What to watch: Gophers set to hold first open practice of the spring

The Gophers football team will hold this year's first spring practice that's open to the public on Thursday at 3:45 p.m., at the Gibson-Nagurski Football Complex.

Quick context: This will be the team's fifth spring practice and the final one before spring break. The Gophers won't practice after this until March 22. A college student could easily have one foot out the door at this point, so it'll be interesting to study the team's intensity under coach Tracy Claeys.

What to watch: New offensive coordinator Jay Johnson has been installing his systems, and this will be the first public glimpse. I think that's a big reason they've been practicing behind closed doors so far, to give the offense time to work out the kinks. The defense, meanwhile, should be fired up to make a mid-spring statement, especially if the group is in full pads and tackling.

Key battle: Mitch Leidner is recovering from foot surgery, but Demry Croft and Seth Green are competing for the backup QB spot. Green was sick on the first day of spring practice (March 1), so the Gophers held him out that day. On 830-AM Sunday, Claeys told Sid Hartman that Green was back for the next two practices.

One-on-one: When it comes to the drills, it's always fun watching how the receivers do against the defensive backs. How will redshirt freshman CB Ray Buford fair against senior WR Drew Wolitarsky? Or a healthy WR Isaiah Gentry against CB Jalen Myrick? Or a healthy S Damarius Travis against redshirt freshman TE Colton Beebe? To name a few.

Inside look: It sounds like there will be lots of 11-on-11 team stuff to watch. And new offensive line coach Bart Miller will have that group fired up for the "middle drill," a series of running plays between the tackles. Miller posted this before Tuesday's practice: