SPRING CAMP REPORT 4: No Fly Zone

NORMAL, Ill. – On a day when the Redbird football program focused heavily on situational play in the Red Zone, the ISU defense did its best to make Hancock Stadium a No Fly Zone Thursday afternoon during the team's spring camp workout.

Practice Highlights:
•    As the horn sounded to end the individual period, the first 7-on-7 session started and the defense forced three-straight pass breakups: two by Clayton Isbell and one by Iverson Brown … the Redbird quarterbacks then completed six of their next seven attempts, before a breakup by Mike Gardner on a deep ball and an interception by Sean Paradise ended things on a high note for the defense.
•    With full pads on, things got physical in the blitz period as Nigel White and Pha'leak Brown each carried the ball and picked up solid gains … the defense fought back with a breakup from Zeke Vandenburgh and another by Isbell, before a sack by Luke McCall … the offense rallied at the end of the period, with 20-yard completion from Jackson Waring to TreShawn Watson and a first-down run by White.
•    The second 7-on-7 drill followed and it was dominated by the defensive secondary, with Franky West kicking things off with a pick 6 on the first play … after completions by Britton Morris and Bryce Jefferson, Isbell continued his dominant performance with an interception along the sideline and Dillon Gearhart followed with one of his own … pass breakups by Gardner and Spencer DeForest … it was DeForest who then picked off a pass on a tipped ball off the hands of the would-be receiver and Charles Woods followed with one of his own on the very next play … the period came to an end on Julian Haynie breakup and a 25-yard completion from Waring to Eric Rogers. 
•    Focus then shifted to the team period and work in the Red Zone, with each of the units getting two shots to score … the first-team offense was able to pick up a first down, but their first drive stalled and Aidan Bresnahan was called on to boot a 27-yard field goal which put through the uprights … a quick three-and-out by the second-team offense was followed by a quick score from the third-team unit, as an 18-yard run from Melvin Pettis on the first play put his team at the 2-yard line and three plays later Morris found Javon Charles for the touchdown at the pilon.
•    Round two in the Red Zone went much better for the offense, as each group found the end zone … starting from the 12 yard line, the first-team unit needed just four plays to score on a two-yard fullback dive by Timothy McCloyn II … the second-team unit followed their lead and also scored in four plays as Tyler Pennington bowled his way in from three yards out for a touchdown … the third-team unit wasted little time in putting an exclamation mark on the session, as a 12-yard touchdown pass from Morris to Watson on the first play brought things to an end.

Up Next: 
The Redbirds return to the field Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for practice No. 8 and the team's first intra-squad scrimmage of the spring. For updates, photos, and video from 2021 Redbird Football Spring Camp, follow the team's official Twitter (@RedbirdFB), Instagram (isuredbirdfb) and Facebook (isuredbirdfootball) accounts and log onto GoRedbirds.com.

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