The last day of spring practice on Thursday ended on a positive note for the Toppers.

The spring season began on March 21, with WKU practicing three days a week and scrimmaging on Saturdays.

This Saturday, the Toppers host the annual spring game at Houchens-Smith Stadium at 5 p.m.

For the first time this spring, Head Coach Willie Taggart separated the red and white teams from view of each other on Thursday. The white team took the practice field, while the red team was on Feix Field inside the stadium.

Taggart said even that couldn’t stop the trash-talking between the two.

“If we don’t come out fired up on Saturday, there is something wrong,” he said. “Because the way we came out today — guys are trash-talking — you can tell they are fired up.

“We are treating this like a game. Guys are getting graded on this game. They know they have to go out and play their best.”

The spring camp had been a four-week long story of quarterback and receiver miscommunication, while the defense produced with turnovers.

But Taggart said he finally saw that change Thursday.

“Offensively we came out 7-on-7 and completed every pass,” he said. “That was probably the first time that has happened. It was sharp. They were catching everything.”

Overall, the head coach said the spring season was a successful one.

“I thought we made tremendous improvement,” Taggart said. “I thought we got out what we wanted to get out of it. We continued to build some depth in our football team.

“Both teams will win on Saturday.”

Junior defensive end Quanterus Smith said as a player, he could see and feel the improvement in the Toppers.

“I think we got a lot better,” Smith said. “We are starting to come along and be consistent instead of going a day here and a day here in our play.”

Smith said that kind of consistency will come before the fall season begins.

“Defense, we got them for the most part,” he said. “But then the offense came out and got us back. When the summer time gets here, getting the recruits out, we will all just work that out together.”