 A light drizzle and wind greeted the players as they took the field
to begin stretching, but the rain came down harder and temperatures
dropped as the Redbirds completed their workout in helmets, jerseys
and shorts. Head coach Brock Spack cautioned his players to play
against the strong winds Tuesday in their first workout and was
pleased to see how they fought off the rain and cold Thursday.
"We've had such nice weather here the last month or so that I think
we all got spoiled," Spack said. "It's still spring, and we are
bound to have to play in some rainy, cool and windy conditions. I
liked how the players kept their concentration today and played
through it and got their work in. At this point, without the pads
on, it's all about repetition and technique, and I think the focus
was there today."
It didn't take long for the footballs to get slick during
one-on-one drills with the quarterbacks, receivers and defensive
backs, which caused some errant throws early on. The Redbird
quarterbacks adjusted quickly and made some nice connections,
including a long touchdown pass from Cameron Meredith to Scott
Kuehn.
From there, they moved into the 7-on-7 drill, and short, quick
connections were the name of the game. Senior Matt Brown found his
favorite target in senior Tyrone Walker for a couple of first-down
gains and also connected with Lechein Neblett on his first series.
Meredith then found Chick Chatham for three straight completions on
his rotation to give the first- and second-stringers a perfect start
to the drill.
Brown's second series wasn't as easy, as senior middle linebacker
Mike Zimmer greeted him with an interception on his first attempt,
and ensuing attempts to junior Jordan Neukirch were unsuccessful.
Chatham continued to show his playmaking ability with receptions
later in the drill from Justin Lane, and Tyler Lovgren capped off
the drill on a high note for the defense with an interception return
for a touchdown on a tipped pass from Adam Pittser.
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The 30-minute team session appeared a bit livelier on day two,
with a lot more chatter on both sides of the football. Darrelynn
Dunn ripped off a big run early to set the tone, and Jonathon Miller
had a pair of solid rushes. The early offensive effort was put to a
stop when Nate Palmer sacked Justin Lane for a big loss.
Following a long completion down the far sideline from Brown to
Neblett, Will Davis recorded his first sack of camp, and he was
followed up a few plays later by Colton Underwood and Shelby Harris,
who combined for the third sack of the drill. Safety Ezra Thompson
capped off the impressive drill for the defense with a pass breakup
and near interception on the final play before practice ended.
ISU will wrap up its first week of workouts and have its first
fully padded workout at Hancock Stadium beginning Saturday at 11
a.m.
[Text from file received from
Illinois State]
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