No. 19/21 Falcons Host BYU
10/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 7, 2002
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THE RECORDS: Air Force is 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference. Brigham Young is 3-2 overall. This week is the conference opener for the Cougars.
TELEVISION: Nationally on ESPN2. Jeff Hullinger (play-by-play), Todd Christensen (color) and Stacy Paetz (sidelines) will call the action.
RADIO: 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 Navy, 48-7, in Falcon Stadium. BYU defeated Utah State, 35-34, on the road.
STREAKS: Air Force has won six consecutive games dating back to last season. The Falcons have won three straight conference games dating back to last year. The six-game streak is the longest at the Academy since 1998. BYU snapped a two-game losing streak last week. The Cougars have won nine consecutive conference games dating back to 2000. The Cougars were a perfect 7-0 in league play last season.
NEXT WEEK: Air Force hosts Notre Dame on Saturday, Oct. 19, in a non-conference game. BYU hosts MWC foe UNLV on Saturday, Oct. 19.
THE SERIES: BYU leads the overall series, 18-4. The Cougars are 9-2 at Air Force, 9-1 in Provo and 0-1 in neutral site games. Air Force has won three of the last five games, including a 31-23 outcome in 2000 when the team's last played in Falcon Stadium.
THE LAST MEETING: BYU defeated Air Force, 63-33, in Provo, Utah.
THE COACHES: Air Force is coached by Fisher DeBerry (Wofford, 1960), who is in his 19th season. He has a 146-78-1 career record at the Academy. BYU is coached by Gary Crowton (BYU, 1983), who is in his second season. Crowton has led the Cougars to a 15-4 record. He has a 36-17 career record in five seasons.
THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Air Force ranks 19th nationally in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. The Falcons are 21st in the Associated Press writers poll.
THE AIR FORCE / BYU SERIES: Air Force and Brigham Young meet for the 23rd time overall and 20th time as conference foes. Brigham Young leads the all-time series, 18-4, and holds a 15-4 mark in conference meetings. Air Force is 2-9 at home, 1-9 at BYU and 1-0 in neutral site games. The Falcons have won three of the last five meetings, including the last game played at the Academy, 31-23, in 2000. The teams first played Nov. 24, 1956, in Provo. The Cougars won the game, 34-21. A closer look at the series follows: LAST YEAR VS. BYU: Air Force suffered one of its worst defeats in the Fisher DeBerry era at the hands of Brigham Young, 63-33, in LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cougars raced 75 yards on five plays on their opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. Doug Jolley capped the drive with an 18 yard touchdown pass from Brandon Doman. Following an on-side kick recovery, Luke Staley pushed the lead to 14-0 with a two-yard touchdown run. It looked like Air Force would recover and make a game of it when Keith Boyea cut the lead to 14-7 with a 36-yard scoring run, however, BYU answered with a Doman TD run to jump the lead to 21-7 at the end of the first quarter. The Cougars continued to roll, scoring 21 points in each of the next two quarters to take a commanding 63-13 lead with 2:09 to play in the third quarter. Air Force's second and third string players rallied to score 20 fourth-quarter points to make up the final margin. Doman led the offense which had 611 total yards and a 7.6 per-play average. He hit 20 of 32 passes for 338 yards and four touchdowns before leaving the game in the third quarter. Staley added 134 yards rushing and a pair of TDs while Jolley had a career day with 10 catches for 177 yards and three scores. Air Force was led by Boyea, who rushed for 61 yards and a touchdown while hitting 10 of 18 passes for 108 yards and a score. Anthony Butler came off the bench to rush for a team-high 120 yards on eight carries. He also scored on a 46-yard run.
