mindset is no different.

“I appreciate everyone who reached out: after the Grey Cup, throughout this season, and after Monday! If you know anything about me and my path, you know I’m not going out without a fight. I’m not done. I got a lot more parties to throw in the endzone. I’ll be back.”

NOTES

The Stampeders were not particularly happy with a hit from Eskimos DB Forrest Hightower on Juwan Brescacin on the final drive of the play, arguing that Brescacin’s head was targeted . . . These two teams won’t meet again until the West Final, at the earliest.

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