Spring Practice 3: The Pads Come On

NORMAL, Ill. – After a pair of acclimation practices over the weekend, the Redbirds put on full pads for the first time Tuesday during their third practice of the spring at Hancock Stadium.

As his team went through its normal stretch routine to begin the workout, head coach Brock Spack informed his charges that a 20 minute long 9-on-7 session featuring the inside running attack was on the docket for the day. He specifically challenged the stable of running backs to see who would emerge as a leader among.

Following their usual special teams circuit, the team went through its first blitz drill of the spring. The defensive unit did its best to put pressure on the offense, however the offense line held its own and did not allow a sack during the 12-play session. Jake Kolbe connected with Andy Mills for 30 yards to start the drill and he later connected with Anthony Fowler. Tristan Smith also connected with Parker Lee and found Markel Smith out of the backfield for 20-yard gain.  

The perimeter drill followed and Kolbe struck early once again, this time on a 60-yard pass over the middle to tight end Robert Gillum. After a connection with Christian Gibbs, the defense swung the momentum with a pass breakup at the line of scrimmage by Matt Swaine and a TFL by Blake Hooper.  A tipped pass by Ade Kilpatrick then resulted in an acrobatic interception by Christian Uphoff, who dove and just got his hands under the football before it hit the turf. A sack by DeMarco Washington and a pass breakup by James Graham capped off a dominant effort by the defense to end the drill.

During the 7-on-7 session, Kolbe connected twice with Lee one of which went for a long touchdown. Smith also made the most of his reps, completing four of six attempts with a pair to Chase Pankey and one to JJ Stahl.  Malachi Broadnax was also 4-for-6 during the drill with a pair of connects to Matt Biegalski.  

A 30-plus play team session capped off the third practice of the spring for the Redbirds. A pair of 20-plus yard rushes by James Robinson and Artiss Henderson got things off to a strong start for the offense, and Broadnax later found Bielgalski for a 15-yard gain as well. Just a few plays later, Swaine picked up his first sack of the day and Cole Bumpus broke up a pass attempt by Smith to get some of the momentum back for the defense.  A 25-yard completion from Smith to Michael Kolzow was then followed by a sack from Graham, a TFL by Ryan Guhl and a sack by Dalton Keene. 

The Redbirds will return to Hancock Stadium Thursday for the fourth practice of the spring at 3 p.m. For live practice updates, photos and video follow the official Redbird Football Twitter account @RedbirdFB and log on to GoRedbirds.com for full coverage throughout the spring.

GoRedbirds.com:  Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.