THE LAST TIME IN FALCON STADIUM: Air Force made BYU head coach LaVell Edwards' last trip to Falcon Stadium one he'd like to forget. The Falcons used the pass, not the run, to beat the Cougars, 31-23, in the Mountain West Conference opener for both schools. Quarterback Mike Thiessen threw for a career-high 203 yards on 11 of 16 passing for a school-record-tying four touchdowns. After an Owen Pochman field goal to give BYU a 3-0 lead, Thiessen hit Qualario Brown for 13 yards to give AFA a 7-3 lead. The Cougars answered when Luke Staley went 13 yards on the ground to give BYU a 10-7 lead to close the first quarter. Thiessen answered with a career-long 53-yarder to Ryan Fleming to put AFA in front 14-10. The back-and-forth affair continued with the Cougars scoring 10 unanswered points to take a 20-14 lead. AFA closed the half with Thiessen's second scoring connection to Fleming, a 20-yarder, to give AFA a 21-20 halftime advantage. The second half was all Falcons. Thiessen and Brown hooked up for the second time on a 25-yard pass to give AFA a 28-20 lead. Pochman hit a 43-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 28-23, but that was all the Cougars could get. BYU returner Mike Rigell fumbled a Dallas Thompson punt that Fleming recovered to set up a Dave Adams 35-yard field goal to give AFA a 31-23 lead. Defensive back Kurt Duffy sealed the win for AFA with an interception on the following possession.
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK: Air Force took the first step in winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with a 48-7 win over Navy in Falcon Stadium. Navy opened the game with a nine-play, 68-yard scoring drive to take a 7-0 lead. Kyle Eckel capped the drive with a five yard run. Air Force cut the lead to 7-3 on a Joey Ashcroft 34 yard field in the final minute of the first quarter. The Falcons took over form that point. Wes Crawley put the Falcons on top for good when he returned a fumble 52 yards for a touchdown and a 10-7 lead. Chance Harridge then scored a pair of touchdown to give AFA a 24-7 halftime lead. It was all Air Force in the second half. Harridge added two more scores and Ashcroft added another field goal to put AFA up 41-7 early in the fourth quarter. Matt Ward capped the scoring with his first-career touchdown on an 18-yard dash to make up the final margin. Air Force rolled up 536 total yards, including 429 rushing. The team averaged 7.2 yards per play and didn't have any turnovers. Defensively, Air Force held Navy to 101 yards in the second half. The Midshipmen's top offensive player, quarterback Craig Candeto, was also held in check. After rushing for 95 yards in the first half, Candeto was held to four yards in the second half. Charles Bueker led the way with 13 total tackles while Anthony Schlegel chipped in with 10. Trevor Hightower added eight total tackles and a pair of quarterback sacks. Harridge led the offense with a career-high 161 yards rushing and four touchdowns. He also hit six of seven passes for a career-high 107 yards. He also recorded the longest run (61) and pass (44) of his career. Ward added 66 yards rushing while Darnell Stephens had 52.
AIR FORCE POST-GAME NOTES: Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry improved to 31-6 all-time in CIC games ... Air Force has now beaten Navy six consecutive times and 19 of the last 21 times ... AFA improved to 22-4 in its last 26 non-conference games ... AFA's 92-yard scoring drive in the second quarter is the longest this season ... AFA's 48 points are the most against Navy since a 49-7 win in 1998 ... Chance Harridge rushed and passed for 100 yards each for the first time in his career ... Harridge's four touchdowns are the fourth most in school history.
AIR FORCE - BYU COMPARISON / CONNECTION: Air Force and Brigham Young are the top two scoring teams in the MWC this season. The Falcons lead the league with a 38.2 average while BYU is second with a 31.8 norm. The teams also rank No. 1-2 in turnover margin and pass efficiency defense. BYU leads in both with a 1.20 turnover margin and a 97.2 pass rating. AFA has a 1.0 turnover average and a 98.2 pass rating. The most interesting statistic is total offense and defense. BYU leads the league in total offense with a 459.8 average. AFA leads the league in total defense, allowing 311.0 yards per game. The game also features two of the top defensive backs in the conference. BYU junior Brandon Heaney leads the league in interceptions with a .60 average. AFA senior Wes Crawley is second with a .40 norm. Heaney began his career at Air Force as a quarterback in 1999. He moved to defensive back during spring drills in 2000. Heaney then transfered to BYU and was a redshirt during the 2000 season.
