Vandal receivers Dwyer, Hamper the glue that keeps on giving

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

Sophomore 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 sophomore from Puyallup, Wash., is the Vandals’ dependable, playmaking route runner and Hamper’s strength is his knack for gaining a high share of his total yardage after the catch.

The pair have been integral to a Vandal offense that was ravaged by graduation and college football’s transfer portal last season then whittled down by dubious injuries, namely to starting quarterback Jack Layne.

Layne suffered a collarbone injury in Idaho’s season opener in Eugene, Ore. The Vandals held their own against the undefeated and No. 1-ranked Oregon Ducks of the FBS in a 24-14 loss Aug. 31.

Without Layne, the Vandals turned to backup QB Jack Wagner for seven games. Wagner got hurt in a 2-point Sept. 28 loss to UC Davis and third string QB Nick Josifek stepped up. The two split drives in Idaho’s Oct. 5 win over Northern Arizona.

Layne returned on Oct. 26, suffered another injury, recovered and made his way back to the field for the Vandals’ Nov. 16 win over Weber State.

The third-year Vandal quaterback will make the eighth start of his career Saturday when the eighth-seeded Vandals welcome unseeded Lehigh, the 2024 Patriot League Champions, for their playoff showdown. ESPN+ will broadcast the game.

While the primary passer over the course of the season has shifted for the Vandals, the two primary pass catchers have not, with Dwyer and Hamper remaining remarkably consistent, staying healthy and aiding the transition between QBs.

“We’re catching a lot of the passes,” Dwyer said. “Being in those guys’ ears, speaking confidence in them and just being there for them and trying to make those hard plays for them to build that trust.”

Hamper said time spent in meetings watching film and extra catches after practice have helped the two develop a chemistry with each of Idaho’s quarterbacks this season.

“I got to give a lot of credit to Wags (Jack Wagner) and Nick Josifek,” Hamper said. “They’ve stepped up tremendously. I feel like our offense hasn’t skipped much of a beat when they’re in.”

The Vandals’ regular season finale in Pocatello versus Idaho State saw no receiver apart from Dwyer and Hamper catch more than one pass from Layne as the dynamic duo made a combined 15 out of the Vandals’ 17 total catches.

Layne said it is a blessing to rely on guys like Dwyer and Hamper.

“They’re awesome, man,” Layne said. “It’s truly special to have guys like that out there who you can trust and go to on really any down of a game. They’re reliable guys that catch it well, they’re really smart (and) know how to get open.”

The Mountain Hawks sport the 10th-best passing defense in the FCS in terms of yards allowed. Lehigh has allowed 162.5 yards per game this season.

The Vandals enter the matchup with the 52nd-best passing offense at 214.4 yards per game. Given the turbulence at the QB, running back and offensive line positions, those kinds of numbers have been just enough to win close conference games on their way to a 9-3 regular season record and the No. 8 seed in the FCS playoffs.

Idaho coach Jason Eck said that he likes the matchups between his wide receivers and Lehigh’s secondary, noting that the Mountain Hawks scheme has helped them corral opposing offenses’ short passes, while the Vandals’ strengh has been the screen game.

“(Jordan) Dwyer, such a great route runner that is tough to cover. And then I think (Mark) Hamper really his biggest strength is how tough he is to tackle after the catch,” Eck said. “So it’s always good to find. He’s done so well on the screens lately where you can catch the ball and get going. I’m sure they’re gonna be working on that screen after we’ve scored three touchdowns in the past two (games) on it.”

In his season-best 187-yard performance versus Weber State on Nov. 16, Hamper caught eight passes and gained approximately 130 of his 187 yards after the catch, including a 74-yard touchdown trot on a screen pass.

“My high school coach always had this saying: ‘Don’t let one guy tackle you,’” Hamper said. “That’s really my mindset. ‘Don’t let one guy tackle me, and just try to go get the maximum you can get out of a play.’”

Dwyer and Hamper were multi-sport athletes in high school. Both guys played basketball with Hamper serving as his high school’s center because the now 6-foot-2 athlete was his team’s tallest player.

Growing up in Puyallup Wash., gave Dwyer the chance to meet and train with other future college football players, including Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, who in 2024 had over 700 yards receiving and nine touchdowns for the No. 6 Buckeyes.

Dwyer and Egbuka participated in a football training program called Heir Academy led by Reggie Jones, a Super Bowl XLIV Champion with the New Orleans Saints and a former Idaho Vandal.

In Heir, former SEC receiver and Seattle Seahawk Courtney Taylor was Dwyer’s receiver coach.

“He’s done just a bunch of stuff helping me (get to) where I’m at today,” Dwyer said. “I mean, he’s really taught me everything.”

On Saturday, versus the Mountain Hawks, Dwyer and Hamper will take the field with a mission.

“It’s win or go home now,” Hamper said. “The team that wants it more and executes better is going to get it. So mindset is ‘Don’t leave anything out there. Give 100% and just execute the best we can.’”

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2268, staylor@lmtribune.com or on X (formerly Twitter) @Sam_C_Taylor.