I came away from the Spring Game with a couple distinct impressions:
- It was a nice atmosphere in Pullman -- felt like a scaled-down game day. Saw some tailgating underway, and a lot of people out and about having fun. Having the band on hand adds to the feel in the stadium. I was impressed when I got into the stadium with the number of people -- I estimated the crowd at 7500 at the start of the scrimmage, and was a little surprised when I saw the 5300 number reported. (Numbers in the stands varied widely during the course of the scrimmage -- there were a lot of people at the beginning, it got pretty sparse when it started to rain lightly, and then we had quite a few people again at the end when the sun came out for the last quarter.) I'd say this was a nice job by our Athletic Department for the return of the Spring Game to Pullman.
- I was pleased with how our DBs played the ball in the air. There was some blown coverages and missed communication out there at times (which is what I expect during Spring Ball when personnel is constantly changing and teammates are split up among the Crimson and Gray teams) but I saw more pass break-ups and heads-up ball by DB's than I have for a while.
- QB play was consistent with what I saw in the couple practices I went to earlier this spring, with Gordon having the better day and being more consistent than Tinsley. Neither have really laid claim to the QB spot this spring, but my impression is that Gordon has progressed more than Tinsley with his reps this spring, is more comfortable with the offense, and makes the offense perform better. Will be interesting to see how fast Gubrud grasps control of the offense this fall -- watching him in 7-on-7 drills during the practices, how he moves, and how he throws, he's got all the tools to excel and take ownership of the QB position IF he develops the recognition and decision-making skills necessary for this offense quickly. (I think the latter is a fairly tall order for anybody not named Gardner Minshew however, and don't expect Gubrud to be a clear-cut winner early in Fall Camp.) As for the QBs lower on the depth chart, their Spring Game performance also matched what I saw in practices. Bledsoe is pretty comfortable and relaxed running the offense and is capable of marching it down the field consistently more than any of the other underclassmen right now, Cooper has all the tools but seems to be struggling with the recognition and decision-making piece of the game (which I think is normal for how long he's been in the program), and Cruz shows great potential. (I had to leave the Spring Game before Angelos got his reps so can't really comment there.) Of all the QBs on the field, Bledsoe and Cruz seem to be the most relaxed and have the most fun out there, which is a plus for them in the leadership department and helps to keep the offense from imploding when things don't go quite right.