NORMAL, Ill. – Now in their third week of spring practice, the Illinois State football team has already seen the physicality level bumped up and now the aggression and intensity is getting ratcheted up as well following a grueling practice, Thursday afternoon, at Hancock Stadium.
To start practice the coaching staff split up the offense and defense on opposite sides of the field to work as a group. The defense was mainly focused on pre-snap stances and alignments while also working on pursuit of the ball carrier. Meanwhile, the offense was predicated on simple walk-throughs of its sets to focus on blocking schemes and running plays.
The Redbirds got right into the thick of the action following the pre-practice routines by running through an extensive, 31-play team period while working on down-and-distance plays. The offense got rolling from the start after a 15-yard run from running back Marshaun Coprich on the first play. Coprich would later add two more 15-plus yard carries during the session. Quarterback Tre Roberson was a perfect 5-of-5 during the session, completing three passes to Anthony Warrum, including two 20-plus yard receptions and a 35-yard connection. Jake Kolbe saw the bulk of the rest of the snaps as signal caller, going 3-of-4 with a nice 20-yard connection with tight end Michael Clements.
After completing the session, the focus for the offense turned to a 7-on-7 drill that focused exclusively on red zone efficiency, with all plays being run inside the 20-yard line. Roberson was effective once again, finishing 8-of-12 with two touchdowns, one each to Jon-Marc Anderson and Tylor Petkovich. Kolbe was 4-of-10, but had two touchdown strikes of his own to Matt Biegalski and Brannon Barry. Defensive back Davontae Harris had an interception while tip-toeing the right sideline on the drill's third play from scrimmage.
During the 7-on-7 session, the offensive and defensive lines worked on stances and explosion off the ball. They were working against each other in 1-on-1 attacking drills that emphasized getting to, and protecting the quarterback.
A 21-play perimeter session followed, in which the defense focused on keeping each offensive play between-the-tackles and not letting it bounce outside. Arnell Anderson's interception and Dalton Keene's tackle-for-loss highlighted a stout Redbird defensive effort. But, Jamal Towns was able to shake loose for a highlight-worthy, spinning and cutting run up the middle. A short punting session followed the perimeter drill, in which Reece Attard launched a couple of booming punts that had the Redbird returners on the ropes.
A short 9-on-7 drill followed that was exclusively focused on executing running plays in the red zone. In between snaps, the quarterbacks worked with 1-on-1 routes with the receivers who were covered by defensive backs. To end the day, the Redbird coaching staff ran the ISU players through a short, 12-play "Blitz" drill where Alec Kocour and Jalen Battle picked up a sack for the defense.
Head coach Brock Spack huddled the players after for a long, enthusiastic talk in which he emphasized several key points. For all of the immense success the 'Birds achieved in 2014, including a share of the MVFC championship and a trip to the FCS National Championship, Spack told his players that they will have a target on their backs the entire season. The competition will bring their 'A-game' every time in order to beat a program that is now in the upper echelon of FCS football.
However, with those heightened expectations comes a lot of excitement, and with the team's first full scrimmage coming Saturday morning, it is a great time to see where the Redbirds stack up in the spring.
The Redbirds return to the field Saturday at 9:30 a.m., for the eighth spring workout and sixth day of full pads at Hancock Stadium. To follow all of the Redbird football spring camp action and more ISU football news, log on to GoRedbirds.com and follow the program on Twitter at @RedbirdFB.
GoRedbirds.com:Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.ÂÂÂÂ
