Maybe it was the 80-degree temperature turning Byrd Stadium into an oven. Maybe 10 a.m. is just too early to wake up on a Saturday. Maybe it was just me.

But whatever it was, I sensed a serious lack of energy at the football team’s final spring scrimmage today. Most of the onlookers sprinkling the bleachers looked bored. People mainly talked among themselves or stared blankly out to the field, with only a handful of cheers for particularly exciting plays.

But these plays came few and far between. You can’t really blame the fans for a lack of energy when the team fell flat.

Oh, coaches yelled and players played. But there was no electricity, no spark behind the performance.

Part of the problem was the play – the team is still rough. There were miscues galore; the offense failed repeatedly to get first downs, and defensive players watched big passing plays fly over their heads.

Every once in a while, though, there were the flashes of excitement, such as Morgan Green’s touchdown run, that elicited cheers from the players and stands. You could almost feel the exhilaration of the regular season that spring football fails to replicate.

But why do we expect spring football to match the regular season? Why should spring football be exciting?

It’s not, not really. Don’t get mad, it’s true. Yes, it helps players develop; it helps coaches cement the rosters; it helps the team build chemistry. But it’s still practice.

If the players are not jumping up and down after every play, it’s because they know the truth. Scrimmages are not real games – they don’t even closely resemble them.

And if the fans are not particularly enthused, it’s because deep down, they know the truth too. No matter how much importance is placed on these games, they do not really affect the regular season.

But we still cling to spring football. It fills the void left in our hearts when the Terps’ basketball season ends with the first real football six months away. It gives us something to hold on to.

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