Raiders returner scores on homecoming

Dylan Laube scored a 95-yard kickoff return touchdown on Sunday, giving the Las Vegas Raiders a one-point lead early in the second quarter. The play contributed to a final score of 38-33 against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. It marked the first kickoff return touchdown of the NFL season and the first by the Raiders since 2011.

Laube, a 2017 graduate of Westhampton High School, described the moment as a unique type of play that energizes the entire team. He explained that he often feels more tired from celebrating than from the physical exertion of the return. “Any big play on special teams fires up the crowd, the offense, the defense,” he said. “And I just get so jacked up.”

The performance was notable for its personal resonance. Laube’s parents and three siblings attended the game, sitting behind the Raiders bench. After scoring, he celebrated in the end zone and later threw a short pass to his father, Kyle, who had taken him to watch the Giants in that same stadium as a child. “At the end of the day the name on my jersey is to make them proud,” Laube said.

The game featured a rare convergence of Long Island high school football history. Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert, Laube’s co-recipient of the 2017 Hansen Award, was on the field for the opposing team. Ruckert won the award for Lindenhurst while Laube received it for Westhampton. The two had not interacted since the awards dinner nearly a decade ago until they met after the final whistle. “I’ve been keeping tabs on him from afar,” Ruckert said. “There are not many people from Long Island playing in the NFL.”

A third Long Island native, Andre Cisco, played for the Jets and was involved in a blocking assignment on a fourth-quarter kickoff return. Laube used a designed play to loop around and tackle Jets returner Isaiah Williams, pinning New York at its own 24-yard line. Laube also attempted to block a 39-yard field goal at the end of the first half but missed by a small margin.

Laube is entering his third season in the league and has become a prominent figure on the Raiders' special teams. He noted that his coaches are giving him a larger role each week. “I want to be the best in the league on special teams,” he said. “I try to bring it with a tackle, a return, a block.”

The victory allowed Laube to leave the stadium wearing a black cap with the phrase “Bring The Juice” embroidered in gold. He stated that his role on the team is to provide energy through every available action, a standard he met during the game against the Jets.