Kolbe Leads Red Team On Late Drive For 14-10 Spring Showcase Win

NORMAL, Ill. – Trailing 10-7 with three minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Red Team needed a strong drive and at least a field goal to send the Spring Showcase into overtime.  However, quarterback Jake Kolbe engineered a six-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to give his team a 14-10 win over the White Team in front of 1,071 fans at Hancock Stadium Saturday afternoon.

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A 27-yard field goal by Zach Breen gave the White Team a 10-7 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the scrimmage, giving the Red Team a chance to tie or win the game on a two-minute drill battling a running clock. On second down, Kolbe connected with Kyle Williams for 18 yards to the 43 yard line for a first down to keep the chains moving and then found Matt Biegalski for a 40-yard gain on the next play along the near sideline to put the ball at the defense's 17 yard line.

A pass interference call in the end zone then put the ball at the two yard line, but a fumble by Kolbe on the center exchange put the ball back on the three yard line.  That's when Kolbe found Spencer Schnell in the corner of the end zone for the game-winning touchdown to give the Red Team the victory.

Kolbe, who took snaps for both squads during the first half, combined to finish the day 11-for-21 with 167 yards passing and the game-winning touchdown. A 70-yard touchdown pass by Koty Thelen to Anthony Fowler on his only attempt of the day tied the game up in the third quarter at 7-7 and Jacob Donahoe finished the day 4-for-7 with 19 yards for the White squad to round out the quarterback play.  

Running back DeMarco Corbin scored the first points of the day, when he broke loose for a 42-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-one to cap off a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive for the Red Team late in the second quarter.  He finished the day with 48 yards on three carries, while Jamal Towns added 33 yards on six carries to highlight the rushing attack. 

A total of 12 different Redbirds caught passes during the scrimmage, with Fowler leading the way with his 70 yards on his lone reception of the day. Jeremy Graves also added a 36-yard grab that helped set up Breen's late field goal and Bryce Jefferson added a pair of grabs for 25 yards for the White Team.

Defensively, the Red Team was led by linebacker Michael Ganzer with five stops, while Brannon Barry led all players with two tackles-for-loss including a sack on the day.  James Graham also added a sack for the Red Team and Josh Sromovsky finished with four tackles including a half TFL.  Luther Kirk recorded one of two interceptions on the day, when he picked off Kolbe in the end zone to thwart a potential scoring opportunity.

The White Team was led Bryce Holm, who recorded five tackles and a pass breakup. Mitchell Brees added four stops and a TFL, while Brent Spack finished with four tackles, a sack and an interception to finish off his impressive day. Matt Swaine added the only other sack for the White Team in the loss, while Davontae Harris and Jason Harris each added a TFL.

The Redbirds will return to the field in early August in preparation for their season opener on Sept. 3 against Valparaiso at Hancock Stadium beginning at 6 p.m.  For offseason information and behind-the-scenes looks with the team, follow the official Redbird Football Twitter account @RedbirdFB and follow GoRedbirds.com.

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