Winners and Losers of Saturday's College Football Spring Games
The spring football season is coming to a close, as the bulk of college football teams wrapped up their offseason workouts Saturday. All told, 26 of the 128 FBS schools held some form of game or scrimmage Saturday for fans to see what's in store for the 2016 season.
These games are generally devoid of much in terms of major developments because they're meant to serve as both a wrap-up for spring practice and a preview of the real version that comes this fall. But some players, position groups and teams stood out, for better or worse, based on how they looked in front of crowds of varying sizes.
We've picked out the most notable happenings from Saturday's spring action. Check it out, but make sure to take anything that happened this far before the regular season begins with a grain of salt.
Winner: Wisconsin RB Corey Clement
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Anointed as the next Melvin Gordon heading into 2015, injuries kept Corey Clement off the field most of last season. He ended up with only 221 yards and five touchdowns after gaining 949 yards with nine scores as Gordon's backup in 2014.
Clement looked healthy once again Saturday, which bodes well for Wisconsin as it comes off one of its worst team rushing performances in the past 20 years.
The senior didn't play much, but when he was out there he looked good. He had 36 yards on five carries on the Red team's opening drive, scoring on a six-yard run that came one play after he would have scored if the Badgers' game rules didn't call for plays to be whistled dead after first contact downfield. Clement had burst through the line for a big run, which technically ended when he was met by safety Leo Musso, but Clement still managed to get in a wicked stiff arm just for good measure.
Having Clement provide a solid foundation can help the Badgers as they break in a new quarterback, as Joel Stave is gone after three years as Wisconsin's starting quarterback.
Loser: Utah QB Troy Williams
2 of 6The battle to replace four-year starting quarterback Travis Wilson had to be put on hold until the fall after Troy Williams—the only candidate in the competition with any legitimate playing experience—was knocked out of spring camp with an undisclosed injury. At one point it was characterized as a "sore throwing arm," per Montana Shaum of KSL.com, but the bottom line was that it kept him from competing in Saturday's spring game.
Williams, who began his career at Washington before spending last season at a junior college, is considered the top candidate to replace Wilson this fall. His absence allowed true freshman Tyler Huntley to start opposite junior Brandon Cox in the spring game, and Huntley responded by going 17-of-26 for 233 yards and a touchdown in helping White team to a 14-7 win.
Cox, piloting the White team, was 17-of-31 for 146 yards with an interception.
Williams appeared in five games for Washington in 2014, throwing for 176 yards with two interceptions along with a rushing TD. His experience should prove valuable for a Utes team that has to start over at quarterback and running back, with Devontae Booker moving on following two seasons as the program's offensive workhorse in the backfield.
Winner: Kansas State Passing Game
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When your starting quarterback goes down with a season-ending injury on the first snap of the first game, any plans for a passing offense kind of go out the window. That's what Kansas State dealt with when Jesse Ertz got hurt in the 2015 opener, which led to Joe Hubener and converted wide receiver Kody Cook to share the job but struggle to produce.
K-State averaged 175.9 passing yards per game and completed only 47 percent of its passes in 2015—numbers that can only go up. Judging by the emphasis on the air game in Saturday's spring game, they could be going way up.
Ertz, Hubener and Alex Delton split time on both the Purple and White teams and combined to go 46-of-64 for 582 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. Hubener was 21-of-25 for 319 yards and two scores, Delton was 13-of-21 for 139 yards, and Ertz was 12-of-18 for 124 yards with a TD as well as 49 rushing yards.
All that passing allowed K-State wide receiver Byron Pringle, a junior college transfer, to have a big day with nine catches for 163 yards and a TD. The Wildcats are looking for a big-play option to go with their passing game, which they had in 2014 with Tyler Lockett catching passes from Jake Waters.
That didn't exist in 2015.
Loser: West Virginia Passing Game
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Senior Skyler Howard figures to be West Virginia's quarterback this season, much like he was in all of 2015 and for the tail end of 2014, but it's not a done deal. If he continues to struggle with accuracy and interceptions, the job could be open...assuming another quarterback can avoid making the same mistakes.
Saturday's Gold-Blue Game at the Greenbrier Sporting Club in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, showcased both the good and the bad of the Mountaineers' passing attack. The quarterbacks combined to complete 32 of 49 passes for 433 yards and seven touchdowns, but they also threw four interceptions.
Howard was 18-of-26 for 270 yards, three TDs and one pick, which Antonio Crawford returned 23 yards for a score.
Rather than bemoan the number of interceptions, that pick-six was what West Virginia coach Dana Holgorsen chose to focus on, noting the importance of doing something with a turnover once it is collected.
"Last year we had 31 turnovers, but we averaged two yards every turnover," he said, via Scout.com. "We're really focusing on our defense, the mentality of what you do once you get a turnover. It's what happens after the turnovers that counts."
Winner: Michigan State's Creative Play-Calling
5 of 6Mark Dantonio had his assistants coaching for him in Michigan State's spring game, so we don't know how much input the longtime Spartans coach had in pulling out all the stops when it came to play-calling. Whatever the case, it's always fun to see trick plays even in a competition that doesn't count.
The Spartans attempted a fake field goal at the end of the first half, with holder Matt Macksood keeping the ball but ending up losing five yards. In the second half, the craziness increased, with offensive tackle David Beedle auditioning for a spot as a skill-position player.
Beedle took an inside handoff as a fullback and then tossed it back to quarterback Tyler O'Connor for a flea-flicker, with O'Connor hitting tight end Jamal Lyles for a 23-yard pass. Beedle later took another handoff but gained no yards.
Macksood, who is usually a wide receiver, was more successful in that position than in his special teams role. He finished with two catches for 32 yards along with a two-point conversion reception.
With three-year starting quarterback Connor Cook moving on, the Spartans are searching for a new offensive identity. Don't expect it to be grounded in misdirection, but knowing that such an avenue exists can keep Michigan State from slipping back after winning 36 games the last three seasons.
Loser: Impatient College Football Fans
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After Saturday's action, only four FBS schools will have yet to finish their spring practices. Hawaii wraps up on April 29, while Army, Marshall and Oregon will hold their spring games on April 30.
And then, we wait.
The 2016 college football season doesn't officially begin until Aug. 27, when California and Hawaii meet in Australia. Between now and then there aren't many activities to tide fans over, at least not in the near future.
Conference media days begin in mid-July when the SEC holds its event over four days in Hoover, Alabama, from July 11-14. The rest of the leagues will follow suit over the remainder of July, which will carry into the start of preseason training camps in late July and early August.
Statistics courtesy of CFBStats.com or Sports-Reference.com, unless otherwise noted. Recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
