NORMAL, Ill. – After two acclimation days to knock the rust off, it was finally time for the Illinois State football team to strap on helmets and shoulder pads for the first full-pad practice of the spring Tuesday afternoon at Hancock Stadium.
With the pads on, an extra perimeter run drill was added to the script, following the regular special teams work and position drill. The offense worked primarily on the run game, forcing the defense to close on the perimeter and force the action inside. On the first series, defensive end and Teddy Corwin broke through the line and batted down a quick pass intended for Marshaun Coprich out of the backfield. Coprich and quarterback Tre Roberson took turns running the ball, as did the combination of Jake Kolbe and George Moreira.
The focus then shifted to the 7-on-7 drill, with Roberson and Blake Winkler taking the majority of the snaps during the session. Roberson was 8-for-11, finding wide receivers Anthony Warrum and Nick Griffith twice each and running back Jamal Towns twice on swing routes. Winkler was 5-for-8 with connections to JJ Stahl and Matt Biegalski, but was picked off once on a great diving play by Davontae Harris. Alejandro Rivera, Soniel Estime, Pat Meehan and Josh Burch also got into the action on defense and batted down passes during the drill.
During that time, the defensive and offensive line worked on the opposite side of the field in one-on-one drills. Defenders worked on their pass rush techniques, while offensive players worked to keep the defenders away from the quarterback with pass protection techniques. The drill elicited spirited competition as always, as young players on both sides of the football looked to impress the coaches watching and earn spots on both lines that were vacated by graduation.
The team session allowed for the first full contact work of the day and the offense got off to solid start, with strong rushes by Coprich and Towns. On the sixth play of the session, redshirt freshman defensive lineman Nathan Iloilo broke through the line and picked up a sack, the first of two during the drill.
Later on, James Graham ripped off a 15-yard run and Roberson connected on a 30-yard strike to Griffith, before Oshay Dunmore picked up a TFL on a blitz from his safety position. Adam Pittser, who moved from quarterback to defensive line, also added a TFL during the drill, before Iloilo ended the session with a TFL.
The Redbirds will return to the field Thursday at 3:30 p.m., for the fourth workout of the spring at Hancock Stadium. To follow all of the Redbird football spring camp action, log on to Go Redbirds.com and follow the program on Twitter at @RedbirdFB.
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