Merced College football team hopes quarterback-running back duo leads to bounce-back season

When starting quarterback Hudson Wyatt suffered a season-ending injury in the second game last year, the Merced College football team’s season ended with him.

The Blue Devils never recovered and struggled to a 3-7 season.

Quarterback play was a big reason, as the two backups combined to complete just 113 of 239 passes for 1,404 yards. The bigger issue, though, was turnovers, as the duo threw just seven touchdown passes compared to 22 interceptions.

“We had two games where we threw two interceptions for touchdowns and each time we lost by seven points,” said Justin Pinasco, who is entering his third season as the Blue Devils’ head coach. “The turnover rate completely crippled us. It’s hard to come back from, the turnover rate was something I’ve never even seen before.”

A torn patellar tendon sidelined Wyatt. Fortunately, he was able to sit out last season for medical reasons, so he didn’t lose a year of eligibility.

The former Manteca High star had never been injured before and it was tough watching his team struggle from the sidelines.

Wyatt says after a rigorous offseason, which included plenty of twice-a-day workouts, he is back to 100 percent and excited to be back on the field when the Blue Devils open the new season Saturday at home against College of the Redwoods at 1 p.m.

“It was really tough,” Wyatt said. “I now understand how important it is to take care of your body and recovery, I see that all over the professional field. I’m really excited. I’ve been training for this and I’m really excited for this season.”

A key addition to the Blue Devils’ roster has Wyatt excited.

Between workouts, Wyatt found time to recruit a friend to play at Merced College, running back Tyler Jacklich. The two were teammates as freshmen at Central Catholic and then became rivals when Wyatt transferred to Manteca as a sophomore.

Jacklich comes to Merced College after sitting out a game at the University of Wyoming last year. Jacklich had earned a spot on special teams as a freshman at Wyoming, but a knee injury caused him to fall down the depth chart.

After a coaching change, Jacklich didn’t feel the Cowboys’ program was the right fit for him, so he entered the transfer portal.

Jacklich drew some interest from some smaller Division I schools, but chose to take another path.

“I was looking for something bigger,” Jacklich said. “A lot of the Power Five schools I talked to just wanted to see me play some basketball. They wanted to see me go to college before I got the offer. So I’m really just looking to put the film out there and have a good year with my guys, and hopefully get out there next year.”

Jacklich rushed for 2,206 yards and 30 touchdowns to lead Central Catholic to a Valley Oak League championship in 2022. The Raiders outscored Wyatt and Manteca along the way 56-47 behind Jacklich’s 201 rushing yards and four touchdowns.

At 6’2″ and 210 pounds, Jacklich provides the Blue Devils with a big weapon with power and speed.

“Tyler brings a lot to the team,” Wyatt said. “I played against Tyler in high school. I know what type of player he is and he’s definitely one of the best running backs I’ve ever played against and I know what he’s capable of.”

The Blue Devils are hoping other offensive weapons, including running back Abel Bravo (Pacheco High) and receivers Anthony Berry (Buhach Colony) and Isaiah Hurt (Central Valley), will help bolster a unit that averaged just over 20 points per game last year.

The defense will have to find a way to replace two All-Americans on the defensive line in Samari Russo and Jaylen Thao-Booth, who combined for 24.5 sacks last season.

Pinasco is counting on safeties Logan Anderson (Escalon) and Darian Lopez (Chowchilla) to take on leadership roles. Coaches are also excited about the additions of Kalen Frade (Buhach Colony), Savion Jackson (Merced), Willie Johnson (Hoover) to the secondary and the return of linebacker Cody Chapman (Merced).

“We have some really good players,” Pinasco said. “This is my 30th season as a coach at Merced College and it’s the first time I can remember that anyone has given up at this point. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to clean out someone’s locker for whatever reason. These guys are sticking around and that’s great.”