Air Force Travels to BYU for MWC Showdown
9/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 22, 2003
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Air Force at BYU
Saturday, Sept. 27, 1 p.m. (Mountain)
LaVell Edwards Stadium (64,045), Provo, UT
THE RECORDS: Air Force is 4-0 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain West Conference. BYU is 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the MWC.
TELEVISION: ESPN Regional. Gary Bender (play-by-play), JC Pearson (analyst) and Anne Marie Anderson (sidelines). The game will be broadcast locally in Colorado Springs on KXTU-TV, which is channel seven (7) on Adelphia Cable.
RADIO: Locally on KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs and Sportsradio 950, the Fan in Denver. Jim Arthur (play-by-play) and Irv Brown (analyst) call the action. They are joined by KVOR's Jay Ritchie and Greg Lazor (KKMG) for the pre and post-game shows.
LAST WEEK: Air Force defeated Wyoming, 35-29, in Falcon Stadium. BYU lost to Stanford, 18-14, in Provo, Utah.
NEXT WEEK: Air Force steps out of Mountain West Conference play to take on service academy rival Navy on Saturday, Oct. 4, at 11:30 a.m. (Mtn) at Federal Express Field in Landover, Md. The game is the first in the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy serives for the Falcons. BYU continues MWC play at San Diego State on Saturday, Oct. 4.
STREAKS: Air Force has won four consecutive games. BYU has a one-game losing streak.
LAST YEAR: Air Force defeated BYU, 52-9, in Falcon Stadium on Oct. 12 before a national television audience on ESPN 2.
THE COACHES: Air Force is coached by Fisher DeBerry (Wofford, 1960), who is in his 20th season. The winningest coach in school history, DeBerry has posted a 153-83-1 record. For more information on Fisher DeBerry, please turn to page 12. BYU is coached by Gary Crowton (BYU, 1983), who is in his third season. He has led the Cougars to a 19-11 mark. Crowton has a career record of 40-24 in six seasons.
THE SERIES: This is the 24th meeting between Air Force and BYU. The Cougars hold an 18-5 overall series lead, including a 9-1 mark in Provo. AFA has won four of the last six in the series overall, but have not won in Provo since 1982. For more on the series, please turn to page two of this release.
THE AIR FORCE - BYU SERIES: Air Force and Brigham Young meet for the 24th time overall and 21st time as conference foes. Brigham Young leads the all-time series, 18-5, and holds a 15-5 mark in conference meetings. Air Force is 3-9 at home, 1-9 at BYU and 1-0 in neutral site games. The Falcons have won four of the last six meetings, including last year's game in Falcon Stadium. Prior to the last six meetings, the Cougars dominated the series. BYU won 16 of the first 17 games in the series, until 1995 when AFA started to even things out. Despite the recent success, AFA has not won in Provo since 1982 when the team won, 39-38. The Falcons have lost seven straight since that thrilling win. 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 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 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 rushing. 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: AFA's 43-point victory margin is the fourth largest in a conference game in school history ... AFA's four interceptions were a season high and the most since getting five vs. Rice in 1997 ... AFA's five sacks were a season high ... 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.
THE LAST TIME IN PROVO: 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.
TOP DEFENSES BATTLE THIS WEEK: Two of the conference's finest defenses will be on display this week when Air Force and BYU play. The Cougars rank second in the conference and 12th nationally in total defense with a 265.2 average. Air Force is third in the MWC and 53rd nationally with a 343.2 average. Both teams are among the conference leaders in scoring defense as well. AFA ranks second with a 17.8 average while BYU is third at 18.2 The teams rank 39th and 40th in the nation, respectively.
