In college football, scout teams play a pivotal role in the preparation for first stringers to build on before game day.

“We take a lot of pride in the scout team,” said NIU defensive end Cameron Clinton-Earl. “We’re helping our main offense get better, and we’re making ourselves better by going up against the best.”

Players have to learn a new scheme every week due to the different opponents the Huskies face each game.

“[Learning the Army offense] was really, really different,” Spencer said. “I’d be playing fullback, and I’ve never played fullback before, and they were more downhill. [With] other teams, you get more freedom.”

Scout players constantly get repetitions at their respective positions during practice with little breaks in between.

“Sometimes it’s a bit of a grind because we don’t have substitutes,” Clinton-Earl said. “I’d say that’s the biggest negative [of being on the scout team].”

Despite having more repetitions throughout practice and getting a little more worn down, Spencer and Clinton-Earl look at the scout team in a positive way.

“You’re still out there playing football,” the Milwaukee, Wis. native said. “It’s not like you’re sitting on the sideline not doing anything. The older guys who are still on scout team tell us to take pride in what we do because we’re making each other better.”

Spencer likes the challenge he faces each day when he takes the field.

“You got more to play for,” He said. “It’s like climbing a ladder: You start at the bottom, but you get better everyday knowing that the competition ahead of you drives you to go harder.”