Linebacker Maleki Harris gets his name in Calgary Stampeder history books

Calgary was up 10-9 at halftime Friday in Winnipeg when Harris gave the Stampeders some breathing room en route to a 29-10 win. He picked off Blue Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols for a 23-yard TD midway through the third quarter.

In Calgary’s home-opener in Week 2, Harris ran the ball 46 yards back for the major after teammate Alex Singleton’s hard tackle on Ottawa’s Patrick Lavoie knocked it loose.

But Harris has just one of his touchdown balls as a memento.

“When I got the first one, I was so caught up in the moment I didn’t even think about keeping it,” he said.

According to team statisticians, other Stampeders to score a fumble-recovery TD and an interception TD in the same season prior to Johnson were: Chris Major, 1988; Howard Starks, 1974; Frank Andruski, 1968 and 1967; Ron Payne, 1968; Clare Exelby, 1960; Bill Blackburn, 1951; and Rod Pantages, 1949.

After two seasons apprenticing on Calgary’s special teams and getting a few game reps at linebacker, Harris started at weakside the first three games this season because veteran Deron Mayo (knee) has yet to return to the active roster.

Harris, whose first name is pronounced mah-LEEK, has also compiled nine defensive tackles and a quarterback sack in his three starts.

“He’s probably been ready to take that step, but he’s been behind one of the best,” Stampeder head coach Dave Dickenson said. “He’s taken full advantage of that.

“He’s a guy I can’t see taking off the field, but we’ll have to see how it plays out.”

Harris, a six-foot-two, 220-pound alumnus of the University of South Alabama, continues Calgary’s reputation for unheralded depth players stepping in and making an impact when a starter goes down.

“We don’t treat our backups as backups,” defensive co-ordinator DeVone Claybrooks explained. “We treat everybody as starters and we try to prepare everybody as starters.

“We don’t expect a drop-off. We treat them accordingly, whether it’s game planning or extra film work or whether that’s meeting with us as coaches.

“We’re still rowing the boat in the same direction. It’s just a new guy on this oar.”

With the defensive line riddled with injuries, Calgary (2-0-1) recalled McMaster University alum Ben D’Aguilar, who was cut during training camp, and brought in former Edmonton Eskimo Reuben Frank ahead of Friday’s game in Montreal.

D’Aguilar played 49 games for Calgary between 2013 and 2016.

“The Stamps called me up and I was still in shape and still wanted to hit people, so here I am,” the 27-year-old said.

Dickenson said defensive end Charleston Hughes, who led the CFL in sacks last season (16), is expected to play against the Alouettes after sitting out last Friday’s game.

Returner/running back Roy Finch also returns to Calgary’s active roster after serving a two-game suspension for a drug violation.

Finch said he hadn’t cleared his medication for attention deficit disorder with team doctors.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Linebacker Maleki Harris gets his name in Calgary Stampeder history books

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