CARDIAC CADETS: Air Force made their fans rest easy last week with a 48-7 win over Navy in Falcon Stadium. Following the team's opening win of the year at home over Northwestern, 52-3, Falcon fans had to endure some close calls. Air Force's next three games were all decided on the game's last possession. AFA won in overtime at home vs. New Mexico, 38-31. The team then knocked away Cal's two-point conversion attempt to tie the game in a 23-21 win over the 23rd-ranked Bears. AFA then scored the winning touchdown with 17 seconds left to win 30-26 at Utah. The three close wins were decided by a combined 13 points, a 4.3 average margin per game.
THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Air Force is ranked 19th in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll and 21st 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.
AIR FORCE ONE OF 11: Air Force is one of 11 undefeated Division I-A teams in the nation this week. AFA's 5-0 mark ties for third best nationally behind N.C. State and Ohio State with 6-0 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.
5-0 START A SIGN OF GOOD THINGS: This season marks the fourth time in the Fisher DeBerry era that the Falcons have opened the season 5-0. 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 5-0 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. A closer look at the series follows:
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 48-18 record (.727). 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.
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, 48, 38 and 30 points so far. Petersen has led the Falcons to 19 30-plus scoring efforts in his 29 games as offensive coordinator.
SEASON OFFENSIVE NOTES: Air Force leads the MWC in scoring with a 38.2 average ... The team also leads the MWC in passing efficiency with a 132.5 rating ... AFA has out-scored its opponent in every quarter this season, including a 48-6 mark in the third quarter ... AFA leads the conference in third-down conversions with an impressive 57 percent (40-70) ... AFA has scored on 27 of 29 chances (.931) inside the red zone ... The team has 21 touchdowns and six field goals ... Air Force is 16 of 17 (.941) in first-and-goal situtations with 14 touchdowns and two field goals ... The team is averaging 5.7 yards per play.
EIGHT AND COUNTING: Air Force has posted eight consecutive seasons at .500 or better. Air Force's last losing season was in 1993 when the team went 4-8. During the last eight years, Air Force has averaged 8.1 wins per season and has a .676 winning percentage. The school is 70-32 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 17.6 per contest which ranks second in the Mountain West Conference. Air Force gave up an average of 452.7 yards per game last year. This season, that figure stands at 311.0 which leads the conference. A closer look at AFA's defensive rankings in the conference follows below. The Falcons have had 13 different players combine for 29 tackles for loss. Senior Eric Thompson leads the way with five for 16 yards. Eight different Falcons have combined for the team's 11 quarterback sacks. Finally, 11 different players have combined for AFA's 23 pass deflections. Senior Wes Crawley leads the team with five. Crawley ranks second in the MWC with two interceptions. AFA has five interceptions as a team this season.
SEASON DEFENSIVE NOTES: Air Force has held its opponents to just 22 points in the second half this season, including six in the third quarter ... The defense has allowed just seven points (Navy) in its last six quarters ... AFA has not allowed a second half point the last two games ... AFA held Utah to just 57 total yards in the second half ... Navy had just 101 total yards in the second half ... The defense has forced nine turnovers the last two games ... The team has allowed just a 34 percent conversion rate on third-down conversions this season ... AFA held Cal, the nation's No. 2 scoring team with a 50.0 average, to just 21 points.
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 329.8 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.
GREENAWAY EARNS PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Kickoff specialist Michael Greenaway is this week's Mountain West Conference special teams player of the week. Greenaway had his best day of the year against Navy. The sophomore had four touchbacks and held Navy inside the 20 three other times in seven kickoffs. The honor is the first of Greenaway's career.
FULLBACK RUSHING GAME: Air Force is tough to beat when the fullback rushing game is working. Air Force is 33-7 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.
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.
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).
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