Temperatures in Athens have been on the rise during the past couple of weeks, leaving many around campus unable to get summer off their minds.
This Saturday, however, Bobcats will be thinking of fall.
After five weeks of practice and a pair of scrimmages, Ohio’s spring football season is set to come to an end when the Bobcats welcome fans to Peden Stadium for the annual Green and White Game.
“It’s the last day of spring practice, so we’re always looking forward to it,” senior safety Josh Kristoff said. “During practice, we don’t really get to go full go against the offense very often. So when we’re 100 percent live, it really amps up the competition, and gives a sense of who’s on top and who’s on bottom.”
The nature of the game will be similar to what fans have seen in recent years, following more of an offense versus defense setup more than a traditional game. Although this wasn’t necessarily the ideal plan the program had in mind, the lingering injuries in places such as the offensive line make it difficult for each team to have the numbers required to have real games.
Several linemen are still making their recoveries from shoulder surgeries underwent in the winter.
Even with the offense versus defense format, fans will get a chance to see the different sides of the ongoing quarterback battle that has been a premiere part of spring practice. Redshirt junior Derrius Vick and redshirt sophomore J.D. Sprague will each see significant reps during the game, with both operating under the same game plan of using the whole field by making themselves dual threats as co-Offensive Coordinators Tim Albin and Scott Isphording have emphasized throughout spring practice.
“I just want to try to show that I’m a positive leader, and that I can lead this team down the field, both when we’re doing well and when we’re doing bad,” Vick said. “As a team, it’s our last chance to show the fans what we’ve been working hard on.”
Saturday’s game will mark the end of the Bobcats’ first spring practice season under the roof of the brand new Walter Fieldhouse, which has served as the first indoor practice facility in the program’s history. The team used the facility each day for the first four weeks, before practicing at Peden this Monday and Wednesday.
The ability to practice without dealing with the elements has led to huge morale boost to the team, something not lost on coach Frank Solich.
“I think this is the most energy I’ve seen in a camp in a long, long time,” Solich said. “We’ve definitely moved ourselves forward, and that’s hard to do when everyone is getting reps, and you’re not just focusing on your first and second team. And there are still areas that we feel we need a lot of work on, that we need to continue to develop.”
The day will begin with the annual equipment sale at noon with the game starting at approximately 2 p.m.
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