No. 15 Air Force Hosts No. 7 Notre Dame
10/14/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 14, 2002
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THE RECORDS: Air Force is 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the Mountain West Conference. Notre Dame is 6-0 overall.
TELEVISION: Nationally on ESPN. Dave Barnett (play-by-play), Mike Golick (color), Bill Curry (color) and Michelle Tafoya (sidelines) will call the action.
RADIO: Nationally on Westwood One. Tony Roberts (play-by-play), Allen Pinkett (color) and Paul Hornung (pregame/halftime) will call the action. Locally on KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs and AM 950 The Fan in Denver. Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Irv Brown (color) and Ben Martin (color) call the action. They are joined by KVOR's Jay Ritchie for the pre- and post-game shows.
LAST WEEK: Air Force defeated BYU, 52-9, in Falcon Stadium. Notre Dame defeated Pittsburgh, 14-6, in South Bend.
STREAKS: Air Force has won seven consecutive games dating back to last season. The Falcons have won four straight conference games dating back to last year. The six-game streak is the longest at the Academy since 1998. Notre Dame has won seven straight games dating back to last season.
NEXT WEEK: Air Force returns to Mountain West Conference play. The Falcons travel to Laramie, Wyo., to take on Wyoming Saturday, Oct. 26. Game time is TBA. Notre Dame plays its second consecutive road game. The Irish take on Florida State on Saturday, Oct. 26, at noon EDT.
THE SERIES: Notre Dame leads the series, 20-5. The Irish are 10-2 at the Academy and 10-3 in South Bend. The teams first played Oct. 10, 1964, at the Academy. Notre Dame won the game, 34-7. The teams have split the last two meetings, both in South Bend in overtime. AFA won, 20-17, in 1996 while the Irish won, 34-31, in 2000.
THE LAST MEETING: Notre Dame defeated Air Force, 34-31, in overtime in South Bend.
THE COACHES: Air Force is coached by Fisher DeBerry (Wofford, 1960), who is in his 19th season. He has a 147-78-1 career record at the Academy. Notre Dame is coached Tyrone Willingham (Michigan State, 1977), who is in his first season. He has led the Irish to a 6-0 record. Willingham has a 60-36-1 career record in his seventh season.
THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Air Force ranks 15th nationally in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. The Falcons are 18th in the Associated Press writers poll. Notre Dame is ranked seventh in both polls. This week's game is the first AFA has played in that where both teams were nationally ranked since No. 20 Air Force defeated 25th-ranked Wyoming, 10-3, in 1998 in Laramie.
THE AIR FORCE / NOTRE DAME SERIES: Air Force and Notre Dame meet for the 26th time this week. The Irish hold a 20-5 series lead, including a 10-2 mark at AFA. Notre Dame is 10-3 at home. The teams first played on Oct. 10, 1964, at the Academy. Notre Dame won the game, 34-7. The last two games in the series have been overtime thrillers in South Bend. Air Force won, 20-17, in 1996 while Notre Dame won, 34-31, in 2000.
THE LAST TIME VS. NOTRE DAME: Air Force and Notre Dame added another classic in a series that has become defined by memorable games. Air Force overcame an 18-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game and force overtime before Notre Dame came out on top, 34-31. The Falcons overcame a slow start in the first quarter that saw the team gain just 13 yards on 12 plays to take a 10-7 halftime lead. AFA's 10-point second quarter was fueled by 147 yards on 24 offensive plays while holding the Irish to 17 yards on 12 plays. The third period was all Notre Dame. The Irish scored 21 consecutive points to take a commanding 28-10 lead into the fourth quarter. Quarterback Matt LoVecchio hit Joey Getherall on a pair of TDs, including a 68-yarder, to spark Notre Dame. Air Force reversed its fortunes in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Mike Thiessen hit Chris Jessop for a 30-yard TD and halfback Bert Giovanetti recovered a Scott Becker fumble in the endzone to cut the lead to 28-23 with 6:09 remaining. Scotty McKay added a two-point conversion run to cut the lead to 28-25. The Falcons then drove 78 yards on seven plays to set up a Dave Adams 34-yard field goal with 1:56 left to tie the game. The Falcons got the ball back and Thiessen hit Ryan Fleming with a 46-yard pass to set up a 28-yard field goal attempt by Adams with three seconds remaining. Notre Dame's Glen Earl blocked the field goal to force the overtime. The Falcons added a 26-yard Adams field goal to regain the lead at 31-28. Getherall then struck again on a reverse from nine yards for the game-winner. The Falcons out-gained Notre Dame 471 yards to 383 and had eight more first downs in the game. Thiessen and Fleming each finished with career days. Thiessen hit 17 of 29 passes for 265 yards while Fleming had eight catches for 163 yards. Getherall led Notre Dame with four catches for 116 yards and two TDs. Julius Jones added 111 yards on 27 carries.
CONNECTIONS: Air Force has two players from the state of Indiana. Senior Don Clark is a native of Valparaiso while junior Joe Schieffer is from Indianola.
A LITTLE LIKE '89: This week's matchup against Notre Dame has a similar look to the 1989 matchup at Falcon Stadium. Notre Dame, 6-0, is ranked seventh this week while 6-0 Air Force is 15th. In 1989, the defending national champion Irish were No. 1 and 6-0. AFA was No. 17 and 6-0. The game was the first night game in Falcon Stadium history and marked the first time in school history Air Force had played a No. 1-ranked team. Notre Dame jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, then made it 21-0 on a Rocket Ismail returned a punt 56 yards for a touchdown. The Irish led 35-14 at the half and finished AFA off for a 41-27 win. Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis led Air Force with a career-high and option era record 306 yards passing. Notre Dame was led by Ricky Watters, who rushed for 96 yards and a TD and Ismail, who had 92 yards and a TD. Tony Rice hit nine of 13 passes for 123 yards and a score.
AFA/ND STATISTICS COMPARISONS: Air Force and Notre Dame sport two of the top scoring defenses in the country. Air Force ranks 12th nationally with a 16.2 average. The Irish are third, allowing just 11.7 points per game. Also on the national scene, Air Force features one of the top scoring offenses in the nation. The Falcons rank eighth nationally with a 40.5 scoring average. Air Force and Notre Dame are tied for seventh nationally in turnover margin with a 1.67 average. Both teams are +10 on the season.
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK: Air Force tasted sweet revenge against Brigham Young with a 52-9 win in Falcon Stadium. The win avenged a 63-33 loss in Provo in 2001. The Cougars opened the game with a 10-play, 62-yard drive to take a 3-0 lead on a 35 yard field goal by Matt Payne. It was all Air Force after that. Chance Harridge led Air Force to touchdowns on its first four drives as the Falcons took a commanding, 28-3, halftime lead. Harridge scored three of the TDs while Darnell Stephens added the first score of his career. The second half continued just as dominant for the Falcons. Harridge added his fourth TD on AFA's first drive and Joey Ashcroft kicked a career-long 44 yard field goal to make it 38-3 heading into the fourth quarter. Adam Cole and Tim Gehrsitz added fourth quarter TDs and BYU added a late TD to make up the final margin. Air Force rushed for 386 yards and had 463 total yards. Harridge led the way with 104 yards rushing and hit four of eight passes for 77 yards. Leotis Palmer chipped in with 66 yards. Defensively, Joel Buelow recorded a career-high 10 tackles, a quarterback sack, two pass breakups and an interception. Anthony Schlegel added eight tackles as Air Force held BYU to -21 yards rushing. The Cougars were held to 304 total yards.
AIR FORCE POST-GAME NOTES: Air Force has now won four of the last six games vs. BYU ... AFA's 43-point victory margin is the fourth largest in a conference game in school history ... AFA's four interceptions are a season high and the most since getting five vs. Rice in 1997 ... AFA's five sacks were a season high ... AFA held BYU scoreless in the third quarter and have now out-scored its opponents, 58-6, in the third stanza this season ... AFA's 79 rushes ties as the fourth most in school history ... BYU's -21 yards rushing is the fourth fewest allowed by AFA ... AFA's 52 points are its most ever vs. BYU ... BYU's nine points is the fewest scored against AFA ... Anthony Schlegel recorded his first-career interception ... Anthony Park and Chance Harridge hooked up on the longest pass play of their careers -- 47 yards ... Harridge's eight touchdowns the last two games ties a school record (Dee Dowis in 1989).
THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Air Force is ranked 15th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and 18th in the Associated Press poll this week. The national ranking is the highest for Air Force since the final poll of 1998 when Air Force was 10th in the coaches poll and 13th in the AP poll. AFA has been nationally ranked three consecutive weeks for the first time since 1998.
AIR FORCE ONE OF 10: Air Force is one of 10 undefeated Division I-A teams in the nation this week. AFA's 6-0 mark ties for third best nationally behind N.C. State and Ohio State with 7-0 marks.
FALCONS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES: Air Force is 22-4 in its last 26 non-conference games dating back to 1997. Two of the losses have come at the hands of nationally-ranked teams. Air Force fell to eighth-ranked Notre Dame, 34-31, in overtime in 2000 and last season to third-ranked Oklahoma, 44-3, in Falcon Stadium. AFA head coach Fisher DeBerry is 59-26 during his career in non-conference games.
