When Washington & Jefferson College football coach Mike Sirianni asked Brendan O'Mahony to change positions during the summer, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound junior asked if he could play both ways.

"Coach Sirianni told me that the team needed me more on the defensive line and that they would get along without me on offense," said O'Mahony, a Pine-Richland graduate. "I had no problem with the change [from h-back to defensive end], but I told coach my goal was to play both ways."

As a sophomore, O'Mahony earned second-team honors on the All-Presidents' Athletic Conference team as an h-back/tight end. He rushed for 177 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries, but his specialty was blocking. O'Mahony also caught five passes for 67 yards and a touchdown.

"I played fullback, halfback, linebacker, and defensive end during my high school career, so changing positions has never been a problem for me," O'Mahony said. "I want to help the team any way I can."

With that in mind, O'Mahony began the 2008 season as a defensive end for the Presidents.

"Our defensive line improved with Brendan playing at end," Sirianni said. "But we missed his presence on offense a little more than I anticipated."

Washington & Jefferson opened the season with seven consecutive victories. Then came a 35-29 loss Nov. 1 to Thomas More.

"That loss showed us a glaring weakness," Sirianni said. "We weren't rushing very well. We had only 29 yards rushing [against Thomas More]. I didn't realize how much we missed Brendan's blocking until we watched the film."

At that point, Sirianni did something he's never done in his coaching career.

"I've never had a kid play both ways before this season," said Sirianni, in his 10th season at W&J, sixth as head coach. "I've had some very talented kids who wanted to play both ways, but I wouldn't let them. In this situation, I felt it would help the team to have O'Mahony play both ways."

Washington & Jefferson has played two games since O'Mahony made his return on offense. The Presidents finished their season with impressive victories against Bethany (54-7) and Waynesburg (42-9).

"Our running game has improved since Brendan started playing both ways," Sirianni said. "Having Brendan playing both ways has really helped."

Washington & Jefferson rushed for 288 yards against Bethany and 195 yards against Waynesburg.

"I was surpised that it took this long," O'Mahony said when asked if he was surprised by his return to the offense. "It's been a lot of fun playing both ways."

O'Mahony's playing time on defense has been cut, but he's still on the field most of the game.

"I've cut Brandon's playing time on defense to 50 percent, but he doesn't leave the field very often," Sirianni said of O'Mahony, W&J's special teams MVP last season. "He's on every one of our special teams."

O'Mahony loves his time on the special teams.

"My responsibilities are different when I'm on special teams," O'Mahony said. "I can be a little more creative. I have a lot of fun playing on special teams."

Washington & Jefferson's 9-1 record earned the Presidents a return trip to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Presidents will play host to Christopher Newport University at noon Saturday at Cameron Stadium.

"The loss to to Thomas More actually helped us," O'Mahony said. "It was a reality check for the whole team. That loss prepared us for this year's NCAA Tournament bid."

"We came into last year's tournament as the top seed in our region, then lost in the first round,"O'Mahony said of W&J's 35-34 overtime loss to North Carolina Wesleyan. "It's hard to describe the feeling we had after losing that early.

"This year, we're lucky to be here. We know that we can't take anything for granted. We're in a better state of mind as we begin this year's tournament."

The PAC announced its All-Star Teams on Monday and O'Mahony received honorable mention as a defensive linemen. O'Mahony also received academic honors during his three years at Washington & Jefferson.

"Brandon has one more year of eligiblity remaining, but he may not be coming back," Sirianni said. "He's in a program at W&J that concludes after three years and requires two more years at another college."

"I'm majoring in physics in a three-year liberal arts program that requires me to transfer to one of three colleges so that I can major in engineering," O'Mahony said. "My choices are Washington [Mo.], Case Western Reserve, and Columbia. I haven't decided yet. I'm waiting until after the football season ends."