The Four Things to Watch in the WVU Football Spring Festival/Game

This Saturday, spring ball will conclude in Morgantown with the first-ever Gold-Blue Spring Festival.

It's essentially the spring game, but with some different components to it. It's not going to be the straight-up 11v11 scrimmage as we saw for years, but there will be some action to give the fans a sneak peek at this new squad.

My four things to watch for on Saturday...

Mike Hawkins Jr. spinning it

The Oklahoma transfer is going to raise some eyebrows, even in what will be a controlled situation where he won't be under duress. I'm not exactly sure what the plan is for drills or how much 11v11 they will do, but just watch how the ball jumps out of his hand. It's different than what you're accustomed to seeing, and in a good way. Aside from how quick his release is, be on the lookout for all of the different angles he can sling it from, and with accuracy, I might add. Accuracy is next-level in all three areas of the passing game — short, intermediate, and deep.

A new attitude up front

Again, there's probably not going to be a ton of physicality on display, but they'll allow some, and when they do thud, keep your eyes on the offensive line. I've heard a lot of good things about a group that is mostly revamped. There's a reason why Rick Trickett is back in Morgantown. He preaches technique all the live long day, and you should be able to see a noticeable difference from last year's squad. They are in a much better spot up front, and a lot of it has to do with the attitude and fearlessness this bunch plays with.

Prince Strachan...WR1?

Yeah, it's early. But right now? Strachan is making plays left and right in this offense. His length can cause problems, but remember, WVU added a bunch of 6'2"-6'4" corners this offseason. He's flat out making plays, and I would expect he do the same on Saturday. If Strachan continues on this trajectory, he's going to be one of the better receivers in the league.

How far does the defense have to go?

We haven't heard much about the progress of the defense, and all Rich Rod has said in press conferences is "we're longer, we're more athletic," so I'm not sure what you can really take from that. I do believe they have some All-Conference level performers on that side of the ball, but the two biggest concerns I have are the depth at pass rusher and the top end of the cornerback group. Do they have two or three guys they can trust to match up on the outside?

Add us as a preferred source on Google