Fans will notice many changes during Saturday’s Red-White scrimmage, including the new turf on the field and a new quarterback for the Toppers.

Among the changes, Western will hold its first scrimmage Saturday as a bowl-eligible member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

Senior wide receiver Jake Gaebler will enter his fifth and final year at Western and is looking forward to the opportunities.

“This year, we have a chance to go to a bowl game, and that’s something I never thought I’d have the opportunity to do when I first came here,” Gaebler said.

Even though its just a scrimmage, coach David Elson isn’t taking the game lightly.

“On Saturday, it’s game day – that’s what we want our guys to treat it like,” Elson said.

Unlike years past, there won’t be a draft to determine teams. The game will strictly be offense against defense. Elson said this change is because of the depth and injuries of many players.

The two sides will not only be competing for bragging rights, but for a chance to eat a steak at the team cookout.

“When we have our team cookout later, the winning team from the spring game will eat steaks, while the losing team will eat hot dogs,” Elson said. “So it will still be a very competitive situation with a lot to play for.”

Elson and his coaching staff are developing a scoring system so that the offense, defense and special teams can all score points.

The spring game is more than just a competition for steaks and bragging rights for Gaebler.

“Everything I do from now on is going to be my last time, so it’s definitely a different feeling knowing it will be the last one,” Gaebler said.

Elson will be using Saturday’s game to adjust some of the younger players to actual game days.

“For a lot of these young guys, (we are wanting them) to go through a game-day routine and have as much of a game-like situation as we can,” Elson said.

Elson said he will look to Gaebler to help out a lot of the younger guys along the way.

“(Gaebler) is an example of what you point to to the rest of the guys,” Elson said. “You say ‘Hey, watch this guy’ – the way he practices, the way he studies the game, the way he carries himself on and off the field – that’s what we want everybody to be about.”

Gaebler is a fifth-year senior and said he is using his last year to do everything he can to help out the underclassmen.

“We have a very young team, and every chance I get to help a young guy out I take advantage of because they are the future of our program,” he said.

The Red-White scrimmage will have free admission and will take place at 6 p.m. Saturday at Smith Stadium.