NORMAL, Ill. – After taking a look at the film from last Saturday's first scrimmage of the spring, the Illinois State football team and head coach Brock Spack began improving on positives and correcting negatives when the Redbirds took the field at Hancock Stadium Tuesday afternoon to begin practice No. 9 of the spring.
The Redbirds have seen marked improvement throughout spring camp, something that has not gone unnoticed by the coaching staff and media alike. However, Tuesday's practice was a grind for the team, which is now nearly two thirds of the way through the spring and looking to continue that positive progression upward heading into the final two weeks of spring camp.
Practice Highlights:
•   For the first time nearly all spring, the Redbirds were greeted with sunshine for their afternoon workout, however the cold temperatures and winds remained for the ninth full practice of the spring
•   Quarterback Jake Kolbe, who was an efficient 15-of-21 for 99 yards in Saturday's scrimmage, picked up right where he left off and was 8-for-12 during the combined 7-on-7 sessions with three connections to Kentre Patterson
•   Malachi Broadnax was also solid in his work, going 3-for-4 with a long connection to Spencer Schnell and nice toss to Antonio Hadden
•   The defense was able to make some plays of its own, with Devin Taylor picking off a pass that was tipped into the air and he also added a breakup on a pass from Broadnax
•   Linebackers DeMarco Washington and Connor Janes also deflected passes in the second 7-on-7 session, while Ty DeForest picked up an interception during the blitz period for the Redbird defense
•   During the team period, the focus was on the running backs and Jordan Birch showed off his versatility with a pair of 20-plus yard runs and a pair of nice gains on swing passes out of the backfieldÂ
•   Markel Smith, who led all rushers with 46 yards and a touchdown in last weekend's scrimmage, also had a solid team session with a 25-yard gain that would have gone for a score if the play was not whistled to a stop
Thoughts From Coach Spack:
"This is the time in camp where the players really have to fight through the tired legs and bumps and bruises to keep improving. This team has been stellar all spring, improving by leaps and bounds each day and this was the first time that I really saw them have to struggle a bit at times. I know they were not happy with their performance today and it certainly was not up to the standard they have set so far, so I fully expect a bounce-back effort on Thursday as we scale it back a bit in preparation for our second scrimmage on Saturday."
Up Next:
ISU returns to the field Thursday at 3:30 p.m. for practice No. 10 of the spring. For live updates, photos, and video from 2018 Redbird Football Spring Camp, follow the team's official Twitter account @RedbirdFB and log onto GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com: Â Your online source for Illinois State Athletics, tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
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