The Illinois State defense, wearing red, forced the offense into nine three and outs, in the second half of the Annual Red/White game, as the Red rallied from behind to claim a 68-57 victory over White in the final practice of the spring, Saturday, at Hancock Stadium.
Head coach Denver Johnson witnessed the action on the field and was encouraged after the game.
It was interesting standing on the sidelines and being able to just watch, Johnson said. Some good things happened out there. We got some good play out of the quarterbacks and I think were okay up front. We had a constant rotation of players, because we wanted to make sure that everyone on the squad got a big dose of it today. Im just really pleased. I think we finished on high note and I think the kids feel good about where were at.
We are getting some good leadership out of our senior bunch. We have a bunch of young guys that are starting to show up, filter in and start competing for playing time and we have a lot of harmony on the coaching staff. There is just a real good atmosphere here right now. Were probably not as talented as we need to be at spots, but weve got a great attitude and we have great work habits. Im looking forward to going into battle with these guys. I wish fall camp was starting next week.
The White team jumped out to a 39-19 lead thanks to a 14-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kevin Zouzounis, a 66-yard scoring pass to Steve Statz from Steve Kolodziej and a 45-yard touchdown run from Andre Whitehead. But Red closed the gap to 39-33 at halftime, with a Dennis Butler interception, a sack and two three and outs.
In the second half, Red stormed ahead and led 51-41, when Sha-ron Edwards scored on a seven-yard touchdown run after three straight first downs to push White back into the lead at 54-51. However, Red closed the scrimmage with five straight three and outs and added a sack for the win.
Kolodziej led the passing attack for White on a 9-for-21 effort with 176 yards and an interception. Mike Souza threw for 101 yards on 9-for-17 passing, while Zouzounis was the most accurate at 8-for-11 and 83 yards.
Kevin is really feeling comfortable with the system right now. He is more at ease and hes executing real well, Johnson said. That is going to be a key for us next year. We are going to have to execute our offense. We are not going to be big and physical and so talented that we can smash people offensively. We are going to have to be real efficient and we cant turn the ball over.
Whitehead led all rushers with 60 yards on eight carries. Edwards had the second-best yardage with 32 yards on 10 attempts. Jon Laurenti hauled in a game-high five catches, while Statz had three grabs for a team-best 129 yards.
Randolph Waite led the Red team with nine tackles, while Joe Bendoraitis chipped in eight stops and two sacks.
The Redbirds return to the practice field on August 7, when fall camp starts. Freshman report on August 2 and the varsity return on August 5. ISU opens the season August 31 at Purdue. A start time has yet to be determined.
The Birds open the home campaign on September 7 against Quincy. Kick-off is slated for 6:30 p.m.
