NORMAL, Ill. - Illinois State head football coach Brock Spack bolstered his defensive line Wednesday, when he announced the addition of defensive tackle Milton Owens to the 2010 roster. Owens transferred to ISU from Indiana and will have two years of eligibility remaining for the Redbirds.
"We thought we were a little thin at the defensive line position coming out of spring practice and were looking for possible transfers to add some depth," Spack said. "We have very good players on our defensive line, but not enough of them to have a solid rotation throughout the season. Milton fits into the system very well and was what we were looking for. He is a big, strong, athletic player that can stop the run and handle double teams well."
The 6-foot-2, 320-pound defensive tackle will join seniors Xzavier Stewart, Mike Piton and Dave Rivas and junior Eric Brunner in the middle of the defensive line for the Redbirds. Owens, a Gary, Ind., native, moved from offensive line to defensive tackle prior to 2009 spring practice at Indiana. He did not see any game action as a sophomore in 2009, but was a three-time scout team player of the week for the Hoosiers. Owens played against Western Kentucky and Murray State as a redshirt freshman in 2008 and redshirted the 2007 season.
Owens was a three-year letterwinner and standout offensive lineman under head coach David Pool at Harmony Community High School during his prep career.
"Coach (Bill) Lynch at Indiana is a longtime friend of mine from the Big Ten and he spoke very highly of Milton," Spack said. "I'm sure they would have liked to keep him around, but Milton wanted to get a little more playing time and we rotate our defensive lineman quite a bit during games which gives everybody a chance to play and stay fresh. Milton is very motivated and has shown a great work ethic, so we look forward to seeing what he can do on the field."
Illinois State opens the 2010 season Thursday, Sept.2, at Hancock Stadium against Central Missouri. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT.
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