NORMAL, Ill. – Whether it was the team's fifth practice in eight days or the cold and rainy conditions at Hancock Stadium Sunday afternoon, tensions were high and competitiveness was elevated for the Redbird football team as 2019 spring camp continued.
Practice Highlights:
• The players came out to the field around 1:15 p.m. to cool temperatures and a light rain that remained intermittently for about an hour before stopping completely for the final hour of practice.
• The special teams circuit of the day focused on the punt team, as the various units worked against scout teams that were trying to block the attempted punts … punters JT Bohlken and Sam Fenlason were able to avoid blocks in each of their attempts, as Taylor Grimes, Andrew Edgar and Charles Woods took turns fielding the punts downfield.
• Wet footballs resulted in a tough 7-on-7 session, as several balls were dropped and Woods recorded a breakup … Bryce Jefferson capped off the session with a 70-yard touchdown strike to Nick Hesse.
• The defense kept the momentum in the 3rd down period, as it came up with stops on 14-of-20 attempts in various down and distance situations … the defense came out with four-straight stop to begin the drill before the offense converted its first attempt … Ryan Guhl recorded three sacks during the period, Stephen Podkulski added a TFL and Dylan Draka recorded the first of two pick sixes on the day.
• Following that session, the team took its shoulder pads off and went through the rest of the practice in helmets only.
• Another brief 7-on-7 session gave way to a 2-minute drill period, with the defense once again putting an early stop to the first drive on an interception by Iverson Brown off a tipped pass … a 29-yard gain from Brady Davis to Edgar on the next attempt gave the offense a bit of momentum, before an interception by Luke Bennyhoff quickly swung momentum in favor of the defense once again … Draka capped off the drill with his second interception for a touchdown.
Thoughts From Coach Spack:
"I've been impressed with the effort of the team. Holding five practices in eight days is a grind, but we are trying to get these practices in to give the players more time off to study for finals and get ready for summer conditioning. This time next week, we will be past the halfway point of the spring, so I urged the players to continue to focus on getting better each and every time they are out here and take advantage of the opportunities presented to them. Things got testy at times out there today and that's to be expected at this point in camp, but we have to re-focus and come out Tuesday ready to improve and learn."
Camp News & Notes:
• Players, coaches and staff took a brief break from the grind of practice on Friday to compete in the team's annual bowling tournament … Bohlken had the high score of the day with a 168.
Up Next:
The Redbirds return to the field Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for practice No. 6. For live updates, photos, and video from 2019 Redbird Football Spring Camp, follow the team's official Twitter (@RedbirdFB) and Instagram (isuredbirdfb) accounts and log onto GoRedbirds.com.
GoRedbirds.com and the Illinois State Redbirds App: Your sources for Illinois State tickets, Weisbecker Scholarship Fund gifts, multimedia, Redbird merchandise, photos and more.
