(Photo by WVU Athletics)
The West Virginia University Mountaineer Football team takes the field today to compete in their annual Gold-Blue Spring Game. With kickoff set for 1 p.m., fans will have the opportunity to either make the trip to Morgantown or watch the game on ESPN+ as a part of Big 12 Now.
While a spring game isn’t always the most exciting experience for fans, devout spectators tune-in to follow the major storylines surrounding the team.
We are going to take a look at THREE MAJOR storylines regarding the spring game, and give our opinion on them.
Here are what fans will be paying the most attention to in today’s Gold-Blue Spring Game:
- Quarterback Battle – This one is obvious. Nicco Marchiol and Garrett Greene will be duking it out for the honor of starting quarterback this fall. Neither will win the battle today, but one could certainly set themselves apart from the other with a solid performance. Expect fans to nitpick every little thing each signal-caller does, as well.
- “Drills” and “Competitions” – This is one aspect of spring games under Neal Brown that fans HATE, including myself. Sure, it may be entertaining for the players, but it is disinteresting strictly from a consumer’s point of view. Should they become time consuming (as they usually are), expect fans in the stands and on social media to become restless.
- Who the Hell is Catching the Ball? – I usually like to go with at least one defensive and one offensive question. However, I will make today an exception with the simple fact that the Mountaineers are nearly bare at receiver. NC State transfer Devin Carter should immediately be the number one guy, but who will be his counterpart? Cortez Braham? Jeremiah Aaron? Preston Fox? Someone else? Hopefully we get more answers on that issue today. Fans will certainly have their eyes on it.
- BONUS: Who is the Best Kicker? – Again, I’m going to steer away from a defensive question. The entire unit under Jordan Lesley will be a question mark in 2023, so I’m not going to pick and choose what we want to watch. However, the same can’t be said for the kicker. Gone is Casey Legg, and his replacement will have big shoes to fill. The West Virginia native only missed one kick all of last season, and had two game-winning kicks (Baylor and Oklahoma). Redshirt sophomore Danny King and redshirt junior Michael Hayes are currently the two leading horses in the race. Only Hayes has collegiate experience, but both have incredible leg strength.
If I were Neal Brown, I would line them up side-by-side and let them challenge each other on distance. The winner has the leg up going into fall camp.
WVU fans can purchase ticket to today’s Gold-Blue Spring Game on WVUGame.com.
