WALTHAM, Mass. – A West Chester University team forecast to win the Eastern Division of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference will provide the opposition when the Bentley University Falcons kick off the 2016 football season Saturday afternoon at home on its resurfaced field.

A free webcast will be available at www.bentleyfalcons.tv for the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Third-year head coach Bill Kavanaugh, whose first two seasons have finished with identical 5-6 records, believes he has better overall depth on this year's team than in 2014 and 2015. He's also been impressed with the improvement his returnees have displayed since the start of the offseason.

First-quarter scoring (only 6 TDs in 11 games) was a problem for last year's squad and slow starts to seasons (1-5 in 2014, 1-3 last year) have hampered Bentley in Kavanaugh's first two seasons. Last fall, the Falcons came up empty on their opening possession of 10 of 11 games with seven punts, two turnovers and one drive that ended on downs. Only in the rain at Pace did they reach the end zone.

Senior CJ Scarpa (Andover/Andover HS) is expected to make the start at quarterback for Bentley this year after filling the same role in the final two games in 2015. Facing LIU Post in both contests, he threw for two TDs and over 200 yards in each, a 30-28 win and a 34-20 loss. The average of 25 points per game was about ten higher than the team's production during the first nine weeks.

Scarpa will have a number of offensive weapons to call upon, including a pair of running backs who have topped 1,000 yards for their careers. Senior Martin Bannerman Jr. (Pawtucket, R.I./LaSalle Academy) pushed his total to 1,332 with a team-best 721 last year, and has 14 career TDs to his credit. Davidson transfer Jeff Keil (Tampa, Fla./Wharton HS) gained 1,028 with 11 TDs in two seasons with the Wildcats.

The receiving corps features grad student Chris Calvanese (Norfolk/Xaverian Brothers HS) and senior Sean Myers (Foxborough/Roxbury Latin HS), a duo with 15 career touchdown catches between them. Calvanese led the team in receiving yards last year (40 for 547, 4 TDs) while Myers will be looking to return to form (35 for 551 yards, 6 TDs in 2014) after being hampered by injury last fall.

Kavanaugh has an experienced offensive line that includes a pair of fifth-year grad students at guard, Matt Biscardi (Holbrook, N.Y./St. Anthony's HS) and Ryan Anger (Worcester/St. John's HS). At tackle, 285-pound senior Eric Beckwith (North Attleboro/North Attleboro HS) is a two-time All-Northeast-10 second team selection.

Four of Bentley's top six tacklers are back, including senior linebacker Bryan Hardy (Barnstable/ Barnstable HS). He's one of only two active NE-10 players who has topped 90 tackles in each of the last two seasons and was a second-team All-Conference pick last year.

Senior free safety Sam McDonald (Norfolk/King Philip Reg. HS) enters his final season with 14 career interceptions, a total that ranks third among active Division II players nationally. Five of those came last year when the second-team All-NE-10 honoree had a total of 42 tackles.

Another returning all-conference player is senior punter Tyler Ford (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan HS), who was the Falcons' only first-teamer in 2015. His 43.0 average was fifth best nationally in Division II and a Northeast-10 record.

Three freshmen appear on the inaugural two-deep of the new season: cornerbacks Peter Thorbahn (Norwell/Xaverian Brothers HS) and Quintin McDermott (Franklin/Milton Academy), and placekicker Nick Maldarella (Saint James, N.Y./Saint John the Baptist HS). Thornbahn is listed as a starter, McDermott is on the second team, and Maldarella is expected to handle the kicking chores.

West Chester, 7-4 a year ago with two of the losses coming to top-ten ranked teams (Lenoir-Rhyne in the opener, Slippery Rock in the finale), will make the trek from Pennsylvania with a veteran club, one that includes eight who earned All-PSAC honors in 2015. Among the eight starters who were lost was All-America defensive end Andrew Cohen, who had 20 tackles for losses, including 13.5 sacks.

The returning first-teamers are 297-pound right guard Tyler Drob, 345-pound left tackle Doug Gilbert, 285-pound defensive tackle Doug Gilbert, cornerback Ted Patton and strong safety Kevin Malone. In addition, coach Bill Zwaan will also be able to call upon three who were second-team selections: corner Shaquille James, linebacker Ralph Reeves and kicker Brendan Paulison.

Junior Pat Moriarty returns at quarterback for the Golden Rams. He threw for 2,655 yards and 28 touchdowns last year with a 137.2 rating and 13 interceptions. His top three targets are gone, but he can still call upon three who pulled in at least 20 balls a year ago, including classmate Tyler Karpinsky (25 for 310, 3 TD) and senior Jim Hurley (24 for 442, 5 TD).

Junior Jarel Elder led West Chester in rushing (561 yards) and all-purpose yards (1,312), and running back Eerin Young averaged 6.3 yards per carry for a total of 302 rushing yards. Reeves was the team's leading tackler (65), Patton had four interceptions and Paulison delivered on 11 of 13 field goal attempts.

Bentley has won seven of its last nine season-openers, including the last five when it has debuted at home.  West Chester, 31-8 over the last three seasons, will be playing in Massachusetts for the first time since a 38-7 loss to Boston University in 1990.

After opening with the only non-conference opponent on the schedule, Bentley will turn its attention to Northeast-10 foes the rest of the way, beginning Saturday, Sept. 10 at Saint Anselm. The Hawks, under first-year head coach Joe Adam, open this Thursday at Division I Wagner.