HUNTINGTON - Marshall football players can't let up in their final days before the true offseason arrives, and they deserve the experience of playing before a paying audience.
But boy, this spring practice feels so ... over, for lack of a better term.
The Thundering Herd scrimmaged Saturday before the usual smattering of Big Green members, etc., and there were entertaining moments. But what is usually the true highlight of the spring was missing something.
If you watched it, don't overanalyze it. For one thing, there were a lot of absences.
It happens. Some players miss spring altogether after surgery, some will get knocked out of camp by injury and others are held out as a precaution. For instance, sixth-year tackle Clint Van Horn may be near the end of a "pitch count," and you may not see him at the Green and White Game this Saturday.
There were nine offensive linemen out of 14 listed on the roster who played. The defensive line had one, maybe two players out. Can you guess which side dominated?
It has been worse. In one of coach Doc Holliday's early years, he should have held the Green-White on the 12th workout and canned the rest. One spring in the Mark Snyder era was a whistle-to-whistle waste of time.
The funny thing is, much of spring practice is forgotten come fall, when there are enough healthy offensive linemen to fill three units, when quarterbacks and receivers get a full summer of chemistry-building workouts, when everybody gets a full dose of the strength and conditioning program.
(That reminds me: This is a huge summer for Luke Day, who replaced Scott Sinclair as the strength coach. Under Sinclair and predecessor Joe Miday, the weight program stole a few victories and preserved several more in the fourth quarter.)
If you're going to the Green-White, I'll give you some players to look at, good and otherwise, come 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Chris Jackson: His "recruitnik" resume said "two-star receiver." His spring screams "starting cornerback." The injured Antavis Rowe and his personal fouls will have to work hard to get back on the field.
Hyleck Foster: I hesitate to say this because the Holliday era has featured some creativity at the position, but Foster is fitting in nicely as the No. 1 back. And here's a bonus: He may be the best catch-and-run back the Herd has had in some time.
Emanuel Byrd: Making this tight end the second option in the slot may solve the Herd's void here - and close off thoughts of switching Foster back to slot. I may be off, but that seems like the goal.
Justin Hunt: He now looks, runs routes and catches like an "X" receiver, and has done so against a credible corner in Rodney Allen.
Fedrice Binot: The shame here is you likely won't see No. 79 at his natural left tackle position. He played left guard Saturday when Cody Collins was held out and A.J. Addison was moved from right to left.
Frankie Hernandez: He has been a consistent first-teamer in the weak-middle linebacker duo, and there's a reason.
C.J. Reavis: He has settled into the nickel for now, and is beginning to play to his resume.
Aaron Dopson: A cult hero of sorts among the press corps, he has been involved in just about every fight in practice - and hasn't come up on the short end.
Michael Clark: He could be a 1,000-yard receiver, but the former basketball player is not used to the long grind of contending for a job. Hasn't done that much lately.
T.J. Griffin: Working as a second-team corner, he has done a credible job against Clark despite a 10-inch disadvantage.
Damien Dozier: Strong-side linebacker or D-end? And can he dominate at either?
Field-goal game: The operation with snapper Zach Wood, holder Kaare Vedvik and kickers Nick Smith and Amareto Curraj got a lot better in the last two practices, but the spring hasn't always been smooth.
Shawn Petty: He's big, athletic, hits hard and fighting like crazy for playing time. He surely hasn't hit expectations in spring.
Sandley Jean-Felix: He didn't do something well over the offseason, and let Binot fly past him at left tackle. He has been injured lately, so we'll revisit him in the fall.
Keion Davis: Has he done anything to push past the injured Tony Pittman this spring? With his matador pass blocking, I doubt it.
Joe Massaquoi: Buried on the depth chart at D-end, he was moved to tackle. If Channing Hames becomes eligible and is all that, Massaquoi fights to make the travel squad.
Chase Litton, Michael Birdsong: A lot of their throws have been off, but a lot of those have been forced by successful blitzes. Check in with these guys in August.
This is usually reserved for Green-White stars who have zero chance to play in a live game - defensive back Mark Shaver fit that description last year with two interceptions.
Dopson doesn't technically fit the description because he has a shot at MU. He may be buried enough to miss the travel squad this year, but he has the passion (and fight!) you see from successful walk-ons.
Otherwise, there isn't a name that comes to mind.
Whatever the case, the game should be worth the price of admission, but don't read much into it.