Sep. 2—Idaho took third-ranked Oregon deep into the fourth quarter in its season opener before falling 24-14.
And it cost the Vandals their starting quarterback, at least for part of the season.
Jack Layne, a redshirt sophomore from Lake Oswego, Oregon, injured his collarbone on Idaho’s second-to-last series against the Ducks. He was taken out of the game when he tried to throw on the sideline and couldn’t, according to Vandals coach Jason Eck. Layne has had surgery to repair the injury, and while Eck expects him to return this season, the coach did not speculate Monday during a news conference when that would be.
When the Vandals travel to Wyoming on Saturday, they will start redshirt freshman Jack Wagner, from Tualatin, Oregon, at quarterback, Eck said, “continuing the tradition of backup quarterbacks.”
Wagner, 6-4, 190, got into one game a year ago. He went 4-for-5 passing for 41 yards and a touchdown, and he ran three times for 42 yards, with a long gain of 29 against Idaho State. In preseason practices, Wagner has shown impressive quickness as a runner and can make all of the throws in Idaho’s offense. His backup against the Cowboys will be Nick Josifek, a 6-0, 200-pound redshirt freshman from Walla Walla.
Former Washington State University coach Mike Price turned the Vandals on to Josifek, Eck said. Josifek was a high school teammate of Price’s grandson.
Before getting hurt against Oregon, Layne threw for 168 yards and a touchdown on a 36-yard flea flicker to tight end Jake Cox, and he ran for a 4-yard touchdown to cut Oregon’s lead to 17-14 with 9:45 to play.
But Eck reiterated Monday what he said after the game. While Idaho’s performance against the nationally ranked Ducks was impressive, going forward the Vandals must use it as a springboard to improve. Idaho played 87 defensive snaps and only 47 on offense,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/idaho-quarterback-jack-layne-indefinitely-020100673.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-09-03 02:01:00
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