Photo by Jessica McMillan Cutout by Sydney Green
The starting quarterback battle is in action as two A-State quarterbacks competed in the football spring game with the black team beating the red team 34-20.
Redshirt first-year quarterback #15 Jaxon Dailey threw for 240 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. First-year quarterback #1 Jaylen Raynor threw for 333 yards with a touchdown, but had four interceptions in the second half.
“Definitely some upside. There were a couple sloppy patches at times. It was good to see the black and red team put points on the board. We’re pleased but not satisfied,” Dailey said.
UT Martin junior transfer #21 Zak Wallace led the running backs with 60 rushing yards. Sophomore running back #5 Ja’Quez Cross rushed for 57 yards and a touchdown. Senior #14 Jeff Foreman led the receivers with six receptions for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
Dailey threw a 69-yard touchdown pass to Foreman in the second quarter.
The defense looked stellar with six turnovers in the second half. Five of them being interceptions and the other being a fumble. Both red and black defenses had nine sacks each.
“The workload has increased and I think it’s going to make us a tougher football team. It’s going to benefit us in the long run, trying to get through a 12-game season,” redshirt junior linebacker #36 Charles Willekes said.
Sophomore kicker #33 Dominic Zvada had two field goals. Zvada is coming off a season going 17-18 (94.4%) on field goals made and a Lou Groza semifinalist award. His longest kick of the 2022 season was 56 yards. He was also 5-5 from 20-29 yards, 6-6 from 30-39 yards, 5-5 from 40-49 yards and 1-2 of 50-plus yards.
A-State is coming off two seasons with a total of five wins and 19 losses. Last season, the Red Wolves went 3-9 and 1-7 in Sun Belt Conference games.
The team’s biggest need is the development of the quarterback position, with James Blackman graduating and entering the NFL Draft.
Dailey is not your typical quarterback, being left-handed with a catapult arm slot. He makes up for it with his pinpoint accuracy and ability to move around in the pocket to deliver passes downfield, as shown in the spring game.
Raynor is a dual-threat quarterback with a 4.59 40-yard-dash that he completed in the 2022 Shrine Bowl combine. His shuttle time is 4.39, which gives him the ability to extend plays with his feet. His arm strength helps deliver the ball with a quick arm action. Raynor’s biggest issue right now is his turnovers. As mentioned previously, he had 4 interceptions in the second half. It is early in the offseason, so Raynor has plenty of time to minimize turnovers and get better reads downfield.
“I think they have maintained a great attitude through the course of the spring, but we have to have the best summer we have ever had,” Head Coach Butch Jones said.
Categories: Sports
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