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Sep. 5—MOSCOW, Idaho — Idaho running backs Elisha Cummings and Nate Thomas have a new quarterback to assist.
The two combined for 53 rushing yards and 51 receiving yards Saturday to help new redshirt sophomore starting quarterback Jack Layne during a 24-14 loss against No. 3 Oregon in the season opener. Cummings, as a wildcat quarterback, also pitched to Layne for Idaho’s second touchdown.
Unfortunately, Layne finished the game in the locker room after breaking his collarbone on the next-to-last series.
As he roamed practice this week with his right arm in a sling, Layne watched Cummings and Thomas continue to do their thing for backup quarterback Jack Wagner, a redshirt freshman, who will be the starter when the Vandals (0-1) take on host Wyoming (0-1) in Laramie on Saturday.
“It is important for us to pick up a young quarterback, help him through the process, processing those things that come naturally to us,” said Cummings, a redshirt junior.
“We definitely plan on running the ball more this week,” added Thomas, another redshirt junior.
Cummings, at about 190 pounds, and Thomas (210) combine size and speed to clear the line of scrimmage.
Against the Ducks, Cummings averaged 5.4 yards on the ground on eight carries and added35 receiving yards, including a 34-yard screen that set up a score. Thomas added 5 yards per carry on a pair of attempts and caught a pass for 16 yards.
“I felt like it was just another game,” Thomas said of facing the heavily favored Ducks at their Autzen Stadium. “It came down to us executing better. You can’t get caught up in the game. You can’t star gaze.
“But I think a lot of guys on our team are Oregon fans.”
Going into Idaho’s second game, coach Jason Eck is still figuring out how to maximize the many talents of Cummings and Thomas, including using them as wildcats.
After throwing a tight,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/injured-qb-jack-layne-idaho-020200076.html
Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
Publish date : 2024-09-06 02:02:00
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