With a new school year comes new opportunities, and that same ideal can be applied to the Grand Valley State University football team as it returns to the field to start the 2011 season.

The Lakers will open up Thursday at 7 p.m. against Western Oregon University in Lubbers Stadium. After last season’s 38-6 loss to Augustana College in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs, the Lakers have cleared their minds and are focused on the visiting Wolves and the upcoming season.

“Last year was 2010, this year is 2011, and the loss at the end of the season is something that we use as a thing to keep us humble, but it doesn’t have anything to do with how we play against Western Oregon.” said GVSU head coach Matt Mitchell, whose team went 11-2 last season. “I think this Western Oregon game is a little bit about how well our players and coaches can adjust to some things we haven’t seen because we haven’t had that familiarity with them.”

Publicized as a “blackout” for the fans, the game will showcase a revamped offense – featuring new starters at quarterback and running back – along with the return of the GLIAC’s fourth-best defense from last season.

“We want to be balanced here, we want to score as many points as we can as quick as we can, that’s our motto on offense,” said sophomore quarterback Heath Parling. “To do that, you definitely need balance, and at the skill positions we’re loaded – it’s just my job to put us in the best looks and get those guys the ball, and then they’ll know what to do with it once they get it.”

The new offense will not change the way the Lakers prepare for the game though. Aside from Parling’s lack of in-game experience, the offense still boasts one of the most explosive receiver-running back groups in the GLIAC led by junior receiver Jovonne Augustus and junior tailback Norman Shuford.

“We’re going to do the same thing we’ve always done around here,” Mitchell said. “Regardless of the fact that we have some new people, we’re going to try to take what the defense gives us. You’re not going to have balance on both sides of the ball if you don’t take what they’re showing you.”

Defensively, the Lakers will be without senior safety Zach Breen, who is out with a suspension after taking a supplement with a banned ingredient, but they will rely on a strong and experienced front seven to put pressure on the Western Oregon offense.

“It doesn’t matter who’s out there. All you can do is your job, your part, so you can’t worry about who’s out there on the field,” said senior defensive lineman Danny Richard. “Everyone has been working hard – especially on the back end – so I don’t see a position out there that you could call a weak link.”

While GVSU is reforming its offense on the fly, so is Western Oregon, which has only 14 returning starters. The large number of new players on Western Oregon’s roster provides a problem in planning and scouting for the Lakers.

“The difficult part of playing a non-league opener is that you really don’t have any familiarity with the opponent,” Mitchell said. “We’ll get our kids ready to go based on what we know, but we also have to have some things ready to go to because we’re going to have to make some adjustments based on what they’re running schematically.”

Regardless of the new faces for both teams, Mitchell and the Lakers look to take this game just as if it were any other game. GVSU will put its 10-game winning streak in season openers on the line.

“We’ve always played a team game,” Mitchell said. “We’re going to play smart football on both sides of the ball and do what it takes to win.”

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