Illinois State junior linebacker Boomer Grigsby had one word to describe Tuesdays practice: tenacious.
Tempers may have flaired up Tuesday afternoon,causing head coach Denver Johnson to calm the storm, but Grigsby sees that as a tremendous positive.
Youd rather you have your head coach tell you to settle down than pick it up, Grigsby said. We proved today that this football team has no sissies. Everyone is out there to try to knock each other out. But were going to start to come together and get ready to play this Drake game.
Johnson has been pleased with the intensity the team has shown throughout this entire camp and Tuesday was no exception. But he felt a slight lecture was in order.
I know what it is, the guys have been out here for 14 or 15 practices and theyre tired of hitting each other, Johnson said. Thats good that guys are this intense, but we dont want our chemistry to fall apart. I felt we just needed to nip it in the bud.
Grigsby has been nursing an ankle injury, but that hasnt stopped him from providing a leadership role for the young defensive squad. After two years, Grigsby finds himself the veteran that guys look up to.
When youve got guys coming out of high school, theyve got to adjust to the speed of the game, and being away from home, and just being around a whole new team, Grigsby said. When they come to your team you have to take them under your wing because it helps them progress more.
True freshman Jared Villers is certainly getting the message sent down from Grigsby. The Akron, Ohio native had a few Boomer-like tackles in practice Tuesday afternoon. Veteran Gean Gilot also played well defensively.
On offense, quarterback Mike Souza connected with Dwayne Smith on a couple of plays, while Yance Vaughan hooked up with Ramon Barber.
The Redbirds return to the field Wednesday for two practices, one at 8:30 and one at 3:30.
Notes
Redshirt freshman LaShawn Bullock sat out Tuesdays practice with a sprained knee.
--ISU--
