Spring Practice!!!

fourthandshort

fourthandshort

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Total Red said:
pantagraph.com

Offense piles up yards, points in Illinois State's Spring Showcase scrimmage

The Red defeated the White 33-21.
pantagraph.com pantagraph.com
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Nice to hear about offense, since I have very few concerns (maybe DL depth) on defense. If it helps keep both QBs, I'm not opposed to a platoon system this fall. Either way we go, this offense seems like it will transition well from the Annexstad era.

Rittenhouse completed 16 of 24 passes for 133 yards and a TD, while Rubley was 15 of 22 for 166 yards and three TDs. Neither threw an interception.

Sorry to rain on this great camp report ... but also need to mention the portal officially opens up Tuesday for 2 weeks ... April 16 - 30. Though for grad transfers, it stays open 1 extra day to May 1st ... I guess to help them see where their best opportunities are after everyone else makes their moves.
 
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MadBird

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fourthandshort said:
Nice to hear about offense, since I have very few concerns (maybe DL depth) on defense. If it helps keep both QBs, I'm not opposed to a platoon system this fall.

Rittenhouse completed 16 of 24 passes for 133 yards and a TD, while Rubley was 15 of 22 for 166 yards and three TDs. Neither threw an interception.
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Also, if our D is as good as we think it is, and we had nearly 50 passes w/o a pick, that's a good thing! Right?
 
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MadBird

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Total Red said:
goredbirds.com

SPRING CAMP REPORT 8: Red Team Wins Spring Showcase - Illinois State University Athletics

Illinois State football wrapped up Spring Camp 2024 on Saturday, as the Redbirds competed in the annual Spring Showcase Scrimmage in front of a great crowd of Redbirds
goredbirds.com goredbirds.com
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This story says Josh Robinson had a 20 yard rush, and then a 1 yd TD rush, but then lists his final stats as 28 yards in 15 attempts - meaning 7 yards in his 13 other carries? That's gotta be a typo, I hope?
 
Total Red

Total Red

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fourthandshort said:
Sorry to rain on this great camp report ... but also need to mention the portal officially opens up Tuesday for 2 weeks ... April 16 - 30. Though for grad transfers, it stays open 1 extra day to May 1st ... I guess to help them see where their best opportunities are after everyone else makes their moves.
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Why do you see transfer portal openings as rain? We had a net gain in the portal at the end of the season with Jake Rubley being the highest profile transfer. I'm hoping we can hold our own in the spring or perhaps come out on top again.

I know the staff is still looking at linemen. We just brought in another from D-II UTPB. I'll never say no to a quality lineman on either side of the ball, but I don't see that as our biggest need. I'd like to shore up the placekicking and I would still be on the lookout for a cornerback and WR.
 
fourthandshort

fourthandshort

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Total Red said:
Why do you see transfer portal openings as rain? We had a net gain in the portal at the end of the season with Jake Rubley being the highest profile transfer. I'm hoping we can hold our own in the spring or perhaps come out on top again.

I know the staff is still looking at linemen. We just brought in another from D-II UTPB. I'll never say no to a quality lineman on either side of the ball, but I don't see that as our biggest need. I'd like to shore up the placekicking and I would still be on the lookout for a cornerback and WR.
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Not being pessimistic .. partly just a FYI/buyers beware, and partly concerned with our depth causing some to get wandering eyes.


But just between you and me .. here's how I really feel about next fall ...

jonah-hill-excited.gif
 
StLRedbird

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Strongest impressions from my first spring game...

1. We're gonna be fine at QB.
2. We're gonna strong at RB.
3. WR group looks like more of the same - adequate? Rubley has a big arm.
4. OL did okay, which is odd to say with the number of long runs we had. Most of those happened early in the game, but I didn't see the gaping holes that the JBC guys were talking about. Pass protection was outstanding. The sacks that were given up were of the coverage variety, so see #3.
5. DL did well, I thought. There were a couple pretty big failures to seal the edge, but they settled down and had a really good second half. Concensus biggest need is a nose tackle, so if they find that guy we might have pretty good group.

Spent my time focused on the line play, so I don't have any thoughts on the secondary or LBs in coverage, but I think the coverage sacks probably say something.

Great way to spend a spring day. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong headset and was streaming the play by play from my phone onto some headphones. They were anywhere from one to two plays behind the live action. Gonna go read others thoughts.
 
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DaveBird10

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StLRedbird said:
Strongest impressions from my first spring game...

1. We're gonna be fine at QB.
2. We're gonna strong at RB.
3. WR group looks like more of the same - adequate? Rubley has a big arm.
4. OL did okay, which is odd to say with the number of long runs we had. Most of those happened early in the game, but I didn't see the gaping holes that the JBC guys were talking about. Pass protection was outstanding. The sacks that were given up were of the coverage variety, so see #3.
5. DL did well, I thought. There were a couple pretty big failures to seal the edge, but they settled down and had a really good second half. Concensus biggest need is a nose tackle, so if they find that guy we might have pretty good group.

Spent my time focused on the line play, so I don't have any thoughts on the secondary or LBs in coverage, but I think the coverage sacks probably say something.

