Mark WiedmerAfter all, 24 players - at least a few of them key contributors such as linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin - didn't even dress out for the game. And those who did played a slightly (very slightly) more physical version of two-hand touch most of the afternoon.
There's nothing wrong with that. The most important news from any spring practice is that no one got hurt. The rest is gravy, whatever is or isn't accomplished in the minds of overly paranoid coaches.
But then I heard a youngster, probably no older than 10, exclaiming to his father, "Dad, did you see that? I got my picture made with Alvin Kamara." A few minutes later, as another family made its way into the G10 parking lot, another young man held up a poster that appeared to have at least a dozen autographs on it, saying to his father, "Daddy, I'm going to keep this FOREVER!"
That's when it hit me that this spring ritual is much more than an intrasquad scrimmage at most schools, especially at football strongholds such as Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Ohio State.
While the Vols' announced crowd of 67,027 for Saturday's Orange & White Game seemed a bit inflated, that was apparently far from the case at Georgia, where 93,000 crammed into Sanford Stadium to check out new Bulldogs boss Kirby Smart on G-Day. That crowd set a Southeastern Conference spring game record, eclipsing the 92,310 who watched Alabama in 2011. That Bama listed 76,212 for Saturday's A-Day game means the Crimson Tiders are certainly capable of topping Dawg Nation a year from now.
Of course, Ohio State shattered both those numbers, announcing the attendance at its spring game as north of 100,000.
Then there was Southern Cal, which bettered any spring game anywhere when it sent blind long snapper Jake Olson onto the L.A. Colisium field to snap for a couple of 32-yard field goal attempts by Matt Boermeester.
Blind in one eye since he was 7 months old due to a rare form of retinal cancer, blind in both eyes since he was 12, the 19-year-old Olson is a lifelong Trojans fan who has been around the program since the coaching days of Pete Carroll, who last walked the USC sideline in 2009.
Nearly seven years later, Olson received a standing ovation from the 23,000 fans who watched Saturday's game, then perfectly snapped two balls to the holder. Boermeester made one kick and missed the other.
"When I first ran out there and the crowd cheered, I had to fight back tears," Olson told reporters afterward. "It was real emotional. Just touched my heart that I was getting the opportunity to snap out there. I've been to many spring practices in my life, so to be part of one was a real cool feeling."
So maybe spring games should remain for more reasons than athletic departments making a little walk-around money off concessions and merchandise sales. (Many programs, UT among them, don't charge for admission or parking for the event.)
One change that might make these events more fun is to turn them into flag football games.
Think about it. The Wednesday before, coaches draft two teams roughly made up of the first-team offense and second-team defense against the first-team defense and second-team offense. For added fun, bring in two high-profile celebrity coaches. Regarding the Vols, why not reach for country singer Kenny Chesney versus pal Peyton Manning next spring?
One catch to this for the celebs - they have to agree to a 10-minute joint interview session afterward and a 90-minute autograph signing during fan day. As a reward for their efforts, fans will be encouraged to make a donation of a dollar or two, with the school guaranteeing a gift of $50,000 to the favorite charity of each honorary coach.
Another wrinkle: Before the start of the game, each fan can choose an orange or white card, depending on which team he or she thinks will win. Those holding the winning cards after the game can choose between a 16-ounce drink, hot dog or spirit towel as they exit.
Players can still wear full uniforms so coaches such as the Vols' Butch Jones can stage their mano-a-mano matchups to show the crowd how tough and aggressive these guys can be.
But turning it strictly into a flag football contest would all but completely eliminate injuries as well as rid the games - at least UT's - of a scoring system only an Ivy League crowd could understand.
Yet regardless of the Orange & White Game's future makeup, at least this sports writer appreciates more than ever the need for it to remain on the calendar, if only to continue to give children something they'll want to keep FOREVER!
Contact Mark Wiedmer@timesfreepress.com.