10 Things To Watch For At BC's Spring Game

Finally, some real football to watch, analyze and discuss.

Ok, so the spring game won't give us a ton of answers on what exactly the 2023 football season is going to be, but there are plenty of intriguing angles to watch for if you're heading to Alumni on what should be a gorgeous Saturday morning.

Here are 10 things I'll be keeping an eye on from high above the field (and maybe the sideline) Saturday morning:

1. O-line, obviously - First and foremost, how does this unit look? Tough to gauge it in this setting, but I think you'll know early if that cohesion everyone's talked about is really there. There's also quite a bit still up for grabs as well. With Mahogany back and Drew Kendall at center, Ozzy Trapilo is locked in to a spot, but that means there's opportunity on the line for Jack Conley, Ryan Hergel and others to make a case for a starting role or more playing time when camp starts. Either way, you're going to see everyone on Saturday, which by itself is a big step forward after being so thin up front last season.

2. Run game hype warranted? - Emmett Morehead probably won't do a ton, but you'll know if this offensive line is headed in the right direction if they can move their teammates on the defensive line and run the ball. It's all we've heard about for the entirety of spring ball and now, the Eagles get to go out and show everyone the new emphasis on getting back to the run. Pat Garwo will lead the backfield to start, but this could be a big showcase spot for the rest of the room. Alex Broome came on last year and could be poised for a big season. Kye Robichaux, Xavier Coleman, Cam Barfield, Jackson Treister and Andre Hines should all get an opportunity to showcase this group's depth. I'd expect Coleman and Broome to have the best days.

3. Morehead in and out of the huddle - Morehead may not do a ton in this game, but I'll be interested to see how he looks from a leadership standpoint. He's screamed leader ever since he first got a chance to play and now it's his team. How's his energy in pregame? How's the operation getting in and out of the huddle? How's the timing with receivers when he does get a chance to throw? Everything he does on Saturday may not matter in August, but this will be his first real chance in 2023 to lead a team on a game day, making it an important couple of hours for him.

4. Backup QB competition - Morehead may not throw a ton, but his backups probably will and should. As I wrote about earlier this spring here, BC knows all-too-well how important that backup spot is and BC has a true open competition for it right now. Hafley has spoken highly of all of the guys, but only one can be the backup. Matt Rueve, Peter Delaportas, Shane Hanafin, Jacobe Robinson and Jack Brandon should all get their moments Saturday, but Robinson and Rueve in particular should be the guys to watch the closest.

5. Receivers - If the O-line is the most important piece of the team that needs to improve in 2023, the receiver group might be the second most important aspect to this team. With Zay NFL-bound, there is a lot of talent here still, but who's going to become "the guy" for them? Is it Joe Griffin? New speedster Ryan O'Keefe? Lewis Bond? Jaiden Williams? Do any of them need to be a true No. 1? If each guy is able to contribute regularly then of course not, but it'll be interesting to see if anyone truly takes over on Saturday.

6. Tight ends - George Takacs being back is not only surprising, but huge for everyone. Takacs is a good blocker and extremely athletic. We saw what he could do early last season with some electric plays before getting hurt like everyone else on the roster in 2022. Both Takacs and Jeremiah Franklin has gotten a lot of praise from Hafley so far this spring, so maybe we'll see him pop as well. Quintayvious Hutchins 9red shirt sophomore) is listed at 6'1, 229, keep an eye out for him in the red zone too. Newton North's Andrew (red shirt junior) is listed at 6'5, 235 and as a local guy may get a chance to shine a bit during this one.

7. Defense in general - Do they make life miserable for Morehead and make the O-line look terrible again? Can they cover these talented and fast receivers? Can they tackle? Important pieces like Valdez, Maitre and others may be gone, but there's still a lot of talent here and more importantly, experience and leadership. There's been a quiet confidence all spring from these guys, led by new co-DC's Coach Duggan and Coach Aazaar. This offense has plenty of reasons to want to play well on Saturday even if it is just a glorified practice, can the defense respond in its first mini test?

8. Organization - With all the new changes, how does the operation look overall? Are plays getting in on time? Are substitutions clean? Do guys seem to be in the right positions? Are the little things being done correctly? No matter who plays on Saturday, this is all stuff you can easily see on both sides of the ball. I expect it'll be clean, but it's the first game situation for all these guys in new roles, you never know.

9. Kicking competition - Ironically, Connor Lytton first kind of popped dup on the radar with a big spring game performance. Now, it'll be him, Liam Connor and Mika Montonen battling it out for the kickoff and kicking duties. It's Lytton's job to lose, but after last year, this could be the biggest competition within the team. Sam Candotti should handle all punting duties, hopefully we don't see him much until the regular season.

10. Atmosphere - It's going to be an electric day around campus Saturday. Women's lax, baseball and softball all host home games with postseason implications tied to all of them. The forecast looks perfect, what better way to start the day than piling into Alumni to watch this football team try to begin the march back towards contention? There's really no excuse for people not to at least stop in and check it out, but was last year such a turn off that it's going to take a lot to win people back? I have a feeling it'll be.a good crowd, but if this school wants to be taken seriously as a football school, fans need to show up and act like it is. Take a look at some of the crowds for other ACC schools and their spring games. The team certainly needs to give fans a reason to be invested this year, but it's on the crowd to show support early and Saturday is the first opportunity to really do so.

For a team that went 3-9, this could end up being one of the more entertaining and worthwhile spring games anyone has seen in a long, long time. We won't have all the answers, but we'll know a lot more by about 1 P.M.