Great way to spend a spring day. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong headset and was streaming the play by play from my phone onto some headphones. They were anywhere from one to two plays behind the live action. Gonna go read others thoughts.
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This is spot on especially #5 my concern at nose, that what hurt last year. Dont want that to happen again. Something to keep in mind with the o-line is Lt Jj Guedet, Lg Zambrano and Rg Ryan Guaditis didn't play.
 
fourthandshort

fourthandshort

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StLRedbird said:
Strongest impressions from my first spring game...

1. We're gonna be fine at QB.
2. We're gonna strong at RB.
3. WR group looks like more of the same - adequate? Rubley has a big arm.
4. OL did okay, which is odd to say with the number of long runs we had. Most of those happened early in the game, but I didn't see the gaping holes that the JBC guys were talking about. Pass protection was outstanding. The sacks that were given up were of the coverage variety, so see #3.
5. DL did well, I thought. There were a couple pretty big failures to seal the edge, but they settled down and had a really good second half. Concensus biggest need is a nose tackle, so if they find that guy we might have pretty good group.

Spent my time focused on the line play, so I don't have any thoughts on the secondary or LBs in coverage, but I think the coverage sacks probably say something.

Great way to spend a spring day. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong headset and was streaming the play by play from my phone onto some headphones. They were anywhere from one to two plays behind the live action. Gonna go read others thoughts.
Click to expand...
Only point I would make different is our WR group ... yes, we've been very thin at WR as our pass game has declined or been sporadic at best. But one we found a QB who could drop back and throw it, WRs started to emerge. So I think we will continue to be pleasantly surprised like we've been since QB Annexstad and OC Peterson got here in 2022. Now we see Rittenhouse developing nicely and coming in with nearly full playbook last year. And then we see 4 star Rubley transfer here from K St along with a WR buddy. The WRs will continue to develop and surprise, plus the portal and HS recruits ... we may already have a few stars waiting their turn to see the field when it matters.
 
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MadBird

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I've had high hopes over the last few years for some of the young WR's that have been brought in, but some transferred, some never broke out - still waiting on a couple still on the roster.

But I looked back, and you know, hard for me to know for sure if its a problem or not, but over the last 9 years (all that's easily found on the web site), we've had 5 different WR coaches. And oddly enough, even a couple who were here for a couple years or more weren't WR's in their playing days, as far as I can tell. Or were in their first coaching opportunity. One looks to be not in coaching anymore at all.

Mickey Turner, current WR coach, seems to have been a TE and TE coach. Ghaali Muhammen-Lankford was RB I believe and a RB coach. Current OC Tony Petersen was the WR coach his first year as OC. Hard to build a "system" when you're changing coaches every couple years, or when you're picking it up w/o much background as a WR coach. Just seems to me, someone who knows nothing.

Sure seems like Petersen has the O working together nicely as a unit, using team strengths well.

And I should add - I preach all the time about not counting too much on freshman or sophs to contribute, to wait for guys to get acclimated and polished, so, I have to do that with a couple of my guys.
 
Total Red

Total Red

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StLRedbird said:
Strongest impressions from my first spring game...

1. We're gonna be fine at QB.
2. We're gonna strong at RB.
3. WR group looks like more of the same - adequate? Rubley has a big arm.
4. OL did okay, which is odd to say with the number of long runs we had. Most of those happened early in the game, but I didn't see the gaping holes that the JBC guys were talking about. Pass protection was outstanding. The sacks that were given up were of the coverage variety, so see #3.
5. DL did well, I thought. There were a couple pretty big failures to seal the edge, but they settled down and had a really good second half. Concensus biggest need is a nose tackle, so if they find that guy we might have pretty good group.

Spent my time focused on the line play, so I don't have any thoughts on the secondary or LBs in coverage, but I think the coverage sacks probably say something.

Great way to spend a spring day. Unfortunately, I grabbed the wrong headset and was streaming the play by play from my phone onto some headphones. They were anywhere from one to two plays behind the live action. Gonna go read others thoughts.
Click to expand...
#4 - A lot was made of the O-linemen missing but the D-line was missing two potential starters in Jake Anderson and Nick Kessler. Anderson, in particular is poised to have a great season. He's bulked up and he could play NT. If so, Galloway could move to T or even E. Galloway has a squatty build that has him typecast as a NT, but he moves better than you would expect so he can play anywhere on the D-line.

The offense was also helped by the vanilla defense. Basic coverages without blitzing. Niekamp did shoot gap for 1 sack but not much other than that. That's all the more reason to carry the QB competition into the early season games. We have to see how the QBs respond to live fire.

I didn't like the DBs letting receivers get behind them. It's not like our WR's have top tier speed. It was more biting on fakes and breaking coverage. The defense is solid. It if doesn't give up big plays it won't give up a lot of points because long drives will be hard to sustain. The D gave up too many big plays.
 
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Birdswin

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Agree with a lot of the comments. I will add - Yes, Josh Robinson has a couple of nice runs and scored from short yardage, but after several attempts. I hate to bring this up - special teams - UGH. We missed the first extra point, fumbled a punt, and several of the long snaps were not very good - low on extra points and high on punts.

With the two kickers - the new guy would be for extra points and short FGs, - use Wagner for kick-offs and longer attempts. Seems to me, Wagner has a good, strong leg - accuracy is clearly an issue. I wonder if we have anyone - who can coach kickers?
 
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