Hawaii vs UMass: 3 things to watch
By Jacob Wilson
2. Which quarterback will come out on top for the Minutemen?
With head coach Mark Whipple refusing to name a starter for Saturday, a grueling quarterback battle is no doubt on the horizon. Whipple went as far as to say he had “two starters”, further hinting to a potential controversy down the stretch.
The battle will be between juniors Ross Comis and Andrew Ford with both players showcasing different skill sets capable of setting the offense in different directions. Comis was set to be the starter in 2016, but lost hold of the job after an average start and an eventual ACL tear against Old Dominion.
Ford stepped in for Comis, throwing for 2,665 yards on 365 attempts while also adding 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. Ford outperformed Comis, but it will be interesting to see whether or not the former will come back stronger from his season ending injury.
Will there even be a winner?
Both players do have the potential to complement each other nicely with Ford being a more polished passer and Comis contributing more on the ground. Should Whipple like what he sees out of the committee approach, don’t be surprised to see him stick with it. After all, there isn’t much to lose after finishing 122nd out of 128 FBS teams.
While on a much smaller scale, this situation may remind fans of what transpired in Notre Dame a year ago. Head coach Brian Kelly attempted to instill a committee approach with quarterbacks DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire, but the idea proved to be short-lived after a stellar performance from Kizer.
UMass fans may see the same situation play out for their Minutemen this season, with either Comis or Ford securing the starting spot. With Hawaii struggling much more so against the rush than the pass, expect Comis to have the leg-up in this contest.