Thursday marks the opening game of the season for the Davenport University men’s team, and it’s an opportunity to bounced back from a weird 2013-2014 season.

Last year, Davenport lost all six of their league games, but because they lost mostly close games to their highly-regarded conference opponents (Life, Arkansas State, and Lindenwood), the Panthers retained a high place in USA Rugby’s DIA rankings, and thus got a playoff game against Army, which they won.

So, winless though they were in league play, Davenport ended up ranked 5th in DIA by USA Rugby. Ranking or no, the Panthers know they want to do better this year. Head Coach James Wood has several players coming back for their 5th year.

Prop Angus MacLellan returns from a stint in Ireland and will captain the team, while outside back Mason Baum is also back for his final year of eligibility. Flyhalf JP Eloff should be back this fall, also, although the former All American’s injury woes will likely keep him in bubble wrap for a little bit longer.

Hooker Gabe Sochanek backs up MacLellan as one of the leaders, and six more players are back for their 5th year. Still Thursday’s opener against McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont. is likely to be more of a scrimmage than a full-on game. Both teams will be running the subs and mixing combinations.

“This won’t necessarily be top-side v. top-side,” said Wood. “We’ve only been together a few days and we need to see what we have.”

Wood said he is concentrating on keeping practice varied and interesting, and working all of the players into the system. With an abbreviated recruiting window - Wood didn’t now he was getting the Head Coach job until late - Davenport has recruited mainly locally. Of the nine freshmen on the current roster, seven are from Michigan, with one each from Kentucky and Indiana.

The recruits include All-Conference No. 8 Drew Boatright, 6-4 lock Thomas Cheslek, who was also an all-conference wrestler, Kentucky all-state hooker Alex Hayes and Michigan all-conference hooker Mason Heimbaugh, and Stars & Stripes flanker out of Brownsburg, Ind, Trevor Rothhaas.

All of these players will have an impact, but this remains an experience-heavy team, and one that wants to bounce back from a difficult 2013-14. As a result, they will test themselves in the opening weeks. Following Thursday’s clash with McMaster, the Panthers fact University of Western Ontario in London, Ont. The WOU Mustangs return the favor a week later as they visit Grand Rapids to complete the two-game series.

After that, it’s Penn State and Bowling Green and what is now a non-conference game against Arkansas State (ASU has left the Mid-South DIA Conference to play in the Varsity Cup) followed by Wheeling Jesuit.

Conference play doesn’t start until February, but the fall will be a stern test - maybe if the harsh lessons of last season didn’t take, this fall will repeat the message.