The Chad Morris era is underway in Fayetteville.

On Saturday, the Morris show will travel to Little Rock for the annual Red-White game because of the ongoing renovation at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

The expectation is that no matter where Morris’ offense lines up, it’ll be able to score in bunches. It remains to be seen just how many points that will be and whether his fast-paced style will take the SEC by storm. What we will get to see in Saturday’s scrimmage is just how far along that unit is.

Needless to say, that’s one of 5 things I want to see in Arkansas’ spring game:

1. A smooth Cole Kelley

It’s one thing to be the backup quarterback when the starting quarterback doesn’t perform well. Kelley was in a somewhat favorable role last year after he got to replace the injured Austin Allen. In my opinion, his on-field play exceeded the relatively low bar that was set for him.

But now, I want to see if the 6-7 sophomore has taken hold of the starting job in this new offense. He said during camp that he felt Morris’ tempo was a better fit for his style. I want to see him get into a rhythm and keep up with the high pace that Morris wants to run. That’ll be easier said than done for a guy Kelley’s size.

This is a chance for Kelley to move past his DWI arrest at the end of last season and come out looking like he deserves to be an SEC starting quarterback. Ty Storey has been waiting even longer for an opportunity like this. That’s all the more reason for Kelley to show out on Saturday.

2. Morris’ new offensive identity

I feel like more and more basketball and football coaches recruit to playing fast. That’s what kids want to do. They want to get up and down the court/field, get into a rhythm and score a lot of points. Morris isn’t exactly running the Showtime Lakers yet, but I think we’ll see his handprint all over this new-look offense Saturday.

Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports

That should result in a few things. Even without Frank Ragnow, Arkansas should block much better than it did under Bret Bielema. The offensive line play might not be significantly better, but as we’ve seen from modern offenses everywhere, it’s a whole lot easier to block a tired defensive front than a defensive front that can pin its ears back.

I’d be stunned if the spring game offered up flashbacks of the sack-fest that was all too familiar the past couple years. The accuracy of Kelley and Storey will determine how potent the offense will look, but either way, I’d still expect to see the likes of Devwah Whaley and Chase Hayden rack up some big-time gains. There’s no reason Arkansas can’t significantly improve its mediocre rushing numbers from a season ago.

We should see some good evidence of that on Saturday.

3. Go-to receiver(s)

Some believed Arkansas’ offensive struggles were a direct result of an inexperienced group of wideouts. Not having a healthy Jared Cornelius hurt, but with him and most of the 2017 group back, I want to see who steps up in this new offense.

Jonathan Nance was the only Arkansas receiver who averaged 3 catches per game in 2017. If the Razorbacks are going to throw the ball as often as we expect, there should be at least 3-4 guys getting that many catches per game. Vance should be one of them. If Cornelius is healthy, he should be, too (how ironic that he was considering transferring to SMU until Morris got the job). Deon Stewart could take the next step up after having a solid spring camp.

If I’m an Arkansas fan, I want to see those three guys clicking Saturday. It probably isn’t the best sign of they’re still struggling to get separation or if they’re dropping passes left and right. The last thing that group needs is people questioning if they’ll hold Morris’ offense back in 2018.

4. A rejuvenated John Chavis

The suddenly well-traveled Chavis is leading his third SEC defense since 2014. There are a lot of questions about Chavis and whether his 4-3 is going to maximize the talent that Arkansas will get on defense.

The once-highest paid assistant in America took some heat for not putting together elite defenses at Texas A&M despite the fact that he had guys like No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett, Justin Evans, Daeshon Hall, Armani Watts and others. Chavis was a casualty of the end of the Kevin Sumlin era, and some would argue that his underachieving defenses played a part in that.

Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

None of that matters anymore. What does matter is that Chavis has a chance to show the doubters that he isn’t behind the curve and that his 4-3 scheme can still yield a top-40 unit. It’ll be interesting to see how Arkansas looks switching back to that scheme.

Chavis is still making some tweaks, such as seeing if top returning defensive player McTelvin Agim can line up at nose tackle. A bunch of guys will probably get moved around this offseason as Chavis tries to find the right combination. We’ll see how he matches up with Morris’ tempo in a game-like setting Saturday.

5. Shots of Reynolds Razorback Stadium construction

I’m a big fan of seeing the “before” and “after” shots of a stadium renovation. We should get plenty of those Saturday. Arkansas is playing at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock because of the renovation project, which should be ready to roll for the start of the 2018 season.

We’ll definitely get a bunch of videos like this whenever there’s a slow moment during Saturday’s scrimmage (via Arkansas football).

I’m looking forward to seeing the up-to-the-minute progress of the $160 million project, which feels like it’s been going on forever. Unfortunately for Arkansas, it doesn’t have the luxury of a big non-conference game to debut the new-look stadium.

But the thought of Morris getting to usher in a new era of Arkansas football in the team’s updated home should still build plenty of excitement in Fayetteville this summer.