Spring Camp Report 7: Defense Holds Strong In Second Scrimmage

NORMAL, Ill. – For maybe the first time all spring, the Illinois State football team was met with warmer temperatures and some sun Saturday morning as the Redbirds ran nearly 70 plays in their second scrimmage of the spring camp at Hancock Stadium.

Scrimmage Notes:
•    Today's scrimmage was nearly 30 plays less than last week's, as the defense bounced back from a strong offense performance in the first scrimmage to only allow 2.9 yards per play on 66 plays in the second scrimmage
•    The focus of the day was run heavy, with two-thirds of the plays being run on the ground … junior college transfer Jeff Proctor followed up his 132-yard effort last week by averaging 4.2 yards per carry and running for 89 yards and a touchdown today … fellow running back Kevin Brown also added a touchdown on the ground
•    Receiving numbers were limited, however both Taylor Grimes (23 yards) and Cole Blackman (16 yards) made big plays when needed in the passing game … Fullback Tim McCloyn had the only receiving touchdown on the day, as he snagged a pass from Brady Davis in the end zone for a score during the red zone period 
•    Defensively, a total of 12 players had three tackles or more, with linebackers DeMarco Washington, Tuvone Clark and Zeke Vandenburgh each tallying six … overall, the defense recorded three sacks, eight TFLs, and had a pair of takeaways on the day
•    Charles Woods had one of two turnovers during the scrimmage, as he and Andrew Edgar battled for a jump ball in the end zone and he was able to come down with it for the INT … the only other turnover came on a fumble recovery by Dylan Draka after a bad quarterback-center exchange
•    Christian Uphoff had a solid all-around day, recording three tackles, a sack and two TFLs while also forcing a safety for the defense on a blitz with the offense backed up deep in their own end of the field

Thoughts From Coach Spack:
"The defense was very strong today, particularly early in the scrimmage. They had the momentum and the offense out of rhythm, but to the offense's credit they fought back when we changed the tempo a bit and finished the day strong. We limited turnovers today as well, which is something I have been really impressed with the past couple weeks, and both sides had some young players step up and make plays. Now, we head into the last week of camp looking to finish strong and head into the summer healthy and on a high note."

Passing Leaders:
•    Brady Davis: 7-for-13, 49 yds., 1 TD
•    Bryce Jefferson: 4-for-8, 25 yds.

Rushing Leaders:
•    Jeff Proctor: 21 att., 89 yds., 1 TD
•    Melvin Pettis: 8 att., 32 yds.

Receiving Leaders:
•    Eric Rogers: 3 rec., 19 yds.
•    Taylor Grimes: 2 rec., 23 yds.
•    Cole Blackman: 1 rec., 16 yds.

Defensive Leaders:
•    DeMarco Washington: 6 tackles, 5 solo, 1 QBH
•    Tuvone Clark: 6 tackles, 4 solo, 1 Sack, 2 TFL, 2 QBH
•    Zeke Vandenburgh: 6 tackles, 2 solo
•    Ryan Guhl: 4 tackles, 1 Sack, 1 TFL
•    Clayton Isbell: 4 tackles, 2 PBU
•    Christian Uphoff: 3 tackles, 1 Sack, 2 TFL, Safety

Up Next:
The Redbirds return to the field Tuesday at 3:30 p.m. for practice No. 12. 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.

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