AMHERST — UMass’ quarterback competition became a quarterback combination.
Minuteman coach Mark Whipple said both Andrew Ford and Ross Comis will play when UMass opens the season on Aug. 26 against Hawaii at McGuirk Stadium.
“Both will play. Both have been really good,” Whipple said. “I’m happy about it.”
Whipple declined to elaborate on how he’d rotate the two juniors.
“I don’t know what I’ll do. We’ll see what happens next week,” Whipple said. “They’ll split reps through out the week.
“They’re both good in the offense,” Whipple added. “I have two starters. We’ll figure it out as we go.”
That leaves some questions unanswered:
Will it be a 50-50 split?
Will the rotation be based on time elements (halves, quarters, series) or situations?
Ford, who is left-handed, isn’t immobile, but he’s more of a traditional drop-back, stay-in-the-pocket passer. Comis, a right-hander, is more mobile and has been effective rolling out in the past.
Comis was the No. 1 QB out of camp last season, but he and Ford each started three of the first six games, with neither seizing control. Comis suffered a season-ending knee injury in game six against Old Dominion, and Ford started the remaining six games.
Comis completed 28-of-63 passes for 370 yards in four games. He had one touchdown and one interception.
Ford, a junior college transfer who began his career at Virginia Tech, completed 222-of-365 throws for 2,556 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage