NORMAL, Ill. – The third practice of fall training camp was the toughest yet for Illinois State, as shoulder pads went on for the first time and the Redbirds were met with warm and humid temperatures on Saturday morning at Hancock Stadium. The two-hour workout was ISU's third in as many days and had a focus on converting in third-down situations.
Practice Highlights:
• After the special teams circuit and position drills got things started, the passing under pressure drill commenced as Redbird quarterbacks looked to make big plays under duress … the defense struck first as Nigel White broke up the first pass attempt of the period on a great read and break on the receiver … Tommy Rittenhouse then settled down with a pair of completions to Xavier Loyd and Eddie Kasper to get the offense back on track … two plays later, Nick Kessler picked up the first of his two sacks during the session and that was followed by a pass breakup by Cameron Wilson … another sack by Kessler was surrounded by six completions by Jake Rubley and Rittenhouse, with Tommy Donovan catching a pair of passes during that stretch.