:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/12082609/153057027.0.jpg)
Fans of exhibitions of competition, rejoice! Iowa is ditching (at least for this year) the typical open practice concept of positional drills and a limited scrimmage to put on an actual, for-real, four-quarter scrimmage at Kinnick on Saturday.
Oddly, the university seems to have not gotten the memo on the , as it still touts the old format in its cover story at HawkeyeFootball.com:
The University of Iowa will hold its annual Iowa Football Spring Practice, presented by Coke Zero, Saturday. The team practice and scrimmage will begin at 2 p.m. inside Kinnick Stadium. Gates open at 1 p.m. for the session that is expected to last approximately two hours and will include a "controlled scrimmage" near its conclusion.
Granted, that story was likely written before today's announcement, but still, there's a sharp contrast between THAT, which we've been used to seeing at Iowa for years now, and this from the official Twitter account:
Switching things up this year. We will have a 4 QTR Scrimmage on Sat at 2pm inside Kinnick Stadium. Gates open at 1, Scrimmage starts at 2.
— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) April 24, 2013
Pat Harty also tweeted that Iowa SID Steve Roe informed him of the updated format, so this is officially official, despite what the... official website says above (yeah, I dunno, I hope they update that soon).
EDIT: The Hawkeye Football Facebook page posted a scoring system for the scrimmage, too:
(click to embiggen)
Combine that with the extremely favorable weather forecast for Iowa City—truly the first nice, sunny, warm Saturday of the entire year for Eastern Iowa—and the free admission, and going to Kinnick seems like a mighty nice proposition if you've got the time. Bring canned food because they're collecting it and it's a nice thing to do, too.
ALSO, if you've got the time, be sure to head to Backpocket Brewery in Coralville (map is here), the same venue for AIRBHGPALOOZA back in October. You remember how good the food and beer was there, right? It was great. So if you're in the area, even if you can't take in a spring football game, come say hi. Mr. Vint and others will be there.
So yeah—a four-quarter scrimmage under the first perfect skies an Iowa City Saturday has seen this year, free of charge (save some canned food), AND your BHGPals at a nearby local brewery. What's more to ask for?