WALTHAM, Mass. – First-year football head coach Saj Thakkar makes his Bentley debut when the Falcons host West Chester Saturday, Sept. 2, at 1 p.m.

Thakkar previously spent five years on the football staff at Harvard. He was also an assistant coach at SUNY Maritime for three years.

Bentley posted a 7-3 record in 2022, as all three of its losses were decided by one possession. In turn, Thakkar has been emphasizing situational awareness every practice this preseason. The Falcons aim to improve on their 56-percent red zone touchdown percentage from a year ago.

Bentley returns eight starters on the offense side of the ball, and seven on the defensive side. Graduate student quarterback Mark Waid established himself as a legitimate dual threat in 2022, throwing for 1,505 yards and rushing for a team-high 714 yards. He totaled 18 touchdowns in 2022, 15 of which were through the air.

Waid's favorite target, Isaiah Decias, returns for his junior season after leading the Falcons in catches (21) and receiving yards (378) in 2022. Graduate student Abel Lopes figures to be a big part of the passing game in 2023 after coming away with 341 receiving yards in 2022.

Waid wasn't the only offensive player to earn All-Northeast-10 honors in 2022. Sophomore offensive lineman Mike Boutros earned All-NE10 Second Team honors along with his quarterback.

Defensively, senior Salvatore Lupoli Jr. returns after an All-NE10 First Team performance in 2022. He led the conference in tackles per game (10.2) last year, bringing his career total to 214 tackles in 30 games. Senior defensive lineman Herve Tshibamba was an All-NE10 Second Team honoree in 2022. He was Bentley's third-leading tackler (39), and had 12 tackles in the season-finale victory at Pace.

Graduate student cornerback Mathieu Severance was also All-NE10 last fall. He broke up the third-most passes (11) in the conference, and ranked second on the team in tackles (42).

Senior placekicker Mason Campbell is back after leading the NE10 in total points (66) on his way to an All-NE10 First Team honor last year. He made 12 of his 16 field-goal attempts last season, including a school-record 48-yard kick.

Bentley's first two games of 2023 are both at home. The Falcons host New Haven Sept. 9 at 6:30 p.m. The Homecoming game is Oct. 14 against Pace, and Senior Day is Nov. 4 against Assumption.