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Basically the entire B1G has spring games this weekend, so here are 5 things to watch for

Connor O'Gara

By Connor O'Gara

Published:

I have no idea.

Oh, I assumed you asked me the question “why in the world is every B1G team playing their spring game this weekend? On Masters weekend, no less?

I have no idea. I just write about the games.

Ok, so it’s not quite every B1G team who will have a spring game this weekend. But it’s 10 of them. That’s as many as I can remember falling on a given weekend since I started doing this 4 years ago.

If you haven’t seen the schedule yet, here you go. You can basically spend the entire afternoon watching spring football, which is totally acceptable when we’re still 5 months away from actual football.

So let’s pretend you are that person and you need 5 things to watch for. I’ve got you covered.

1. Justin Fields’ public Ohio State debut

Random thought: It’s baffling that at this time a year ago, we were sitting here discussing the 3-way quarterback battle between Dwayne Haskins, Joe Burrow and Tate Martell, and none of them are on the roster a year later. Welcome to college football in 2019.

All eyes will be on Fields this year, and barring some wild scenario in which he transfers again, he’ll be on Ohio State’s roster a year from now.

I can’t wait to see Fields in Ryan Day’s system. Part of Fields’ frustration at Georgia was how he was used primarily as a runner, which was well-documented. Um, that won’t be the case with Day. Obviously the Buckeyes aren’t going to bust out the full arsenal, but they’re going to give Fields plenty of chances to show off that rocket arm and stretch the field.

Fields was impressive as an early enrollee at Georgia’s spring game last year. Like, impressive to the point where some thought he deserved to start over Jake Fromm, who was fresh off leading the program to its first national title in 37 years as a true freshman.

In other words, yeah, I expect Fields to dazzle on Saturday.

2. Does the Nebraska defense actually look capable?

Of course Nebraska fans want to see Adrian Martinez look like a Heisman Trophy contender on Saturday, but they probably wouldn’t mind if the Blackshirts lived up to their name. That was of course the biggest question entering the Scott Frost era, and after a season in which it finished No. 88 nationally in scoring.

This just in — finishing 1 spot ahead of Rutgers in total defense won’t get Nebraska to a B1G Championship.

The Huskers actually lost a lot of production from that side of the ball. Some might consider that a good thing. The good news is reports are that leading tackler Mohamad Barry has taken up more of a leadership role and they have plenty of experience on the defensive line with brothers Carlos and Khalil Davis as well as Darrion and Damion Daniels.

Sure, contact is limited, but it would be a positive to see Nebraska getting some push up front and stopping the run better than it did last year. The Huskers won’t take that next step if they can’t improve on their No. 95 run defense.

3. Brian Lewerke’s health

Here’s the good news. Lewerke says he’s healthy again after a season in which he was plagued by an injury to his right shoulder.

Here’s the bad news. Didn’t Lewerke try and shake off the notion that anything was holding him back last year when everyone could clearly see he wasn’t right?

That’s my way of saying, I’ll let my eyes do the talking when it comes to evaluating Lewerke’s shoulder. It’s amazing what happens when opposing defenses know that a quarterback can’t throw. MSU’s offense was a predictable train wreck that couldn’t overcome its weaknesses against better competition.

The timing of that injury was brutal because Lewerke had the makings of someone who could become one of college football’s better quarterbacks last year. He can still become that and look like a better version of his 2017 self, but only if he’s healthy. We’ll get a good look at that progress on Saturday.

4. What’s the vibe at Penn State?

This question might seem a little broad. I could’ve easily gone with how the Lions look without Trace McSorley or what we’re going to see in Year 2 from Micah Parsons. But I’m interested in seeing just what Happy Valley is like for a spring game after an odd offseason.

It’ll be different than the last couple years when Penn State fans had swan songs for Saquon Barkley and McSorley, both of whom were the faces of teams who competed for B1G Championships. With all the roster turnover the Lions had this offseason, especially on the offensive side of the ball, I’m curious how optimistic James Franklin is and what the crowd showing will look like.

Penn State was fourth in the nation in spring attendance last year with a whopping 71,000 fans (of course that’s a nice round number).

I wouldn’t blame Lions fans if that incredible number took a slight hit, and Lord knows Penn State won’t let that number look too bad even if there are noticeably less fans.

The good news is that despite losing McSorley and Miles Sanders, Penn State has 3 proven playmakers in K.J. Hamler, Ricky Slade and Pat Freiermuth. Perhaps a couple highlight-reel scores from them will provide all the life needed for Saturday’s scrimmage.

5. How much different a Josh Gattis-led Michigan offense looks

Oh, wait. Michigan isn’t going to have a TV broadcast of its spring game.

Crazy concept, right?

For what it’s worth, there will be a radio broadcast and a live stream of the “action.” And actually, it’s just going to be a normal practice with a scrimmage at the end. So get excited for that!

This isn’t by accident. It’s because Jim Harbaugh would like to reveal as little as possible when it comes to his new offense. But even he won’t be able to keep things quiet if Saturday reveals a Michigan offense that’s lighting up the scoreboard against Don Brown’s defense.

Harbaugh handed Gattis the keys to the car, which has been stuck in neutral for the past few years. Gattis is reportedly introducing modern spread concepts, and he’ll have complete control of the offense with Harbaugh taking a step back.

Say goodbye to the dated pro-style offense of old, and say hello to the new “Speed in Space” offense that Gattis will utilize.

And maybe, just maybe, Michigan will say hello to a division title in 2019.

Connor O'Gara

Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.