Wearing a white jersey with a bright red No. 5 on it, Tate Forcier trotted onto the Michigan Stadium turf this afternoon to thunderous applause — a surprising reception considering he’s never even played in a game.

The early-enrollee freshman’s appearance in the Michigan football spring game was clearly the most anticipated event of the day. And every one of the estimated 50,000 fans in attendance (a program-record crowd for the spring game) paid close attention to the quarterback.

Forcier didn’t disappoint. On his first drive, Forcier swiftly led the offense down the field, completing his first pass in the Big House and showing off his agility and speed with several quarterback scrambles.

On third and goal, Forcier took off toward the right sideline, slicing past defenders en route to the endzone. He leaped into a teammate’s arms in celebration.

On the whole, the freshman's performance had its ups and downs. Forcier often scrambled too quickly, missing open receivers to run the ball himself. But he did show flashes of greatness. Late in the scrimmage, on his first play back after the third-string offenses and defenses played a drive, Forcier sat in the pocket, planted his feat and launched a 50-yard bomb to redshirt freshman Roy Roundtree for a touchdown.

Forcier also hit Roundtree on a five-yard dump-pass to the right-side flats for another touchdown. Displaying what he's picked up from just 14 practices with the Wolverines, Forcier hit senior Greg Mathews on a 10-yard fade route in the corner of the endzone, a play that requires great skill, accuracy, communication and timing.

Forcier may have been the big-name player everyone was watching, but he wasn't the only player to turn heads today. Senior running back Carlos Brown, who has battled various injuries his entire career, also impressed the crowd with an 80-yard sprint to the endzone. After a quick cut, Brown raced up the sideline untouched.

The festivities went beyond the field, too. Early this morning, the line for the public tours of the Wolverines' locker room stretched from the Victors Parking Lot, around Crisler Arena, down Stadium Blvd and halfway down Main St. Fans also enjoyed an alumni flag football game before the current team took the field. Students also competed in a field goal kick challenge.