AMHERST — There are few situations in football better than entering a season with an experienced starting quarterback under center.
And that is exactly the spot Amherst College finds itself in at the most important position in the sport as it heads into the season opener at 1 p.m. Saturday against Bates at home. Unlike their Division I counterparts down the road, the Mammoths return a third-year starter in senior signal-caller Ollie Eberth, who has led Amherst to a 15-3 record over the past two seasons. He’s also taken care of the ball in his first 18 appearances, tossing just four interceptions compared to 18 touchdowns.
That type of security makes life much easier for coach E.J. Mills as he begins his 23rd year at the helm. He said Eberth has built a lot of trust in the locker room and that gives him the most comfort with his quarterback.
“He’s a kid that knows what he’s doing, he knows how to win, he’s been in the fire,” Mills said. “Kids believe in him, so it’s one of those things that they know we have a shot when Ollie is out on the field. That’s a huge piece to any football team is to have that slot where people believe in that guy, and he’s that guy for us.”
Eberth will have plenty of experienced targets, headlined by his best friend James O’Regan, who caught 39 passes and four touchdowns last season. The Mammoths also return senior tight end Justin Berry, the team’s third-leading receiver a year ago, as well as senior Luke Mallette.
Mills said Mallette, a lacrosse player turned wideout, was very raw last year when he tried out for the team, but that his 6-foot-4, 215-pound frame made him a great prototypical receiver. With a year of experience, Mallette has impressed coaches with his knowledge of the offense and now Mills said he should be able to use his size to his advantage on the field.
One position where Amherst is still searching for answers is running back. The Mammoths were expected to have Biafra Okoronkwo back for his senior year, but the Towson, Maryland, native decided to return to Egypt for the fall semester to continue the work he did while studying abroad in the spring.
That has opened up plenty of carries in the backfield for an inexperienced backfield with just five combined rushing attempts last season.
“The running back spot is probably the most (unsettled),” Mills said. “We’re excited about the guys — Brandon Huff, Kellen Field and we have some other guys who we think are going to step up — so we have to see how that works out.”
That wait-and-see approach also is appropriate for the Mammoths’ defense, which must replace five of its six leading tacklers last season. That turnover means a completely new quartet of linebackers will take the field as starters on Saturday.
Anchoring the unit on the interior is a set of sophomore twins with a familiar last name in John and Matt Schiano, sons of former Rutgers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Greg Schiano. Joe Kelly and Nick Tighe, two experienced players, round out the foursome as they take over new spots and assume larger roles.
They’ll be supported by a secondary led by two time first-team all-NESCAC cornerback Avery Saffold and Matt Durborow, the only player among the top six in tackles last season who is back this year. However, Mills said he believes the linebackers are ready for the challenge of their new roles.
“We feel really good about those guys, but they’re untested,” Mills said. “We have a veteran secondary, we’ve got a lot of guys who have played up front, but that linebacker crew, they haven’t played a lot. They’ve looked good, but it’s been in practice, so we’ll see how they respond to game action.”
Josh Walfish can be reached at jwalfish@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshWalfishDHG. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage.