Last Saturday, the Buckeyes broke their own spring game attendance record. All in all, 100,189 fans flocked to Ohio Stadium on an absolutely perfect Saturday afternoon. Many schools throughout the country held their annual spring scrimmages today, and with that, the majority of the games are now behind us. Let's take a look at some noteworthy attendance figures from this spring.
| School | attendance |
|---|---|
| Ohio State | 100,189 |
| Nebraska | 72,992 |
| Penn State | 65,000 |
| Michigan State | 51,000 |
| Michigan | 35,000 |
| Iowa | 18,460 |
| Rutgers | 14,177 |
| Wisconsin | 9,181 |
| Purdue | 5,050 |
| Illinois | 5,000 |
| Maryland | NA |
| MInnesota | NA |
| Northwestern | NA |
| Indiana | NA |
While the Buckeyes were clearly out in front, several other Big Ten programs had some nice showings this year. Mike Riley and the Huskers checked in at No. 2 in the Big Ten. Nebraska finished the 2015 season at 6-7 and was involved in a couple of the season's whackier games including an early-season loss to the Hurricanes and the controversial victory over the Spartans. The Husks took down UCLA in the Foster Farms Bowl.
The Nittany Lions saw 65,000 fans head to Beaver Stadium, many of whom getting a sneak peak of how the quarterback situation may unfold for James Franklin and Co.
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley led the way for the Nits, completing 23 of 27 passes for 281 yards and four touchdowns. Fans also got to witness an uptempo offense under new coordinator Joe Moorhead. Moorhead spent the past four seasons as head coach at Fordham. James Franklin went 7-6 a year ago in what was his second season at the helm.
Two other schools looking to replace their starting signal-callers from a year ago – the Spartans and Wolverines – also had nice turnouts. For Michigan State, senior quarterback Tyler O'Connor completed 10 of 16 passes for 138 yards and a score. Redshirt freshman and Lakewood, Ohio native David Dowell had the game-sealing interception to give the white squad the victory.
The Wolverines saw five different quarterbacks take snaps in a battle that most expect to be won by Houston transfer John O'Korn. The senior, who sat out most of the second half, threw for 93 yards and added a rushing touchdown. Junior Wilton Speight threw for 46 yards and a score while also finding the endzone with his legs.
After first-year head coach Chris Ash's pleas for fans of the Scarlet Knights to help fill the stadium, Saturday night's spring game didn't quite reach last year's attendance of 15,782.
| School | Attendance |
|---|---|
| Ohio State | 100,189 |
| Georgia | 93,000 |
| Alabama | 76,212 |
| Nebraska | 72,992 |
| Tennessee | 67,027 |
| Penn State | 65,000 |
| Michigan State | 51,000 |
| Clemson | 50,000 |
| Florida State | 49,913 |
| Florida | 46,000 |
In 2015, the Big Ten checked in with five of the top eight attendance figures in the country. This year, four of the Big Ten's top programs found themselves in the top ten.
The Georgia Bulldogs set an SEC spring game attendance record as fans flocked to get a first glimpse of their Dawgs under new head coach Kirby Smart. The previous record was held by Alabama and their 2011 turnout.
Georgia's athletic department had been heavily promoting the game and shooting for a sellout, utilizing a #93KDay hashtag on Twitter.
The Bulldogs pulled out all the stops by inviting Atlanta-based rapper Ludacris to perform before the game. The Grammy winner did have some strange requests for the university, however.
Ludacris requested some strange stuff in order to perform at Georgia's "G-Day" https://t.co/As8uwYvetQ pic.twitter.com/X1DjuZmRdj
— Campus Rush (@CampusRush) April 20, 2016
The Crimson Tide checked in at third place while fellow SEC programs Tennessee and Florida also made it into the top ten. Clemson and Florida State led the way for the ACC.
The Black Knights of Army will hold their annual Black-Gold Spring Game next Saturday. We are not expecting them to top the Buckeyes' record-setting turnout.
