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| SportsMonday, August 20, 2007 9:27 PM CDT |
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New ISU backup QB shines in final tuneup
NORMAL -- The Illinois State football team ran out from under its new scoreboard through its new entrance onto its new FieldTurf surface Saturday at Hancock Stadium. Also part of the grand unveiling was the debut of the Redbirds’ new second string quarterback, Preston Earl. Elevated one spot on the depth chart by Kevin Brockway contracting mononucleosis, Earl completed 6 of 9 passes for 57 yards in an intrasquad scrimmage that represents the end of ISU’s preseason training camp. “I was disappointed that Kevin happened to get sick. But I’m definitely ready and excited for the opportunity,” Earl said. “If it comes down to me having to step up and be a big player, I’m ready. I’m thankful for the opportunity, and I’m going to take advantage of it.” A redshirt freshman walk-on, Earl is the top back up to veteran starter Luke Drone. “He’s had a good camp. He’s been one of the guys I think has really made significant progress,” ISU coach Denver Johnson said of Earl. “You’re always just a sprained ankle from moving up on the depth chart. Now he’s one sprained ankle away from being No. 1. It was good to see Preston out there taking snaps. All in all, I thought he did pretty well.” During a first half that featured a 30-minute running clock, Drone completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to Kevett Mickle. On the next possession, Earl directed the offense on a drive that culminated in a 1-yard Cortes Rice touchdown run. “One year makes a big difference in development, especially at this level,” said Earl, the son of former Chicago Bears player Robin Earl. “The coaches have done a fantastic job getting me ready for this year. If the opportunity comes, I’ll be ready to execute and distribute the ball for the team.” Drone completed 10 of 16 passes for 86 yards. New No. 3 signal-caller Drew Kiel was 6 of 7 for 40 yards. “I thought the first team offense came out fast. We executed,” Drone said. “All of the guys were going what they were supposed to do. That’s all you can ask for.” Eyad Salem paced all receivers with four catches for 34 yards. Parrish Fisher was the leading rusher with 60 yards on 11 carries. Rafael Rice had 57 yards on 14 attempts, Geno Blow 50 yards on 14 carries and Cortes Rice 46 yards on 12 tries. “I was a little disappointed in the second half,” Johnson said. “I thought the first half we were pretty sharp, pretty crisp. But we came out the second half and had a helluva pillow fight out there. We take the intermission and then try to work special teams. It kind of disrupted the rhythm of it.” Cornerback Chris Garrett and linebackers Bill Hronec and Tony Trujillo had 10 tackles each to pace the defense. “The first series kind of scared me. We were kind of getting beat,” Hronec said. “But we were playing cover four, and they were just running outs. After that, we were shutting down the run, and they weren’t able to do much. We were swarming to the ball and making good tackles.” True freshman defensive lineman Keenan Wimbley had sacks of Kiel on three consecutive plays. Linebacker J.W. Sheering broke up two passes. “The sack came from listening to Coach (Chris) Patton,” said Wimbley. “He let my change my stance. I’m just happy that he gave me that opportunity.” In the ongoing battle for the starting place-kicker position, Kevin Mazur was 2 of 3 from 32 yards, 1 of 2 from 42 yards and missed a 43-yard attempt. Tyler Funk was 1 of 3 from 32 yards and 1 of 2 from 42. “All in all, this is the best camp we’ve ever had,” Johnson said. “We’re not ready to play, but I feel pretty good about where we are.” ISU opens its season Aug. 30 in a 6:30 p.m. nonconference game against Drake at Hancock Stadium. Get area high school sports scores and statistics at Varsity Sports. E-mail this story | Print this story | Search archives | RSS Show comments |  Hide comments | Hide comments on all stories |
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