On Saturday the Northwestern Wildcats concluded spring football practice with their annual Spring Game at Ryan Field. The Spring Game is, first, a scrimmage for the fans to see. Kids who attend (and there were many of them) get to stretch with the team before the game and then get autographs afterwards. But for some the Spring Game is a chance to start thinking about next season, and analyzing position battles and new players. There was no ‘scoring,’ the game was four quarters and lasted only an hour. Some of the highlights:

Best player: Running back Omar Conteh. Conteh, who missed much of spring practice due to an injury, ran for 111 yards on 16 carries. His day was highlighted by a 41-yard touchdown run in which Conteh reversed fields and got some blocking from quarterback Mike Kafka — a poor man’s version of this Reggie Bush run. You get the idea.

Best hit: Redshirt freshman Vince Browne gave Kafka a good licking near the end of the game. Browne, a defensive end, has gotten a lot of playing time in the spring because of injuries to Kevin Mims and Adam Hahn. His hit induced an ‘oooooh’ from the stands and showed his potential for the future.

Best hit you didn’t see: On an extra-point attempt, senior defensive tackle John Gill manhandled offensive lineman Keegan Kennedy and almost got a paw on the kick. It was as if Gill lifted the 285-pound Kennedy and moved him out of the way.

Most disappointing moment: The ultimate nightmare for players, coaches and fans during a spring game is an injury. Junior wide receiver Kevin Frymire broke his leg while blocking downfield on a Tyrell Sutton 22-yard run. He had to be carted off the field. Frymire had been moving up the wide receiver depth chart.

Best catch: Senior Rasheed Ward had a good day with two touchdown catches. One of them was a diving catch in the corner of the end zone. His other was a reception over the middle; Ward then juked through the defense and into the end zone.

Redshirt freshmen to watch: Dan Persa and Scott Concannon got a lot of the attention during the spring and the Spring Game. Persa, a running quarterback, showed his ability to throw on the run during the game, throwing one of the touchdowns Ward caught. Concannon is shifty and showed nice moves in the open field. Persa got some reps at running back during practice last week and may be skilled enough to play somewhere else on offense as long as C.J. Bacher is running the show.

Nice to see him back in uniform: Junior quarterback-turned-wide-receiver Andrew Brewer had three catches for 53 yards on Saturday. Brewer showed his potential in 2006 with a big catch in the Iowa game and a touchdown catch in the 2007 Spring Game. However, Brewer broke his arm in Kenosha before last season started and did not play. He should be a solid deep threat for Bacher this season. (Also, safety Brendan Smith is healthy again for 2008, but he did not play in the Spring Game).

One guy you should meet: I had the pleasure of interviewing Athletic Director Jim Phillips. Boy, is Northwestern lucky to have him. He is humble but excited about being in Evanston. Phillips has high aspirations for Northwestern athletics, saying all 19 sports should have the potential to do what women’s lacrosse, women’s tennis and softball have accomplished. He also recognized the importance of a good football program. Phillips called football the engine that leads the train — the train being all other sports on campus. He also said he is meeting with each athletics employee to find out what has been working and what needs to be improved. Northwestern athletics are in great hands with Jim Phillips.

With spring practice over, the ‘Cats will now countdown to the first week of August, when they head to Kenosha for preseason practices. It all leads up to the kickoff to the 2008 season at Ryan Field on Aug. 30 against Syracuse.