McLean County Times

The third practice of fall training camp proved to be the most challenging yet for Illinois State University (ISU). On Saturday morning at Hancock Stadium, the Redbirds donned shoulder pads for the first time amid warm and humid conditions. The two-hour session marked ISU's third consecutive day of practice, with a particular focus on converting third-down situations.

During the initial special teams circuit and position drills, Redbird quarterbacks faced significant pressure in passing drills. Defensive player Nigel White set the tone by breaking up the first pass attempt. Quarterback Tommy Rittenhouse then completed passes to Xavier Loyd and Eddie Kasper. Nick Kessler recorded two sacks during this period, accompanied by a pass breakup from Cameron Wilson. Jake Rubley and Rittenhouse later connected on six completions, including two to Tommy Donovan.

In the blitz drill that followed, Wenkers Wright managed a 30-plus yard touchdown run against the pressure. Seth Glatz also had notable runs, while Jalan Gaines secured a sack and Patrick Bauer broke up a pass.

Kessler continued his strong performance in perimeter drills with a tackle for loss (TFL) on the first play. The offense responded with runs by Josh Robinson and Glatz, along with a completion from Rittenhouse to Donovan. Freshman Jashawn Echols highlighted action on another field with an interception returned for a touchdown.

During 7-on-7 drills, Rubley completed four out of five passes to Javon Charles, Robinson, Mason King, and Eddie Kasper. Rittenhouse mirrored this success with completions to Braden Contreras (twice), Scotty Presson Jr., and Max Ziebarth.

The team session concentrated on third-down scenarios where Garret Steffen initiated proceedings with a TFL. Rubley later found Presson and Contreras for conversions before King advanced the chains again with a run. Despite defensive stops and an Amir Abdullah sack, Rubley connected with Glatz for a 27-yard touchdown—the only score of this drill. Runs by Robinson led to further third-down conversions until Gaines recorded another TFL. Cal Martine’s strong run up the middle moved the chains once more before Rittenhouse’s completion to Brett Kasper ended practice following Steven Curtis’ sack.

Practice concluded with point-after-touchdown (PAT) and field goal attempts from kickers Ian Wagner and Michael Cosentino.

The Redbirds will return for their fourth practice on Sunday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. For ongoing updates, photos, and videos from Redbird Football Spring Camp 2024, follow their official X (@RedbirdFB) and Instagram (isuredbirdfb) accounts or visit GoRedbirds.com.

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