As Utah gets ready to wrap up their spring practices, other teams already have or prepare to do the same. After that and football goes into hibernation for the rest of spring and part of summer. The next few months is probably the least exciting part of the year, especially with spring ball doing just enough to help quench our thirst.
Utah's had a decent spring and I hope that can carry over into fall camp. So what about the others teams in the conference?
- Air Force: The Falcons are getting a makeover this season and dropping their widely known triple-option formation that has haunted Ute fans for years. New Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun has introduced a new offense, tailored around the power running game and it appears the change is slowly working out for Air Force. Calhoun told the Colorado Springs Gazette that the Falcons have a long ways to go, both on offense and defense, but he's been pleased with player efforts.
- BYU: BYU wrapped up their spring with the annual Blue and White game Saturday morning. There newly named starting quarterback Max Hall completed 15-of-19 passes for 139 yards and was intercepted once. Hall's offense failed to reach the end zone, while transfer Brenden Gaskins led the second-team offense to a 10-0 victory.
- CSU: Saturday CSU held a scrimmage and Sonny Lubick was pleased with the performance. "We got some things done," Lubick said after practice. The Rams, looking for some offensive fire after last year's terrible campaign, saw just that. CSU's number one offense put up 14 points, with quarterback Caleb Hanie hitting Luke Roberts on a 6-yard pass for the score. This Saturday will be the Rams spring game.
- New Mexico: Wednesday morning, the Lobos gathered for a pre-dawn scrimmage. There sophomore quarterback Donovan Porterie hit Travis Brown for the lone touchdown. The Lobos continue spring practice today.
- SDSU: Yesterday the Aztecs held their ninth practice of the spring and second year coach Chuck Long is impressed. "We have some good young players that run to the ball on defense and we have some players on offense that have picked it up. If they keep progressing like they are right now, we will put them in (games). They are battling for jobs like everyone else. It doesn't matter if they are a senior or a freshman, if they deserve to play we will put them right in there." The Aztecs will end spring ball with an open scrimmage this Saturday.
- TCU: The Frogs were the first team to finish up practice, ending that on April 5th. Gary Patterson felt the Frogs made progress, but still believes questions remain. TCU went into spring practice hoping to find a quarterback, but it's still a battle between Marcus Jackson and Andy Dalton. So expect them to name a quarterback during fall camp. The spring went fairly well for TCU, especially after a tepid start.
- UNLV: The Rebels end their spring practice Saturday night and the lead up as been an improvement over last year, or so says Mike Sanford. The Rebels are still trying to find their offensive identity, especially under Sanford, a guy sold as an offensive genius in 2004 while at Utah. After UNLV's practice earlier this week, Sanford said the players have met a level that's capable of winning a championship. I'll believe it when I see it.
- Wyoming: The Cowboys concluded spring drills with a scrimmage last Saturday. Under a bizarre point system, the offense posted a 52-25 advantage over the defense. Head coach Joe Glenn seems to be impressed with Wyoming after their 15 spring practice days. "I really like where this team is right now, and today's scrimmage was an indication of that," Glenn said following the scrimmage. "This has been the best spring we've had since I've been here. We have things to work on, but we are further ahead right now than we have ever been."