Aug. 5, 2008
NORMAL, Ill. -
In a stark contrast from Monday afternoon's oppressive heat, which saw temperatures in the mid-90s and the head index near the 110-degree range, the Illinois State football team worked out in cloudy and cool conditions Tuesday morning for its first session of three, two-a-day practices at Hancock Stadium. Due to the threat of thunderstorms in the Bloomington-Normal, Ill., area, the practice was shortened to just 15, five-minute periods.
Illinois State head coach Denver Johnson used the sense of urgency that the practice was under to help his team get acclimated to pressure situations.
"We abbreviated practice some (Tuesday) morning because we thought we were going to get rained out later in the workout," said Johnson. "We ended up getting to extend our team session, which helped the guys, in the end.
"Our defense continues to get better, and I'm really pleased with the progress there. We used the practice to get ready for some third-down conversion drills that we will work on (Tuesday) night."
Beginning with period six, the pressure really kicked in for the Redbirds, as the entire team was engaged in an extended, 10-period (50 minutes) fourth-down conversion drill that lasted until the end of practice. The drill, which featured a total of 72 snaps from ISU's own 18-yard line, saw a plethora of skilled plays on display from both sides of the ball.
The Redbird offensive line looked sharp throughout, as it opened holes for the quarterbacks to sneak through on several occasions. Redshirt freshman quarterback Drew Kiel even found enough wiggle room to run through the middle of the Redbird defense for a long touchdown run.
Three other ISU players shined on offense, as projected starting quarterback Kevin Brockway made a stellar 30-yard sideline pass to wide receiver Kelvin Chandler, who caught it over his shoulder and ran the ball in for a touchdown. Earlier in the drill, tailback Parrish Fisher took a handoff from Brockway and ran down the left sideline for a touchdown.
The ISU defense was able to stop the Redbird offense behind the line of scrimmage a total of 36 times out of 72 snaps. ISU's defensive linemen contributed to the 50-percent success rate at stopping the offense, as both Doni Phelps and Brian Hehl tipped passes. Cornerback Kelvyn Hemphill also forced a fumble by Brockway, which was recovered by safety Tom Nelson behind the line of scrimmage.
After starting practice with the field-goal unit on the field, the Redbird punters got their first serious crack at showing off their skills during the fourth, five-minute period. Senior returning punter Bobby Kelsey looked strong throughout the three-period punting drill, as his 15 punts went for an average of 45.3 yards, including a long of 60 yards.
Sophomore transfer punter Kyle Cinzio also competed in the punting drill, where he averaged 38.9 yards over nine punts.
Illinois State will conclude its first two-a-day session with a 7:30 p.m., shells-only practice Tuesday at Hancock Stadium.
NOTABLE:
Bert Whigham and Reggie Dozier remained sidelined with ankle injuries.
The practice marked the first workout of three, two-a-day practice days.
The workout was also the first morning practice for Illinois State during its fall 2008 preseason camp.
After suffering through oppressive heat and humidity during Monday afternoon's practice, several of the equipment, athletic training and strength and conditioning staff members donned raincoats and jackets due to the threat of rain.
