Spring has given new life to a new-look football team on display this weekend.

The Salukis are set to take the field at 1 p.m. Saturday for their spring scrimmage. New coaches, new playbooks and new quarterbacks are just some of the changes fans can expect to see at McAndrew Stadium.

Coach Dale Lennon has been busy teaching the Salukis the 3-4 defense and a new offensive philosophy with more passing. Lennon said he is excited to see what the team will do in simulated game situations.

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“You just want to look like a football team,” Lennon said. “It’s really that very first dress rehearsal for next year.”

The game will not be the normal hard-hitting action fans are used to on fall Saturdays, but Lennon said fans could expect a series of drills, challenges and game situations pitting the defense against the offense.

Lennon said there would be plays called to see if the offense can move the ball or the defense can stop it, followed by a live 2-minute drill where the offense will try to move the ball up and down the field.

The scrimmage will also include practice in redzone situations and what Lennon called the first down challenge, which requires the offense to move the ball from its own five-yard line into better field position.

One of the players hoping to help the offense in the scrimmage is freshman wide receiver Jeff Evans. Evans played only six games last season because of injuries but still managed to gain 149 yards for 12.4 yards per catch.

Evans said extra passing in the offense has been fun and the coaches have been patient with them while they learn new terminology.

“As receivers we love to go out there and catch the ball so that makes it a lot better for us,” Evans said. “It’s all new stuff but football is football.”

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One guy who will try to stop Evans and the offense during the scrimmage will be linebacker Brandin Jordan. Jordan was one of last season’s top defensive performers with 97 total tackles and two forced fumbles.

Jordan will be one of the featured linebackers in the new 3-4 defensive set. The new defense allows the linebackers to be creative and Lennon said they would get the freedom to call changes on the fly.

The mixture of blitzing, pass coverage and calling audibles is perfect for what Jordan said is any linebacker’s dream situation.

“Before, when the defensive play was called with coach (Jerry) Kill and them you just had to do it,” Jordan said. “Now I can make variations to the play and do different things with it like blitz in a gap.”

While the new defensive and offensive sets have been implemented, the Salukis are still in search for their next starting quarterback. Evans said redshirt freshman Chris Dieker could be the current frontrunner, but both Lennon and Evans said it was too soon to tell.

Lennon said he would like to have a solid idea of who the starter would be by the end of spring ball.

“What we want to accomplish coming out of spring ball is to have a No.1, No.2 and No.3 quarterback,” Lennon said. “But that can still change over the course of pre-fall, but you just want to have a depth chart to evaluate your offense.”

Jeff Engelhardt can be reached at 536-3311 ext. 269 or [email protected].