Aug. 12, 2005
News and Notes:
- The Illinois State football team returned to the practice field at 2:30 p.m. Friday for one practice only, following their first two-a-day practice on Thursday. The practice was once again threatened by thunderstorms and rain, however the `Birds managed to finish each of their 24, five-minute periods without a stoppage.
- The Redbirds tackle their second of four two-a-day practices on Saturday. The morning practice kicks off at 8:30 a.m., while the evening practice is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. under the lights at Hancock Stadium.
- With the Redbirds nearing the half-way point of fall practice, bumps and bruises are starting to accumulate. After a physical morning practice Thursday, linebacker Niall Campbell sat out Thursday night's practice and Friday's practice with a left calf bruise. Campbell was joined on the sideline by offensive lineman Mike Stegeman for the second straight practice with hamstring tightness.
- Head coach Denver Johnson called on sophomore fullback Tristan Borzick to break practice and send the team to dinner.
BT = TD:
- Senior running back Brian Thompson had just two touchdowns last season, and based on his play in practice to date, he wants to increase that number. On his last carry of the day, Thompson took a Luke Drone handoff 50 yards up the middle, virtually untouched for a touchdown.
Filin Fine:
- After leading the team in interceptions in 2004, defensive back Alex Filin made strides in practice to ensure he leads in 2005. Filin picked off a Drone pass in the 7-on-7 portion of practice while at the safety position.
- Filin was not the only Redbird defensive back to pull down an interception on Friday. Junior James Temple picked off a Wally Cirafesi pass during the team session and freshman Tom Nelson returned a Nick Gehrts pass for a touchdown. Mitchell Matthews also added an interception off a Kevin Brockway tipped pass.
Sack Attack:
- Defensive end Brent Hawkins continued his attack on the Illinois State offense Friday, recording two more sacks during the team session. Hawkins got to Brockway first, and then stopped Gehrts in the backfield for a 5 yard loss.
- Senior Jesus Terrazas also recorded a sack during the team session, bringing down Cirafesi in the backfield.
Quotable:
"Halfway through practice, I'm pretty pleased overall with the way practice has been going," said head coach Denver Johnson. "We have hit that stage when the doldrums can set in and we've got sloppy at times. We just have to push through it and not lose the effort and sharpness."
"We've only had one really bad practice up to now, and we had another good practice today," said senior linebacker Cameron Siskowic. "Everyone has embraced the new scheme (4-3) and we have been great and limiting the big play. If we can continue to do that through the year, this unit is going to be tough to score on."
