The Vandals split into two teams, with Team Black (the starters) defeating Team White (the backups) 35-21. The game was only a glimpse into what the 2024 season has to offer. Head Coach Jason Eck was proud of the overall performance from both teams.
“I thought it was a good day,” he said. “The thing I was most encouraged by is no major injuries today. There’s some good things from both sides tonight.”
Eck wanted to give Team White a 14-point lead to begin the game to see how the Black team could handle adversity, so before the first kickoff by junior punter LJ Harn, Team White led 14-0.
A new era is underway for the Vandals. Two-year starter Gevani Mccoy transferred to Oregon State this winter, and the team is now in the hands of redshirt sophomore Jack Layne, who appeared in just two games for the Vandals.
Layne trotted out for the first series, and Team White’s defense held them to a three-and-out on their first drive of the game. Team White, led by redshirt freshman Jack Wagner, did not do much better, as they also punted on their first possession.
With the jitters out of the way, Layne and Team Black settled down and started to play Vandal football. Layne drove the offense in eight plays to the White team’s 15-yard line. Layne connected with redshirt sophomore Jordan Dwyer for 11 yards down to the four-yard line.
On the next play, Layne went untouched into the end zone to open the scoring after the extra point from redshirt sophomore Cameron Pope. The White team led the Black team 14-7. On the next possession, Black tied the score.
On an 18-play drive, the Vandals moved the ball through the air, pounding it through the tackles and picking up the extra yards they needed. In the end, Layne rolled out and flipped the ball to redshirt freshman tight end Mason Mini. Mini did the rest and soared into the end zone to tie the game.
Another punt by Team White led to Team Black getting the football back with 2:00 left in the half and all three timeouts.
Layne conducted his troops all the way down to the 23-yard line, where he smelled a blitz and threw a perfectly set-up pass to redshirt junior Elisha Cummings, who glided into the end zone and gave the Black team their first lead of the game at 21-14.
The Black team took that score into halftime and wanted to put the game away early in the second half. The defense, which had been ferocious all night, finally got some spotlight. With new quarterback redshirt freshman Hogan Carmichael in the game, the Black team took the opportunity to extend the lead.
Carmichael dropped back to pass, and sophomore linebacker Jaxton Eck read Carmichael’s eyes, jumped the route, intercepted the ball and took it 25 yards to the house to give Team Black a 28-14 lead.
28 straight points by Team Black did not sit well with Team White, who wanted to get in on the scoring. After that interception, Carmichael drove White down the field and delivered a ball in stride to redshirt freshman Seth Shook. Shook rumbled into the end zone for a 31-yard touchdown, cutting Black’s lead to 28-21.
Team Black scored a dagger with a 46-yard bomb to Dwyer, rolling to the 35-21 victory.
The Vandals had to replace three starting receivers and many moving pieces on offense. But Dwyer thinks it’s going in the right direction heading into the fall.
“I felt like the spring game went well. The spring has had a lot of ups and downs, but I feel like we came together tonight,” he said.
Dwyer, who caught five passes for 94 yards in the game, has seen his game flourish with Layne under center.
“I’ve loved playing with Jack over the two years we’ve been here,” he said. “We’ve always had a connection, but we built on that during spring ball this year.”
Layne was impressive, going 17 of 26 for 186 yards and two TDs while also rushing for three carries for 26 yards and one TD. As his first year as starter is coming up, Eck sees Layne’s growth he has made over the spring.
“He’s done a good job. He knows the offense so well. He studies so much film. He gets through his reads very fast… He does a great job of operating the offense,” he said.
The new-look Vandals completed their spring and will begin their journey for success in the 2024 season. . They will head to Eugene, Oregon, to take on the Oregon Ducks on August 31.
Jayden Barfuss can be reached at [email protected]