AMHERST — Ross Comis knew the hit was coming. He saw Appalachian State’s Desmond Franklin coming and he was ready to absorb it.
Comis wanted to get hit but not for the 15-yard penalty that the Mountaineers would get for the late hit.
There was uneasy tension on the UMass sideline since Andrew Ford had left the game on a stretcher after a blind side hit. The Minutemen were angry. As the quarterback, Comis wanted to rally his teammates. This was an opportunity.
Take the hit. Pop back up. Squawk a little and let both his teammates and the App State players know, he was tough enough to handle a game getting increasingly chippier.
“I was waiting for the guy to hit me. I knew I wasn’t going to beat the guy. He had a pretty good angle on me. I wanted him to hit me. When he did, the whole sideline erupted. I got up and got in his face a little. It was a good time,” Comis said smiling. “I’m not big into getting in people faces, but getting up after that I wanted to show guys I’m ready for that. I think guys were pretty pumped up when they saw me get up and get in the guy’s face.”
While Ford and Comis have spent their time at UMass competing for playing time, the duo are close friends on and off the field. While medical personnel were attending to Ford, Comis ran to his teammate, leaned over and spoke to him.
“I was worried about him when it happened. We all prayed for him and thankfully he’s all right,” Comis said. “I said ‘We’ve got your back and you’re going to be fine.’”
There’s a good chance Comis will start for the Minutemen Saturday against Mississippi State. UMass coach Mark Whipple said Ford is officially listed as day-to-day. Because he had a concussion earlier this season and it was a blow to the head area that sent him to the hospital, standard protocol requires increased precaution.
If Comis does start, he’ll be both prepared and confident coming off two wins he played key roles in.
“I’m coming off getting the start at Georgia Southern and playing pretty well. Being able to get my team down the field into field goal range and putting ourselves in position to win the App State game in over time, I feel good about myself,” Comis said. “The offense feels good as a whole. We’re excited.”
Whipple was confident in him too.
“The biggest thing is find a way to win the game,” Whipple said. “That’s what he’s done the last two weeks.”
Ford is a more traditional pocket passer, while Comis’ running ability is incorporated into the game plan when he plays. Comis’ increased practice snaps this week gave him added confidence.
“Andrew and I have different strengths. Coach Whip realizes that and works around it,” he said. “Having practice this whole week doing what I do best is exciting.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage