Air Force Travels to Rival Army
11/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 3, 2002
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THE RECORDS: Air Force is 6-3 overall and 3-2 in the Mountain West Conference. Army is 0-8 overal and 0-6 in Conference USA.
TELEVISION: ESPN Regional. Gary Bender (play-by-play), JC Pearson (color) and Beth Mowins (sidelines) will call the action. The game will air locally on KXRM Fox 21 which is channel 3 on Adelphia cable.
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 was beaten by 24th-ranked Colorado State, 31-12, in Falcon Stadium Oct. 31 on ESPN's Thursday night national telecast. Army was idle. The Black Knights were beaten, 29-26, in their last game at home against UAB on Oct. 26.
STREAKS: Air Force has a three-game losing streak overall. The Falcons have a two-game Mountain West Conference losing streak. Army has an eight game losing streak. The Black Knights have lost seven straight Conference USA games dating back to last season.
NEXT WEEK: Air Force returns to Mountain West Conference play by traveling to Las Vegas, Nev., to take on UNLV Saturday, Nov. 16. The game time is TBA. Army returns to Conference USA action at Tulane on Saturday, Nov. 16.
THE SERIES: Air Force leads the overall series, 23-12-1. The Falcons are 15-2 at home, 7-9 at Army and 1-1-1 in neutral site games. The Falcons have won five consecutive games and 12 of the last 13 in the series. Army's last win in the series came in 1996 in West Point, 23-7. The teams first played in 1959 in New York to a 13-13 tie.
THE LAST MEETING: Air Force defeated Army, 34-24, in Falcon Stadium to secure the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for the fifth consecutive year.
THE COACHES: Air Force is coached by Fisher DeBerry (Wofford, 1960), who is in his 19th season. He has a 147-81-1 career record at the Academy. Army is coached by Todd Berry (Tulsa, 1983), who is in his third season. He has led the Black Knights to a 4-26 record. Berry has a 25-42 career record in his sixth season as a head coach.
THE AIR FORCE / ARMY SERIES: Air Force and Army meet for the 37th time overall. The Falcons lead the series, 23-12-1. Air Force is 15-2 at home, 7-9 at Army and 1-1-1 in neutral site games. The Falcons have won five straight and 12 of the last 13 vs. Army. The Black Knights only win during the streak came in 1996 at West Point, 23-7. The teams first played to a 13-13 tie in Yankee Stadium in New York in 1959. A closer look at the series follows: LAST YEAR VS. ARMY: Air Force secured its 15th Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with a hard-fought 34-24 win over Army in Falcon Stadium. C.J. Young put the Black Knights on the board first with a two-yard run to give Army a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. The Falcons answered with a Leotis Palmer 13-yard touchdown run to tie the score. Brooks Walters added a 28-yard field goal and Keith Boyea a one-yard run to give Air Force a 17-7 advantage. Army closed the lead to 17-10 at the half with a 24-yard field goal by Derek Jacobs. Army tied the game at 17 with a Chad Jenkins touchdown pass in the third quarter. Air Force answered with a Todd Leslie scoring run to push the lead to 24-17. Just as it appeared Army was going to tie the score again, defensive back Larry Duncan stepped in front of a Jenkins pass and raced 95 yards for a touchdown to give the Falcons a 31-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Young scored his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard run to pull the Black Knights to within a touchdown with 10:00 to go. Senior kicker Brooks Walters then put the game out of reach with a 46-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining. The Black Knights won the statistical battle, out-gaining Air Force 436 to 282. Army also had a 34:42 to 25:18 advantage in time of possession. About the only statistical battle Army didn't win was the one that cost them the game--turnovers. Air Force forced a season-high four turnovers while turning it over just once. Sophomore Todd Leslie led the Falcons in rushing with 36 yards and a touchdown. Palmer added 31 yards and a score while Boyea rushed for 28 yards. Boyea also hit 10 of 17 passes for 132 yards. Duncan and fellow sophomore Monty Coleman led the defense. Duncan had 10 tackles, including one for a loss, to go with his first-career interception. Coleman added a career-best 12 tackles. Anthony Schlegel and Mark Marsh each chipped in with nine tackles.
