QB Bryant Moniz hopes to turn over new leaf | Stampeders

Bryant Moniz knows the first 11 yards of his run were perfect.

The 12th yard? Not so much.

On a designed quarterback run in the second quarter of Saturday’s 14-7 CFL win over the B.C. Lions, the Calgary Stampeders rookie quarterback, who had taken over short-yardage duties with Bo Levi Mitchell sidelined, sliced up the middle, picked up a first down … and then simply dropped the football.

“I tripped, went down, and the ball came out — I think I was just over-excited,” Moniz said with a sheepish grin Monday. “My brain was going so much faster than my feet were going.”

The miscue didn’t hurt the Stamps, as the Lions quickly punted it back to them, but it was also the only turnover of the game for the Red & White.

“It was a great designed play, and that was the worst thing about it,” Moniz said. “Actually, the fumble’s the worst thing about it, but, hopefully, I get to redeem myself down the line.”

Stamps GM/head coach John Hufnagel isn’t holding it against the 25-year-old Hawaiian.

“It was unfortunate,” Hufnagel said. “It was a quarterback-counter play, and it was executed very well. He was a little over-anxious, and he went down and lost control of the football. I know that he was very disappointed in himself, but he has to flush it out of his system and move on to the next play.”

Since Mitchell went down in Week 12, the rookie has found more responsibility piled onto his plate, and Hufnagel has been happy with the way Moniz has responded.

“I see a guy that prepares hard with whatever task we ask him to do, and he’s done a good job,” Hufnagel said. “He’ll learn from this past indiscretion.”

 

via Stampeders notebook — QB Bryant Moniz hopes to turn over new leaf | Stampeders.