Ohio State Football: Things to Watch in Urban Meyer's First Buckeye Spring Game

With the terrible season the Ohio State Buckeyes had last year, they've been itching for the spring game to kickoff. Sure, it's only an over-hyped practice, but it provides them with something to think about other than the horrible 6-7 season they were forced to experience just a few months ago. 

It also provides them a chance to see new head coach Urban Meyer in action and should provide a sneak peak of how this team is looking as we inch closer to the regular season. Things should begin changing for the better for this Buckeye program.

With the game taking place on Saturday, here are five things you should watch for.

Middle Linebacker Competition

Linebackers Etienne Sabino and Ryan Shazier are penciled in to be the starters on the outside. But the middle linebacker position is still up for grabs and likely will remain a battle going into the fall. It's between last year's starter Storm Klein and former five-star recruit Curtis Grant.

Both have been banged up throughout the spring, but it appears that if the season was to start today, Grant would be named the starter. Klein played in every game last season and finished with 45 tackles, two tackles for loss and one sack. Grant played very little last season, but was rated the number one overall outside linebacker in the 2011 class.

The Buckeyes are known for their talented linebackers and this is a battle to really keep an eye on.

Face Paced and More Exciting Offense

The Oregon Ducks are one of the more exciting teams in the country and have one of the top offenses that can outscore nearly any team they're matched up against. Urban Meyer is known for his offense and plans to use his brain power and his players to copy the Ducks style.

"All you've got to do is look at Oregon," Meyer said via ESPN. "We're committed to it. We're still going to pop a huddle once in a while, but we're committed to it."

They've been practicing it during the spring practices and it seems to be working on the defense.

"It's very fast," quarterback Braxton Miller said. "The defense gets really tired. They're always complaining after practice, saying we need to slow it down. I'd compare it to Oregon."

Things are about to get very interesting for the Buckeyes.

Playmakers

Speaking of up-tempo offense, there's a reason Oregon is able to run an offense like that and be so successful. And it's because they have the speed and the players to do so. If it was so easy to find those players and score 40-plus points per game, every team in the country would be doing it. That's why the first step Meyer is taking, is trying to find those playmakers for the offense to work correctly. Meyer explained:

"

It’s a work in progress. But the best thing, the snaps are hitting the quarterback right between the numbers. And guys are competing. So that’s why I’m (growing) very impressed with the Ohio State Buckeyes.

"

There are players who are capable of hitting the home run such as wide receiver Devin Smith, Corey Brown and running back Jordan Hall, among others. The question is: who's going to step up and become that player for this offense?

This is something Meyer will be watching throughout the game, you should as well.

Offensive Line

The offensive line lost three key players from a year ago, which forced the Buckeyes to switch players to where they fit best. The offensive line has been such a concern early on in the spring that tight end Reid Fragel will now handle the duties at right tackle.

Offensive guard Marcus Hall will likely start this season, due to his great spring practices, but it appears that everyone else is up in the air for the most part.

It doesn't matter how fast your offense is or how many playmakers you have, if your offensive line struggles to block the man in front of them, you will fail as a unit. Good thing that the quarterbacks will avoid contact in the spring game.

The Environment

We could breakdown every unit on this team, but at the end of the day, it's only a spring game. The thing that impresses me is how much this will be treated like an actual game and how competitive it'll be. Not only that, but how many Buckeye fans will show up to watch this event take place.

Over 3,000 people watched the Buckeyes practice last weekend. According to Fox Sports writer Zac Jackson, he wouldn't be surprised if the crowd for the spring game approaches 100,000 people. Let that sink in for a second. Just imagine how excited the Buckeye students and fans are for this new era that's about to take place.

If you're at the spring game, just look around for a second and take it all in. Ohio State was a prestigious program before Urban Meyer arrived, but I don't remember it ever being this crazy. The spring game is what everyone will be focusing on the most, but it's hard not to be impressed by a fanbase that shows up in the six figures for a spring game.