With the final spring practice in the books, Western Kentucky now shifts their sights to Saturday afternoon's clash between red and white in the annual Spring Game.
Here's three observations, two questions and one prediction ahead of kickoff.
Three Observations
1. The Spring Game is a glorified open scrimmage
WKU fans and alum in attendance at the Houch on Saturday should make no mistake. The Spring Game will be an open practice, nothing more, nothing less. The fact of the matter is, the Hilltoppers are still developing next year's team and one of the team's priorities is to keep the roster healthy. There will likely not be much physicality on Saturday in fear of causing further injury to the roster.
2. Jarret Doege will likely get the most reps on Saturday
Over the course of spring practice, West Virginia transfer quarterback Jarret Doege, who committed to Western Kentucky on Jan. 16th, 2022, has been speculated to replace former quarterback Bailey Zappe as the starting quarterback.
With that being said, Doege is likely to pick up the most time on the field out of every quarterback candidate. In the Hilltoppers' last two scrimmages, Doege received the most reps and Saturday should be no different.
3. Rome Weber and Upton Stout could provide the energy WKU's defense needs
Wyoming transfer defensive back Rome Weber and North Texas transfer defensive back Upton Stout are two new faces on the defense that have garnered a lot of respect from their coaches and teammates over the last two months of spring practice.
The newest additions to the secondary have had their names brought up several times by coaches and teammates during spring practice and will naturally receive the opportunity to prove themselves on the field come Saturday afternoon.
Two Questions
1. What can the fans expect from returning wide receiver Daewood Davis?
Redshirt senior wide receiver Daewood Davis, who is one of last year's standouts as well as a playmaker over the course of this spring, is one of the familiar names for most fans.
Davis made his presence known on the field in Friday's final scrimmage, picking up multiple receptions, regardless of which quarterback was at the helm of the offense.
Fans should certainly expect another explosive performance from him.
2. Can Tyson Summer's defense overpower the offense?
WKU's defense was impressive in the Hilltoppers' second scrimmage, creating some challenging reps for the offense by disrupting momentum.
In last week's scrimmage, the defense dominated the second half when they clamped down on the offense, stopping Doege quickly and efficiently before a burst of bad weather cut the scrimmage short.
As WKU head coach Tyson Helton explained, Summers was playing some of the less experienced defensive players before putting in the veterans. There is definitely a lot of talent coming back to the defense this year and fans will likely get a basic understanding of how Summer's defense will differ from Crum's on Saturday.
One Prediction
1. Despite an energetic showing from the defense, WKU's offense will win the day
The Hilltoppers have looked promising on both sides of the ball in WKU's last two scrimmages, but the air raid offense was still agitating the defense last Friday and regardless of who's been playing quarterback, the deep throws have been connecting so far.
WKU's defense will definitely show off a few tricks and can really slow down the offense, but Doege has built a chemistry with his receivers and will be hard to stop come kickoff.
The Hilltoppers' annual Spring Game is on Saturday afternoon at Houchens Industries L.T. Smith Stadium. The contest is set to kickoff at 2 p.m. CT.
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