THE LAST TIME AT ARMY: Air Force defeated Army, 41-27, in West Point to win its 14th Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. The victory was one of the sweetest for the Air Force seniors, as it improved them to 8-0 all-time in CIC games to become just the second class in school history to be undefeated vs. Army and Navy. Air Force jumped out to a 10-0 first quarter lead behind a TD run from Scotty McKay and a Dave Adams field goal. Michael Wallace scored a pair of second quarter TDs to give Army its only lead of the game, 13-10. Corey Nelson blocked Army's first extra point try to keep the score to 13. Air Force tied the score at 13 at halftime when Adams hit a 53-yard field goal as time expired. The second half was all Air Force. The Falcons took the opening possession and marched 65 yards in nine plays and capped the drive with a Nate Beard one-yard run to take a 20-13 lead. Adams added a career-long 54-yard field goal to give AFA a 23-13 lead. Wallace answered on Army's next play with a 76-yard scoring run to cut the lead to 23-20 with 8:11 left in the third. Adams then tied an AFA record with his fourth field goal and Nelson added a 68-yard interception return for a TD to give the Falcons a 34-20 lead. Mike Thiessen put the game away with a one-yard run with 5:51 remaining to give AFA a 41-20 lead. Army made up the final margin with an Omari Thompson 86-yard punt return TD. The Falcons rolled up 441 total yards, including 278 rushing and 163 passing. AFA also held the ball for 32:43. McKay led Air Force with 100 yards rushing, while Thiessen hit 14 of 22 passes for 163 yards. Ryan Fleming chipped in with eight catches for 96 yards. Army was led by Wallace, who rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF'S TROPHY: Winning the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy is the No. 1 goal of the Air Force football program. 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 TRAVEL NOTES: Air Force will depart Colorado Springs via charter on Thursday, Nov. 7. The team will headquarter at the Park Ridge Marriott (201) 307-0800. Air Force media relations contacts Troy Garnhart and Dave Toller may be reached at the hotel or by cell phone beginning Thursday. The numbers follow: Garnhart (719-440-6134), Toller (719-440-6101). Air Force players and coaches are not available for interviews on Thursday or Friday. If Air Force holds a walkthrough on Friday, it will be closed.
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK: Colorado State defeated Air Force, 31-12, in Falcon Stadium Oct. 31 on ESPN's Thursday night national telecast. The Rams dominated. Cecil Sapp scored the first of his two touchdowns on the opening drive from two yards away to cap a 15-play, 77-yard drive. Air Force answered when Chance Harridge scored from one yard out to cap a 14-play, 60-yard drive, but a missed extra point left the Falcons trailing 7-6. Sapp added his second touchdown on CSU's next drive to give the Rams a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter. Following an Air Force fumble, Rahsaan Sanders scored on an eight-yard run to give the Rams a 21-6 lead. The Falcons closed the half with a Harridge to Adam Strecker touchdown pass in the final minute of the second quarter to pull AFA to within 21-12 at halftime. The second half was all Colorado State. Kicker Jeff Babcock returned an AFA fumble on the opening kickoff 29 yards for a touchdown to put the Rams in charge, 28-12. AFA never recovered, as the Colorado State defense took over. The Falcons were held to 91 total yards in the second half and finished the game with 250 total yards. Colorado State gained 341 yards. Sapp led the way with 132 yards rushing. Quarterback Bradley Van Pelt added 39 yards rushing and hit 12 of 19 passes for 142 yards. Air Force was led by Harridge, who rushed for 115 yards. Freshman Matt Ward added 40 yards.
AIR FORCE POST-GAME NOTES: Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge became the 29th player in AFA history to rush for 1,000 yards during his career ... Harridge also posted his fourth 100-yard rushing performance of the season ... Bryan Blew recorded a career-long 33 yard kickoff return.
THE MOST IMPORTANT TIME OF YEAR: Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry always says you want to play your best football in November. The tradition of Air Force football under DeBerry certainly has supported the statement recently. Air Force is 34-24 all-time under DeBerry in November, but has won 13 of the last 18. The team has been particularly tough at home. DeBerry is 17-6 at home in November.
