The SEC concluded its spring practice season when Arkansas and Tennessee held the conference’s final two spring games of 2015 on Saturday.

Both teams took a big step forward last season by earning bowl eligibility, and both are hoping to continue that positive trend in 2015. While there’s still plenty of time between now and the start of the season, there are a few important takeaways we were able to absorb from Saturday’s scrimmages.

Here are our five biggest observations from Saturday’s games:

1. Both starting quarterbacks looked confident and played with purpose. Brandon Allen only played the first half of Arkansas’ spring game, but that was all the time he needed to prove he’s ready for his senior season and third year as the Razorbacks’s starter.

He completed 17 of 21 passes, and two of those four incompletions were drops. Not only was Allen accurate, but he made quick decisions and got the ball out of his hands quickly, allowing his playmakers to do all the work. Better yet, he was putting balls in spots that receivers could catch fluidly on the run, allowing them to make plays after the catch.

Allen threw for 230 yards and three touchdowns in a half, leading his unit to five total touchdowns in that time, and according to the Hogs’ he concluded the spring without a single interception, which has to make Hogs fans feel good heading into the offseason.

Not to be outshined in the second game of yesterday’s spring doubleheader, Tennessee starter Joshua Dobbs, preparing for his first full season as a starter, looked just as sharp in the Vols’ spring game. He completed 5 of 8 passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, but showed a lot of little things in those eight throws that indicate he’s ready for 2015.

Dobbs moved in the pocket well and he threw well on the run, something he had to do often last year behind UT’s shaky offensive line and something he’ll likely have to do again this fall. He showed great touch on a 37-yard completion to Johnathon Johnson, his longest completion of the day, and he carried himself as the “face of the franchise,” which seems petty but is actually vital, seeing as sometimes a team’s star player isn’t prepared to also be the team’s leader. Dobbs is ready to lead.

When Butch Jones put his quarterbacks on display in a quarterback competition on Saturday, Dobbs watched as backup (and early enrollee freshman) Quinten Dormady torched the course Jones had set up. Dobbs listened as Jones (the day’s emcee) yelled “Uh oh, Dobbs” while Dormady hit on nearly every throw. Then Dobbs took the field and topped Dormady’s score with ease. Again, this may not sound like much, but it’s an indication that this is Dobbs’ team, which is a great sign for the youth-laden Vols entering the offseason.

2. Arkansas has more weapons on offense than we thought. We knew the Arkansas offense would rely on a veteran quarterback, a veteran offensive line with four returning starters, its two 1,000-yard tailbacks, senior wideout Keon Hatcher and junior tight end Hunter Henry this fall. However, most of us never considered that players like tailback Kody Walker, tight end Jeremy Sprinkle and wideouts Jared Cornelius, Drew Morgan and Cody Hollister would be impact players this fall.

If Saturday’s action is any indication, they will. Sprinkle starred in A.J. Derby’s role as one of the team’s two primary tight ends opposite Henry. Because the Hogs run the ball so effectively, utilizing two pass-catching tight ends will allow them to throw out of run-heavy formations, which should keep defenses off balance at all times with a deadly play-action attack.

Sprinkle led all receivers on Saturday with four catches for 44 yards and a touchdown from Allen, while Henry tied him for the team lead with four catches, although he only amassed 26 yards and never found the end zone.

Hatcher’s three catches for 91 yards and two touchdowns proved he’s deserving of the No. 1 receiver role, but Morgan, Hollister and Cornelius all caught multiple passes with the first-team offense, adding even more versatility to the passing game. Those wideouts may not be future NFL playmakers, but they’re consistent and appear to have chemistry with Allen, and the depth they’ll add this fall will be huge in addition to two talented backs, two talented tight ends and a star senior receiver.

Walker was the true star of the day. While Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins took the day off for precautionary reasons, Walker, a senior third-stringer who could start for most other FBS teams, carried the ball 26 times for 174 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Razorbacks. He ran with power between the tackles and never shied from contact, ensuring the Hogs’ will maintain immaculate tailback depth even if one of their two stars goes down with an injury.

