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College Football Around the SEC:
Spring Games III

By CB969
Oopsie.
Oopsie.
Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

Alabama wrapped up their spring practice with the A-Day game in front of 65,175 fans. The dire weather forecast may have scared off some out-of-towners who might have traveled in for the game. Other schools in the region like LSU, Auburn, and Mississippi State had the similar forecasts, but none of them got any precipitation.

Also having games this past Saturday were Mizzou, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Texas.

A sample list of college football attendance from this past weekend:

Alabama 04/18/15 65,175 The weather may have scared some folks off.
Army 04/18/15 2,015
Auburn 04/18/15 62,143
California 04/18/15 1,000 Awful. Drop these guys down to FCS.
Colorado State 04/18/15 4,000 Not sure if this is good or bad for the Rams.
Georgia Southern 04/18/15 2,200
Georgia Tech 04/17/15 4,000
Indiana 04/18/15 10,014 Not bad for a perennial doormat.
Louisville 04/17/15 23,187
LSU 04/18/15 15,000 Whoa! I am officially putting Les Miles on the Hot Seat.
Mississippi State 04/18/15 21,500 Lame.
Missouri 04/18/15 30,117 Acceptable.
Notre Dame 04/18/15 3,590 !!!
Ohio State 04/18/15 99,391 Likely the biggest crowd of spring.
Oklahoma State 04/18/15 16,000
Oregon State 04/18/15 12,316
Penn State 04/18/15 68,000
Pittsburgh 04/18/15 5,325
Purdue 04/18/15 5,145
Texas 04/18/15 ? Must have been real lame because I cannot find any reports on attendance. They scurred.
Virginia 04/18/15 3,000

Texas A&M and Kentucky shortsightedly chose not to find alternate locations to hold their spring games while stadium renovations are underway. Texas Tech smartly moved their game to Midland High School's 15,000-seat stadium, further expanding their fanbase. This is the second year in a row that the Aggies fans will go without a spring game.

Only two spring games for SEC schools remain. Both can be seen in their entirety on the SEC Network Alternate and SEC Network+ (aka espn3.com) this Saturday. The SEC Network Alternate channel is not the regular SEC Network channel. It is likely up in the high numbers. Check your local listings or just scroll through your cable TV menu.

Arkansas Razorbacks

Red-White Game: 1pm CT / 2pm ET, SEC Network Alternate; Tom Hart, Andre Ware, & Laura Rutledge.
Storylines: The Hogs return much of their offense but the passing game was woeful in 2014. Arkansas was 102nd in the nation in passing yards per game with a paltry 188.0 ypg. Of course, much of this was due to the run-first, run-second, run-third, and maybe-pass-fourth philosophy. However, unbalanced offenses find difficulty getting W's every Saturday. On top of that, Bret Bielema did not reel in any blue chip WR recruits. Dan Enos was hired away from the head coaching job at Central Michigan to be the new offensive coordinator.
Players to watch: #32 RB Jonathan Williams, #84 TE Hunter Henry.
Extra Point: Randy Ramsey has been suspended for academic reasons. He was expected to be a starter at outside linebacker.

Tennessee Volunteers

Orange & White Game: 3pm CT / 4pm ET, SEC Network Alternate; Joe Tessitore, Brock Huard, & Maria Taylor.
Storylines: Expectations in Knoxville are escalating at dangerous speeds. The Vols faithful believe in coach Butch Jones and QB Josh Dobbs but there is still so much work to be done before they can get back to contending for titles. The Vols allowed 43 sacks in 2014 which is 122nd nationally and dead last in the SEC. They were 13th in the conference in rushing yards (1,620) and rushing scores (16). Jones has brought in two excellent recruiting classes but what can he do with them?
Players to watch: #9 DE Derek Barnett, #56 LB Curt Maggitt, #6 RB Alvin Kamara.
Extra Point: Last Saturday, the Vols held a "Student Appreciation Day at Neyland Stadium. A disc jockey named "DJ Sterl the Pearl" performed and the practice finished up with a dance session.

Also having games this weekend are Wisconsin, Michigan State, and UCLA among others.

#ROLLTIDE

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