TWO SEASONS, NINE GAMES: Air Force has lived two seasons in just nine games. The Falcons opened the season 6-0 and were ranked as high as 15th nationally. AFA spent four consecutive weeks in the national polls. The team was among the nation's elite in several national categories. AFA was scoring 40.5 points per game while allowing just 16.2 per outing. The team was leading the nation in rushing with a 339.2 average and was dominant in turnover margin with a +10 mark. The Falcons also had an 8:00 average time of possession advantage. The last three games, the tables have turned. The Falcons have lost all three games while scoring 17.3 points per game and allowing 28.7. The team has rushed for 193.3 yards per game and had a 0 turnover margin. The opponents have had a 5:05 average time of possession advantage.
FALCONS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES: Air Force is 22-5 in its last 27 non-conference games dating back to 1997. Three 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. This season, the team fell at home, 21-14, to seventh-ranked Notre Dame. AFA head coach Fisher DeBerry is 59-27 during his career in non-conference games.
ROAD WARRIORS: Air Force has been tough on the road recently. Including this season's 2-1 road mark, the Falcons are 32-19 in the last 51 road games, including bowls, since 1994. Air Force is 22-13 in the last 34 regular season conference road games. AFA has won 20 of the last 32 games on the road dating back to 1997.
AIR FORCE 14TH NATIONALLY SINCE 1997: Air Force ranks second in the Mountain West Conference and 14th nationally since 1997 in total wins. The Falcons have a 49-21 record (.700). 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 33 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 .683 winning percentage. The school is 71-35 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 20.3 per contest which leads the MWC and ranks 29th nationally. Air Force gave up an average of 452.7 yards per game last year. This season, that figure stands at 347.9 which ranks second in the conference and 45th nationally. A closer look at AFA's defensive rankings in the conference follows below. The Falcons have had 15 different players combine for 50 tackles for loss. Sophomore Anthony Schlegel leads the way with 7.5 for 38 yards. Twelve different Falcons have combined for the team's 21 quarterback sacks. Finally, 14 different players have combined for AFA's 33 pass deflections. Senior Wes Crawley leads the team with seven. Crawley leads the MWC 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 SECOND IN THE NATION IN RUSHING: Air Force ranks second in the nation in rushing this week with a 290.6 average. This week marks just the third time this season the Falcons have not held the top spot. 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 four kicks this season (3 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 a blocked field goal this season vs. Cal. He was named MWC special teams player of the week for his block. Paul Mayo recorded the first block of his career against Wyoming with a blocked punt. The block led to a safety. Air Force has blocked 79 kicks since 1990 which ranks second nationally to Virginia Tech. 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.
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 won 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 touchdowns and rushing touchdowns. Harridge leads the MWC and ranks fourth nationally in scoring with an 11.3 average. He has 17 rushing touchdowns which puts him within two TDs of tying the record of 19 rushing touchdowns set by Brian Bream in 1970. Bream also holds the overall touchdowns mark with 20. Harridge tied a school record with eight touchdowns in consecutive games with four each vs. Navy and BYU. He tied the 1989 mark of Dee Dowis (6 vs. SDSU, 2 vs. Wyoming). Harridge ranks second in the conference and 42nd nationally in rushing with an average of 94.7 yards per game. He's had four 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 1,136 yards which would rank eighth all-time in AFA history. Harridge needs just 148 yards to surpass the 1,000-yard mark this season. Last week against Colorado State, Harridge rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown as he became the 29th Falcon to top the 1,000 yard mark for his career.
SCHLEGEL AMONG THE MWC LEADERS IN TACKLES: Sophomore linebacker Anthony Schlegel leads the team and ranks third in the conference in tackles with a 9.9 per-game average. Schlegel recorded a career-high 19 tackles against Notre Dame which ranks as the most by a Falcon since All-American Chris Gizzi had 20 vs. Fresno State in 1997. Schlegel had 17 earlier this season at Utah. He leads the team and ranks ninth in the conference with 7.5 tackles for loss for 38 yards. He wears No. 51 to pay tribute to his all-time favorite player, Chicago hall-or-famer Dick Butkus.
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).
YOUNG, BUT EXPERIENCED: Air Force is a young, but experienced. Several Falcons have impressive games started streaks over their careers. Leotis Palmer has the longest career streak in games started with 20. Wes Crawley is right behind with 19, but leads the team in overall career starts with 28. Sophomore Anthony Schlegel and junior Brett Huyser are third and fourth, respectively, in consecutive starts with 15 and 13.
