Tuesday practice report

The freshman wide receiver made plays when the ball came his way throughout the 2 1/2 hour practice. He outfought cornerback Tommy Davis to catch a touchdown in a drill where the offense needed a touchdown to win. He made his daily diving catch and ran consistently solid routes. The longer Moore keeps this up, the better his chances are of seeing the field this season.

"He's played well," NIU coach Jerry Kill said. "The thing about Martel is that he hasn't gotten run down during camp. He's been able to maintain the same speed. The guy isn't real heavy but he doesn't seem run down. He continues to do well and show up. He wants to play."

Right tackle Kevin Skatrud will see a doctor on Thursday to get an examination on his injured left knee. Skatrud has been out of practice for about a week.

The defense won the 4-yard drill in dominant fashion, 6-1. The No. 1 defense won all four of its points against the No. 1 offense, holding up running back Chad Spann just shy of four yards on two runs. DeMarcus Grady connected on a pass to Preston Williams for the offense's lone point in the drill.

Speaking of Grady, after watching him closely for a few days it's tough not to notice what he's gotten better at. What I think is at the top of the list, though, is his pocket presence. Twice in 11-on-11 play he kept plays alive with his feet but instead of taking off on a run, he kept looking through the progression of his wide receivers and found an open wideout for a long gain.

"I think it goes with experience," Kill said. "He's getting a lot of reps. That has a lot to do with it."

Defensive end Sean Progar had his second straight good practice. He's bulked up since last season and he's starting to learn how to play with that weight effectively.

Kill said his punters have continued to do well and that he feels good about the position. Kicker Mike Salerno does work with the punters, but don't look for him to punt on Saturdays in addition to his kicking duties.