NORMAL, Ill. – The Redbirds took the field for the final time in full pads Thursday morning at Hancock Stadium, before Saturday's annual Red-White scrimmage officially caps off 2019 fall training camp workouts and the focus shifts to gameplanning for the season opener at Northern Illinois.
Practice Highlights:
- After individual drills, a live kickoff return period was the special teams focus of the day as Christian Uphoff and Kacper Rutkiewicz took the first rotation with Uphoff picking up a 30-yard return … however the highlight of the session was a 95-yard touchdown return by Charles Woods as he evaded defenders and came across the field for the score.
- Red Zone was the focus of the 7-on-7 session, with Brady Davis and Bryce Jefferson each taking shots at the end zone … Davis was 4-for-7 including a 17-yard touchdown pass to Rutkiewicz … defenders Paul Engram and Jarrell Jackson each recorded breakups during the drill and Uphoff recorded an interception off a tipped ball.
- The defense also had some big moments in the blitz drill, as Devin Taylor recorded a pick 6 and Jason Lewan added a sack late in the drill.
- A live team Red Zone session followed and it was Uphoff again who put an end to a would-be score, as he grabbed another INT off a tipped pass in the corner of the end zone … Cole Blackman helped the offense take back the momentum soon after, when he snagged a 23-yard pass of the back of a defender for a touchdown off a great throw from Jefferson.
- The action then moved to the goal line, as the offense quickly scored on a 4-yard run by Jeff Proctor … later in the drill Jefferson connected with Eric Rogers for a 7-yard score to cap off a solid period.
- A 35-yard interception return for a touchdown by Damien Jackson was the highlight of the perimeter drill, before the day ended with the team session that focused on 3rd-and-long situations … connections from Davis to Rutkiewicz and Haley, who broke his for a 35-yard gain, helped the first team unit pick up a pair of first downs on its first series … an interception by Luther Kirk put an end to the period as practice came to an end.
Thoughts From Coach Spack
"This team continues to grind and get better every day. We've pushed them pretty hard this week with some physical practices, and I think they've responded well. We've certainly learned some things about some guys this week and have a better idea of who we will be able to trust come game time. Our live work focused on crucial situations and will we continue to do that moving forward as the season goes on, because there is no doubt that games are won and lost in the Red Zone and on crucial third-down plays. I think the team realized that today, and we were pleased with how they responded."
Camp News & Notes:
- At tonight's team meeting, walk-ons Kevin Brown, Luke Bennyhoff and Joey Lombardi were asked to come to the front of the room and were surprised with scholarships by head coach Brock Spack.
- The team's final tune up before Saturday's scrimmage will take place Friday night under the lights at Hancock Stadium, to help the team prepare for the opener under the lights at NIU.
Up Next:
The Redbirds return to the field Friday at 8 p.m. for practice No. 13. For updates, photos, and video from 2019 Redbird Football Fall Camp, follow the team's official Twitter (@RedbirdFB) and Instagram (isuredbirdfb) accounts and log onto GoRedbirds.com.
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