6-0 START A SIGN OF GOOD THINGS: This season marks the fourth time in the Fisher DeBerry era that the Falcons have opened the season 6-0. In the previous three seasons, Air Force has averaged 10 wins per season and gone to a post-season bowl game every year. This is the team's first 6-0 start since 1997.
ROAD WARRIORS: Air Force has been tough on the road recently. Including this season's 2-0 road mark, the Falcons are 32-18 in the last 50 road games, including bowls, since 1994. Air Force is 22-12 in the last 33 regular season conference road games. AFA has won 20 of the last 31 games on the road dating back to 1997.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF'S TROPHY: This season marks the 32nd year of Commander-in-Chief's Trophy competition between Air Force, Army and Navy. Air Force has dominated the competition, with 15 trophy titles. Army has won it six times and Navy five. The Falcons took their first step to win its sixth consecutive CIC title with a 48-7 win over Navy in Falcon Stadium Oct. 5. The win gives Air Force a 42-19-0 all-time CIC record. The win is AFA's 11th consecutive in the series. This year's senior class at Air Force is 7-0 in CIC games and is attempting to become the fourth class overall and third consecutive (1992, 2000, 2001) in school history never to fall to Army or Navy. Fisher DeBerry has led the Falcons to 13 of the 15 titles and has a 31-6 CIC record. The Falcons have been in possession of the Trophy for all but one year (Army, 1996) since 1989.
AIR FORCE 11TH NATIONALLY SINCE 1997: Air Force leads the Mountain West Conference and ranks 11th nationally since 1997 in total wins. The Falcons have a 49-18 record (.731). During the last six years, Air Force has posted seasons with nine (2000), 10 (1997) and 12 (1998) wins. Air Force posted the first back-to-back 10-win seasons in program history in 1997-98 with 10 and 12 wins, respectively.
REBOUNDING: Air Force has never had back-to-back non-winning seasons in the Fisher DeBerry era (1984-present). In fact, the Falcons have rebounded strongly following down seasons under DeBerry. The Falcons have averaged eight wins a year following a down year. The Falcons followed up a 5-7 year in 1988 with an 8-4-1 mark in 1989. The team then followed a 4-8 mark in 1993 with an 8-4 record in 1994. Last year, the Falcons finished the season 6-6 which is just the third non-winning season under DeBerry. AFA has already matched that win total this season.
SCORING BIG: Air Force's offense has been high-powered the last three years since Chuck Petersen took over as offensive coordinator. The Falcons closed the 2000 season with five consecutive 30-point scoring efforts and had eight games of 30 or more overall. Last season, the string continued with seven games of 30 points or more. The offense is off and running this season with games of 52 (twice), 48, 38 and 30 points so far. Petersen has led the Falcons to 20 30-plus scoring efforts in his 30 games as offensive coordinator.
No. 9 IN THE BOOKS: Air Force's win over BYU Oct. 12 secured an impressive streak for another year. Air Force has posted nine consecutive seasons at .500 or better. Air Force's last losing season was in 1993 when the team went 4-8. During the last nine years, Air Force has averaged 8.1 wins per season and has a .689 winning percentage. The school is 71-32 overall.
DEFENSE MUCH IMPROVED: The new Air Force defensive system (3-3-5) has paid off big for the Falcons. The unit is much improved this season over 2001. The most important category is scoring defense. AFA allowed 32.2 points per game last year. This year, opponents are scoring just 16.2 per contest which leads the MWC and ranks seventh nationally. Air Force gave up an average of 452.7 yards per game last year. This season, that figure stands at 309.8 which leads the conference. A closer look at AFA's defensive rankings in the conference follows below. The Falcons have had 14 different players combine for 35 tackles for loss. Sophomore John Rudzinski leads the way with 5.5 for 29 yards. Ten different Falcons have combined for the team's 15 quarterback sacks. Finally, 13 different players have combined for AFA's 29 pass deflections. Senior Wes Crawley leads the team with six. Crawley leads the MWC and ranks 21st nationally with three interceptions. AFA has nine interceptions as a team this season.
BRING ON OVERTIME: Air Force has been very successful playing in overtime games since the format was added to college football in 1996. Air Force is 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Falcon Stadium during the extra period. The team is a perfect 3-0 in conference overtime games. All five games have been decided in the first extra period.
AIR FORCE LEADS THE NATION IN RUSHING: Air Force leads the nation in rushing this week with a 339.2 per-game average. The team has led the nation in rushing in all but one week this season. AFA is in search of its first national rushing title. AFA won its 18th conference rushing title last season with a 273.2 per-game average. The Falcons ranked third nationally. Air Force has been one of the premier rushing teams in college football over the years. Since Fisher DeBerry took over in 1984, AFA has finished among the nation's top 10 17 times and the top five 14 times.
