Williams ready for the real deal tonight

Running back eager for contact, writes

Terry Williams really, really can’t wait to get out on the field and hit someone.

The Calgary Stampeders running back has been impressing everyone around McMahon Stadium for the better part of two weeks now during training camp, but busting downfield just isn’t quite the same when there’s no contact.

On Friday, he’ll finally have the chance to just get out on the field and start hitting.

And yes, he’s excited about it. “Oh man, you don’t even understand,” Williams said Thursday. “I’ve been here since rookie camp so I’m just ready to hit somebody else. Just put pads on and actually hit people, not just running through the motions and pretending to be hit.”

When the Stamps released their depth chart for Friday’s pre-season game against the B.C. Lions (7 p.m., McMahon Stadium), Williams’ name was at the top of the list of five running backs who are set to play.

FRONTRUNNER

Fans eager to figure out who is the frontrunner to replace Jerome Messam as the Stamps’ starting running back should hold-off on drawing too many conclusions from that.

After all, since before camp started, head coach Dave Dickenson has acknowledged that running back is a position where evaluating players gets a lot easier when they’re playing fullcontact.

Still, though, Williams has looked sharp throughout camp and earned Dickenson’s praise on Thursday.

“We’re gonna cycle through (running backs), but we think Terry’s earned the first shot at it,” Dickenson said. “If someone has a long run, even though it’s still their series, we’ll put someone in.

“Our goal is to get everyone five or six touches. We’ve got a lot of running backs, we’ll see if we can get that accomplished. More than anything, we think Terry’s earned the right to start the game and we’ll go from there.”

Among the options at running back who will be playing in Friday’s game, Williams is undoubtedly the most recognizable name for most fans. That’s largely because of one game, in Week 15 last year against the Montreal Alouettes, where the Kutztown product broke out for 156 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries.