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The biggest question is at quarterback where the Minutemen lost Liam Coen who rewrote the UMass record book during his four years as the starter.

Long time backup Scott Woodward of Wendell and junior college transfer Kyle Havens are the leaders to replace Coen, while Octavious Hawkins and Spencer Whipple, the son of former UMass coach Mark Whipple, will try to earn the spot as well.

The UMass defensive system will remain pretty similar to what it was in recent years with Dudzinski, a long-time assistant coach under Don Brown, assuming defense-calling duties under Morris.

Senior Kurt Filler has the most games in that system. The junior college transfer had eight tackles in nine games last year after a dominant juco career at the College of San Mateo.

"We're young but we have some good players and good coaches," Filler said. "We have to keep the tradition up with the linebackers. We're young but we're picking it up fast."

Sophomore Tyler Holmes was the only Minutemen to play as a true freshman last year. Originally slated to redshirt, UMass elected to use Holmes in the final six games and he responded with 23 tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage and an interception. He's expected to be a key piece of the Minuteman defense.

"I know the defense a lot better so I'm playing with a lot more confidence," said Holmes, who'll likely play at middle linebacker. "There's no set depth chart so we're all working hard trying to get better."

Junior Mike Mele has the most actual game experience among the group, but it came in a different uniform.

Mele started 12 games for Syracuse and was third on the Orange with 72 tackles last year before transferring to UMass.

...Nelson took ownership of the starting role last year as a junior with a truly impressive season. Carrying the ball over 63 percent of the time (243 of the team's 390 attempts), the 5-10, 210-pound running back netted 1,325 yards and 12 touchdowns. His 110.4 yards per game ranked in the top-20 in the nation at No. 17 and third in the CAA. He also ranked third in the conference in touchdowns. He amassed 100 yards in six games in 2008 and scored multiple touchdowns in four contests.

Currently sitting at No. 7 all-time in rushing, Nelson can conceivably move into the fifth slot with a strong Week 1 effort. He is a mere 17 yards behind John Johnson and trails Kevin Smellie by 103. In Kansas State, Nelson faces a team that ranked 113th in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing defense, allowing a staggering 217.67 yards per game on the ground.