A callback to Baton Rogue
Rookie wide receiver Jack Bech has an intriguing matchup this weekend against one of his former college teammates, Brian Thomas Jr.
The two obviously won't be lined up against each other, but they both could provide a spark to their respective teams. Bech has earned a bigger workload within the offense over the course of his rookie season, going from 30 snaps played in his first four games combined to 104 in his last three contests.
"Just coming in here each and every day, putting the head down and getting to work," Bech said of his progression. "Understanding the playbook and the defenses we're playing but I think at the end of the day just coming in here ... trying to get one percent better each day."
Bech and Thomas were teammates at LSU for two seasons. Bech ultimately transferred to TCU in 2021 and Thomas became the Jaguars' first-round pick in 2024. Thomas enjoyed a massively successful rookie campaign with 1,282 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Last year in Allegiant Stadium, he had nine catches for 132 yards and a touchdown. And now with Hunter out this Sunday, it's expected that he'll handle more duties against the Raiders defense.
"BT [Brian Thomas Jr.] is one of the best, young wideouts in this league," Bech said. "Super explosive, big, long, lengthy, fast and strong. He's got everything in the game you'd want as a receiver. We've had a lot of great memories at LSU so it's definitely going to be fun to strap it up and play these boys this weekend."