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Aug. 8—The new school year for Idaho is a week and a half away, but for the Vandal football team the first exam of the fall is today.
Idaho will hold the first scrimmage of fall camp with the main focus being on the young talent battling it out for spots on the depth chart and playing time.
“I think we’ll probably try to get maybe 25 plays with our first group, 25 with our second, and get a little bit more, maybe 35 plays with our young guys,” coach Jason Eck said.
The team put on full pads for a practice for the first time on Tuesday before a helmet-only session Wednesday. However, this scrimmage will represent the first full-game simulation the Vandals have seen since coming back from summer break.
“It’s gonna be a good feeling, a lot of people flying around. That’s what I’m excited to see, a lot of big hits,” senior defensive lineman Keyshawn James-Newby said. “Hoping everyone stays healthy during that time. But I’m (ready to see) a lot of guys flying around.”
Here are three things to look for during the first scrimmage:
Young receiver corps
Six of the top seven players on the Idaho reception list last season are not going to put on a Vandal uniform in 2024. The lone returner from that list will be absent from the first scrimmage with sophomore Jordan Dwyer being “a little nicked up” and not participating today. Dwyer had 20 receptions for 328 yards and four touchdowns last year.
Redshirt freshman Mark Hamper caught four passes for 26 yards and junior Michael Graves had a single catch for one yard last season. That is it for Vandal wideouts on the 2024 roster with their name on the receiving leaderboard last season.
So who is going to step up? This first scrimmage might go a long way in determining that.
“We’re gonna have a lot of young guys that need to help us this year. Some true freshmen that’ll be ready to go,”…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/time-first-exam-fall-camp-121600714.html
Author : Lewiston Tribune, Idaho
Publish date : 2024-08-08 12:16:00
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