Vandal receivers Dwyer, Hamper the glue that keeps on giving

Dec. 6—Take a peek at the boxscore from any 2024 Idaho football game and one will see two names spearheading the Vandals’ air attack.

Junior wide receiver Jordan Dwyer and redshirt freshman Mark Hamper have generated nearly 1,700 combined receiving yards, representing two-thirds of the Vandals’ total passing yards.

“We take a lot of pride in that,” Dwyer said just about 10 feet away from Hamper, who continued to catch balls from Idaho quarterback Jack Layne after the Vandals’ Tuesday practice in the Kibbie Dome. “We want to take the workload. We love being the guys getting the ball.”

Not a bad receiving duo to have as UI (9-3) prepares to host Lehigh (9-3) in the second round of the FCS playoffs at 6 p.m. Saturday at the P1FCU Kibbie Dome in Moscow.

Dwyer caught at least five passes in seven of Idaho’s 12 games. Hamper, breaking into the starting room for the first time in his second year in Moscow, made three catches for 57 yards versus Oregon in the Vandals’ season opener and has accounted for over 40 yards in all but one game. Wyoming, of the Football Bowl Subdivision, was the only team to contain Hamper to under 40 yards.

The redshirt freshman from West Linn, Ore., paced the team with 858 yards on 41 catches with five touchdowns.

Hamper said he wrote down several goals prior to the season, including “500-plus yards” and “five-plus touchdowns,” but has since blown away even his own expectations.

“I didn’t expect to be having this big of a year,” Hamper said. “Big shout out to (receivers) coach (Matt) Linehan (and) JD (Jordan Dwyer), obviously. He gets so much attention, it’s pretty easy sometimes, just because I’m straight one-on-one out there, because the safety is fully worried about him.”

Dwyer has racked up 837 yards on 60 catches and 11 touchdowns through Idaho’s 12 games so far.

The junior from Puyallup, Wash.,…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/vandal-receivers-dwyer-hamper-glue-131600019.html

Author : Lewiston Tribune, Idaho

Publish date : 2024-12-06 13:16:00

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