NORMAL - Bert Whigham would have loved to play tight end in first-year Illinois State football coach Brock Spack's spread offense.

"It would have been a lot more fun," Whigham said. "I might still be at tight end."

As is, Whigham is thankful to be anywhere inside the sidelines as his nomadic Redbird career appears to have found a home in his final collegiate season.

"Defense is what I love now," said Whigham, who never located the top of the ISU depth chart in previous incarnations as a tight end and fullback.

The Redbirds are feeling similarly affectionate about Whigham's pass rushing skills entering Saturday's 1 p.m. Family Day game against Western Illinois at Hancock Stadium.

Whigham had two sacks in ISU's 24-14 victory over Missouri State last Saturday and is tied for seventh on the team with 27 tackles despite starting just once. Whigham has three total sacks, two pass break-ups and a fumble recovery.

"Bert is one of the better athletes in our front seven," Redbird coach Brock Spack said. "He's starting to develop as a good pass rusher. He was able to get after the quarterback the second half of that game and made some plays."

Not fitting into former Coach Denver Johnson's model for a tight end, Whigham also tried his hand at fullback. Even though little game action resulted, Whigham believes the time was well spent.

"It (fullback) was a good thing because I didn't know how to hit," he said. "It took me a year-and-a-half to learn how to hit. I finally figured it out."

Whigham also has delivered some hits on special teams, and has blocked a punt in each of the past three seasons.

"He's done a great job on special teams," said Spack. "He's developing a more physical attitude in the run game. He's got a pretty important role on the team."

Four Redbirds net Silver: Former ISU standouts Boomer Grigsby, Laurent Robinson, Stafford Davis and Jeff Smith have been selected to the Missouri Valley Football Conference Silver Anniversary team.

The naming of the team is in recognition of the conference's 25 years as first the Gateway Conference and now the Missouri Valley.

As a linebacker, Grigsby was a three-time winner of the league's Defensive Player of the Year Award. He has played in the NFL for Kansas City and Miami.

Robinson is a St. Louis Rams' wide receiver who is currently injured. Robinson holds ISU career records for receiving yards (3,007), receptions (192) and receiving touchdowns (29).

An offensive lineman who also served as ISU offensive line coach, Davis was a second team all-conference performer twice and a first teamer twice.

Smith, who played from 1985 to '88, ranks second all-time for both ISU and the Valley in career interceptions with 21.

Blow, Dennis questionable: Redbird tailback Geno Blow and offensive guard Charles Dennis sat out practice on Tuesday with ankle injuries. Both are likely to be game-time decisions on Saturday.