3. Once healthy, Tennessee’s defensive line ought to be one of the SEC’s best. The Volunteers logged four sacks and nine tackles for loss during Saturday’s action, and that was with only one projected starter (early enrollee Shy Tuttle) in uniform. Granted, Butch Jones awarded the defense a few generous sacks (he was the man charged with blowing plays dead since quarterbacks don non-contact jerseys in practice), but the Vols still brought plenty of pressure up front despite missing last year’s sack leader in Derek Barnett, as well as incoming freshmen Kahlil McKenzie and Kyle Phillips. If they can continue that trend this fall, it will benefit the entire defense, especially a linebacker corps still in search of a starting inside linebacker.

The four sacks and nine tackles for loss allowed are not a great sign for the offensive line, but again, some of those sacks were generously granted, and the o-line is also awaiting some reinforcements in the form of incoming freshmen like Drew Richmond. The offensive and defensive lines appeared more even in 1-on-1 drills, which should ease the concerns of Vols fans fearing their line won’t be able to keep Dobbs healthy.

4. There are benefits to making the spring game your own. Both head coaches, Jones and Arkansas’ Bret Bielema, put their own spin on their respective spring games, and while some elements were a flop, others were a resounding success that made an otherwise run-of-the-mill scrimmage into somewhat of an event.

Bielema framed his spring game as “1’s vs. the world,” which is a clever idea and a way to motivate this year’s projected starters to play with a chip on their shoulder. Unfortunately, it worked a bit too well, as the first-team offense scored five straight touchdowns in the first half on the reserve defense, all while the first-team defense held the reserve offense to 12 yards and no first downs on 16 first-half plays.

The idea was to grant the reserves double points to compensate for the mismatch, but since the reserves never scored on a play from scrimmage, that idea never panned out. Many of the performances recanted above were as sensational as described, but many of those statistics were inflated due to the overmatched opponents Arkansas’ starters faced.

However, Bielema did implement one unique element in Saturday’s festivities that spiced up the event. He held Field Goal Shootouts after the first and third quarters, allowing his two place kickers — Adam McFain and Lane Saling — to alternate on four field goals apiece, moving the ball back two yards each time. McFain made six kicks, while Saling made seven to serve as the only points for the non-starters, and the fast-paced shootouts were fun for the brief periods they lasted.

Jones took his unique spin on the spring game even further in Knoxville. He emceed the entire event, and broke from his scrimmage throughout the day to host 1-on-1 competitions for the fans. These competitions included a “Circle of life” drill for linemen, linebackers and tight ends, a fade route drill for receivers and cornerbacks, and a quarterback competition featuring a passing-based obstacle course that the team’s signal callers progressed through one at a time.

The teams in the scrimmage were granted points based on how their team members did in 1-on-1 drills, and these competitions added a competitive streak to an otherwise light-hearted day. The event was fun, and it was unlike any other spring game in the SEC, which is what Jones wanted. If recruits watched any of UT’s spring festivities, there’s a chance Butch made an impression on said recruits.

5. No good deed goes unpunished. In the second quarter of Arkansas’ spring game, Bielema allowed local Fayetteville eighth grader Dallas Walker, who suffers from Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a chance to call a play on a two-point conversion. Walker, an aspiring coach one day, called the same play Bielema used last fall when offensive linemen Sebastian Tretola threw a touchdown pass on a fake field goal inside the 5 yard line.

Once again, Tretola was tasked with throwing the pass, but this time it was ESPN/SEC Network sideline reporter Laura Rutlege who was called on to catch the touchdown toss. Except she dropped the pass, twice in fact, and the Hogs’ came away with no points on Walker’s play. I suppose he may just have to get used to his players failing to execute, just like any other coach, but the gesture was still pure and Rutlege, Walker and Tretola were all smiles by the end of the day.

In case you missed the touchdown fail, check out the footage here.