Stamps edge the Esks

Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson liked what he saw in his Canadian quarterback’s late-game poise.

Calgary native Andrew Buckley ran in one touchdown and passed for another in the fourth quarter as the Stampeders finished preseason play with a perfect 2-0 record, defeating the Edmonton Eskimos 36-35 on Sunday after Edmonton failed a late two-point convert attempt.

“What I think he does that the other guys can’t do is to get out of the pocket and really have some speed,” Dickenson said. “He has young legs and he showed it. He is still maturing. He is still pretty raw, but I liked him. I thought the quarterback position played well for us tonight.”

The 23-year-old former University of Calgary Dinos QB was glad to have an impact.

“I’m happy we moved the ball in the end there and were able to score, to put the ball in the end zone and win the game, basically,” Buckley said. “I had a couple of mental errors here and there, but a win is a win.”

The Eskimos, the final team to play an exhibition game, are 0-1.

“Not the start (we wanted), but we had a lot of good things throughout the game. I’m a positive thinker,” said Eskimos head coach Jason Maas. “We battled to the end, took them right to 36-35. There was enough stuff throughout the game that you know you can make up that one point, but that’s why we play the game.”

The Eskimos will play their final pre-season game on Thursday in Winnipeg, while the Stampeders are off until they open up regular season play in Ottawa on June 23.