NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State football team once again took to the grass field at the nearby practice facility for its ninth practice of fall training camp, Friday afternoon, at Hancock Stadium.
The practice opened up with some intense individual work, as linebackers coach Jake Schoonover put his players through plenty of drills emphasizing pass coverage. They worked on team coverages, as well as 1-on-1 matchups with receivers and running backs, preparing for short, slant routes as well as deep, vertical runs.
Offensive coordinator Kurt Beathard worked exclusively with the quarterbacks, receivers and running backs, serving as the middle linebacker to show his players where they need to cut their routes. He had the Redbird position players run rub routes and crossing patterns to work on cutting and creating space between them and their defenders.Â
After the individual work, a lengthy perimeter drill followed. Normally approximately 10 plays, this time head coach Brock Spack put his team through a 23-play perimeter session to emphasize the importance of the outside run. Jamal Towns and James Graham broke off a couple of nice runs during the action.
Brief work on the kickoff and kick return game ensued, but the 'Birds got directly into 7-on-7 action afterward. Tre Roberson, who finished 13-for-20, struggled to find rhythm throughout, but finally rebounded to complete four of his last five passes. Tylor Petkovich hauled in three passes, flashing some nice hands in traffic from the tight end spot. Jake Kolbe ended 5-for-9, but connected on a long bomb with Anthony Fowler on his last play, throwing over the top of the coverage on a deep post route. On defense, the highlight of the drill was when Nate Bond jumped into the air to snag an interception from quarterback Hasan Muhammad-Rogers, who ended 3-for-4 with a couple of nice throws.
The team period was full of running plays, as the Redbird coaching staff continued to emphasize the importance of the ground game as their identity. On the third play from scrimmage, Towns burst through the line, shaking off a couple of defenders then bounced to the outside, turning on the jets to sprint past the defense. Roberson connected with Marshaun Coprich on a nice over-the-shoulder catch on the left sideline in which the running back had to tap his toes to stay in bounds.Â
On a deep post, Roberson hooked up with Christian Gibbs for a long touchdown, placing the ball perfectly into the receiver's hands, who caught it in stride. Kolbe later connected with Mitchell Brees for a long pass on the sideline to wrap up the drill.
Friday's workout was the last to prepare the Redbirds for their first live scrimmage of the fall. The Redbirds will take part in the annual Red vs. White scrimmage on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. at Hancock Stadium, following Redbird Fan Fair from 2-4 p.m. outside the stadium.
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