BLOCKED KICKS: Air Force is one of the premier kick-blocking teams in college football. Air Force has blocked three kicks this season (2 punts, FG). Nate Allen has two of the blocks with blocked punts vs. Northwestern and Utah. He earned MWC special teams player of the week honors for the block vs. Utah. He scored the first touchown of his career vs. Northwestern when he recovered his own block in the end zone. Allen is the active career leader on the team with three blocks, as he also blocked a punt last season vs. Army. Eric Thompson has AFA's other block this season, a field goal vs. Cal. He was named MWC special teams player of the week for his block. Air Force has blocked 78 kicks since 1990 which ranks second nationally to Virginia Tech, who has 80. During the 1990s, Virginia Tech led the nation with 62 while Air Force was second with 59. AFA has blocked at least three kicks in 13 consecutive years.
ASHCROFT EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Kicker Joey Ashcroft is this week's Mountain West Conference special teams player of the week. Ashcroft kicked a career-long 44 yard field goal and hit five extra points in Air Force's win. Ashcroft was also the kicker on a successful onside kick attempt that led to a touchdown. The honor is the first of Ashcroft's career.
FULLBACK RUSHING GAME: Air Force is tough to beat when the fullback rushing game is working. Air Force is 34-7 since 1990 when the position rushes for 100 or more yards. The fullbacks rushed for a season-high 139 yards at California in Air Force's 23-21 win. Steve Massie and Adam Cole each had their best days as Falcons. Massie rushed for a career-high 76 yards on 12 carries and had a career-long 45 yard run. Cole added a career-best 63 yards and a career-long 40 yard run. Cole entered the game with one carry for two yards on the year. The fullbacks added their second 100-yard day against BYU with 116 yards. Cole led the way with 59 yards while Massie added 33. Tim Gehrsitz chipped in with a career-high 23 yards and his first career touchdown.
PALMER WINS MR. INTENSITY AWARD: Senior Leotis Palmer won the team's Mr. Intensity Award which annually goes to the player that worked the hardest in the weight room during the off-season. Palmer recorded career bests in bench press (380), squat (500) and strength index (782). His strength index is the third highest ever at the Academy. Palmer also set a new team record with a 42-inch vertical jump.
HARRIDGE HAVING SPECIAL SEASON: Junior quarterback Chance Harridge is placing his name among the best in Air Force history. Harridge has already done something that some of the Academy's great option quarterbacks of all-time were unable to do. Harridge is undefeated in his first six career starts which is the third best start is school history and second best in the option era. Only Bob Parker's 8-0 start in 1970 and Blane Morgan's 7-0 start in 1997 are better. Harridge is on pace to shatter the single season school record for rushing touchdowns. Harridge leads the MWC and ranks second nationally in scoring with a 15.0 average. He has 15 rushing touchdowns which already ranks 10th in school history. The Bonaire, Ga., native needs just five more TDs this season to tie the record of 20 set by Brian Bream in 1970. Harridge tied a school record with his eighth touchdown in the last two games. He tied the 1989 mark of Dee Dowis (6 vs. SDSU, 2 vs. Wyoming). Harridge ranks second in the conference and 28th nationally in rushing with an average of 102.5 yards per game. He's had three 100-yard rushing performances this season, including a career-best 161 vs. Navy. Harridge also had 124 at California earlier this season. He is on pace to finish the season with 1,230 yards which would rank sixth in AFA history. After a slow start passing, Harridge has picked it up recently, averaging 94.3 yards over his last three games. On his current pace of the last three games, he could become just the 14th player in NCAA history and fifth at AFA to rush and pass for over 1,000 yards each in a single season. Harridge would join Bart Weiss (1985), Dee Dowis (1989), Beau Morgan (1995-96) and Keith Boyea (2001) to accomplish the 1,000-1,000 at AFA.
LIGHTS IN FALCON STADIUM: Permanent lights were installed in Falcon Stadium in August. Musco Lighting from Oskaloosa, Iowa, installed the lights at a cost of $497,140. Air Force Academy Athletic Association funds, not taxpayers, were used. The project includes 168 lighting fixtures at 2000 watts each. The total wattage of the project is 386,400. Approximately five miles of electrical cable and wire were utilized in the project. The operating cost to run the lights is $19.92 per hour. The Academy used to spend between $50,000 and $60,000 per week to rent lights.
TEAM CAPTAINS: Air Force selected season captains this season. The entire team voted on the captains following spring drills. This year's captains are: senior Leotis Palmer (HB), senior Bryan Blew (QB), senior Tom Heier (HB), junior Jeff Overstreet (DB), junior Trevor Hightower (ILB) and sophomore Anthony Schlegel (ILB).
