April 6, 2007
NORMAL, Ill. -
Despite a wind chill of 19 degrees, the Illinois State football team held its first outdoor practice of the spring on Friday at a residential park off Grove Street.
The Redbirds traveled a couple blocks away from campus to conduct practice, since ISU's grass practice field was still showing signs of moisture, due to all the rain this past week.
"The field wasn't ideal, but it was good enough," head coach Denver Johnson said. "We got a little something done and the guys were just anxious to put on some shoulder pads. It was sloppy and it certainly was not crisp, but there were some flashes in there that really get you excited. We will take the weekend off and hopefully the weather will help us next week."
The Redbirds went a full 24-period practice with five-minute periods. During the 7-on-7 drill, Kevin Brockway completed 14-of-16 passes, while Luke Drone was 7-for-14. Preston Earl also completed eight of his 12 attempts.
For the final three periods, the Redbirds held a team scrimmage. Rafael Rice was the Redbirds' leading rusher on the ground and Drone was 2-for-3 passing, including a scramble down the right sideline that resulted in a touch pass to Jake Rourke. Defensively, Chris Garrett added a pass breakup on an apparent completion and the Redbird linebackers continued to swarm around the football.
"I continue to be impressed with the recall of the offense, but I also noticed some of our speed on defense," Johnson said. "There are some flashes out there, but more than anything I think the guys are just glad to get outside and feel like we are playing football."
Johnson has decided to cancel the originally scheduled practice for Saturday and the Redbirds will return to the field on Tuesday.
