NORMAL — Illinois State football coach Brock Spack loves to talk about sophomore tailback Jordan Birch.
“Ooh, he was pretty good today,” said Spack after the Redbirds’ Saturday morning intrasquad scrimmage at Hancock Stadium. “He’s a very talented player. He’s a big back, hard to tackle with great ball skills.”
But ask the ISU coach if and how Birch will be utilized in the passing game in the coming season, and Spack suddenly turns more succinct.
“Yes,” Spack said simply with a wait-and-see grin.
As a redshirt freshman, Birch rushed for 77 yards on 20 carries and caught one pass for a 2-yard loss.