By Bryan Bloodworth
NORMAL – As Illinois State football coach Brock Spack examined his team’s season-opening 31-14 at Iowa last Saturday, the sixth-year coach came to this conclusion.
“There’s a lot to be encouraged about,” said Spack during his weekly news conference Tuesday. “The game itself can be deceiving. When you watch the tape you’re never as good as you played and you’re never as bad as you played.
PODCAST: Listen to Spack news conference here.
“I thought ‘oh boy they really manhandled us up front on defense.’ When I watched the tape there were moments when that happened, but it wasn’t a manhandling. It was one guy getting beat here and there.”
What else did Spack learn?
“I learned that we have a chance to be a pretty good football team – not pretty good – but real good,” he continued. “I was encouraged by the back-up players, who came in and played.
“The good news is a lot of guys got playing time. The young receivers all caught a ball and the tight ends are going to be good players just like I thought they were going to be.
“I wasn’t discouraged at all. There was some disappointment in some of the things we did, but you give up zero turnovers and two penalties for 10 yards, you take that in the first game.
“I was hoping Iowa wouldn’t be that excited to play and they we’re very excited to play. Of the four FBS schools we’ve played since I’ve been here, it’s the best team I’ve seen.
“I think there’s a lot to build on, so we move forward and get ready for another playoff team (Morgan State) from last year – a team that’s a very good team. Don’t let their first game fool you (a 63-7 loss at Air Force). This team is very capable. This is not Mississippi Valley State. We’ll have our hands full.”
Morgan State is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference located in Baltimore. The Bears return 65 players, including 20 lettermen, from last year’s 7-6 team that earned and share of the league’s championship and lost to Villanova in the second-round of the FCS playoffs.
The Bears were without 10 of their players, including six returning starters, who were declared academically ineligible by the NCAA prior to last week’s loss. Their status this week is unknown.
“Their base (defense) is very similar to us in a lot of respects,” Spack continued. “They want to be a 4-3 team like us. They have athletic guys, who can burst to the ball that can cause you some issues if you don’t get a body on people.
“They’ll give you multiple formation groupings on offense. They’ll be in a pistol a lot more than we’ve seen in the past. I like their backs. They have good foot speed. Their receivers can really run and their line is big.”
Game time is 6:30 p.m. as the Redbirds look to extend their home winning streak to 14.
Bryan Bloodworth can be reached at lefty@wjbc.com