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK: Air Force defeated Wyoming, 35-29, in Falcon Stadium. The Falcons scored on three of their first four possessions to jump to a 21-6 lead early in the second quarter and seemed to be rolling along. The Cowboys fought back and cut the lead to 21-15 at halftime. Wyoming took the lead, 22-21, on a Ryan McGuffey five-yard run with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter. The Falcons then completed a vintage option offense drive to retake the lead. The Falcons drove 80 yards in 17 plays taking 6:20 off the clock to take the lead back, 29-22, with 13:22 remaining. Quarterback Chance Harridge capped the drive with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Alec Messerall. The Falcon defense forced Wyoming to punt after four plays on its next drive and the offense took control again. Matt Ward scored on an 18-yard run to cap an eight-play, 80-yard drive to give AFA a 35-22 lead with 8:49 left to play. Wyoming answered with a Casey Bramlet to Aaron Robbins seven-yard TD pass to cut the lead to 35-29 with 4:53 left. The Falcons sealed the game on their next drive, going 42 yards on 12 plays to run out the clock. The key play was a fourth-and-one at the Wyoming 48 yardline with just over two minutes remaining. Harridge changed the play at the line of scrimmage and pitched to Joe Schieffer, who gained five yards to end it. Harridge rushed for a season-high 117 yards and hit eight of 13 passes for 79 yards to lead AFA. Halfback Darnell Stephens added a career-high 91 yards and a TD, while Anthony Butler chipped in with 70 yards. Ward finished with 42 yards and a pair of scores. The Falcons rushed for a season-high 431 yards and gained 510 total. More importantly, the team controlled the ball for 33:05. Defensively, Marchello Graddy led the Falcons with 13 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack. Trevor Hightower chipped in with nine tackles. Wyoming was led by Bramlet, who hit 26 of 51 passes for 379 yards and two touchdowns. McGuffey had seven receptions for 130 yards and a TD while Derek Armah rushed for 67 yards. The Cowboys gained 486 total yards and averaged 6.1 yards per play.
AIR FORCE QUICK FACTS: Quick facts about Air Force this season follow: Air Force is the only undefeated team in the MWC (4-0) ... The Falcons are one of only three teams in the MWC (Colorado State, UNLV) to defeat a team from a BCS conference on the road (W 22-21 at Northwestern) ... Air Force has eight interceptions this season for 211 return yards. The team's eight interceptions are tied for second nationally and trail only NCAA-leader Michigan State (9) by one. Last year the team had 12 interceptions for 95 yards all season ... AFA ranks second in the conference in scoring defense, allowing just 17.8 points per game ... AFA is first in the conference and third nationally in punting with a 45.1 average ... AFA's offense has converted 23 of 27 ( 85.1 percent) third down conversions of three yards of less. For the season, AFA has converted 56.9 percent overall which leads the conference. AFA is the only MWC team at 50 percent or better ... Air Force is 28th this week in the ESPN/USA Today coaches poll. The Falcons received 81 points in the poll. AFA is 38th in the Associated Press poll with eight points ... The Falcons have had six scoring drives of 80-plus yards this season ... Air Force is the least penalized team in the MWC, averaging just 35.8 yards per game ... The Falcons lead the MWC in kickoff coverage, allowing just 18.1 yards per return.
AIR FORCE AND THE BCS: Air Force's victory over Northwestern Sept. 6 marks the team's third consecutive regular season win and its third in the last four games overall against teams from BCS conferences. Air Force's only loss came at the hands of Virginia Tech, 20-13, in the 2002 San Francisco Bowl. The wins have come against Northwestern at home in 2002, at California in 2002 and at Northwestern this season. Last season's wins marked the first time since 1998 that Air Force has beaten two teams from BCS conferences in a single season. In 1998, the team beat Wake Forest from the ACC, 42-0, and Washington of the Pac-10, 45-25.
ROAD WARRIORS: Air Force has been tough on the road recently. Including this season's 1-0 road mark, the Falcons are 35-20 in the last 55 road games, including bowls, since 1994. Air Force has had just one losing road record in the last nine years.
FAST STARTS THE NORM: Air Force has a history of getting off to a fast start with Fisher DeBerry at the helm. In addition to a 17-3 mark in season openers, the Falcons are 60-24 (.714) in August and September under DeBerry. Air Force has won 10 straight and 26 of its last 31 games during the last eight seasons in August and September. That's an .839 winning percentage. The Falcons were 4-0 last season during the early months.
RETURNING STARTER AT QUARTERBACK A GOOD SIGN: Senior quarterback Chance Harridge is one of 16 returning starters. That's a good sign for the Falcons. Since Fisher DeBerry took over as head coach in 1984, the Falcons are 66-24-1 when the starting quarterback returns. Air Force has averaged 8.8 wins per season and has a .727 winning percentage. The team has had just one losing season and three 10-plus win seasons. The last time AFA returned its starting QB was in 2000 when Mike Thiessen helped lead the Falcons to a 9-3 record.
4-0 START A SIGN OF GOOD THINGS: This season marks the sixth time in the Fisher DeBerry era that the Falcons have opened the season 4-0. In the previous five seasons, Air Force has averaged 9.6 wins per season and gone to a post-season bowl game every year. The team has never won fewer than eight games when opening 4-0. This is the second consecutive year AFA has opened 4-0 which is a first in the DeBerry era. Prior to last season, the team hadn't opened 4-0 since 1997.
COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF'S TROPHY: Air Force won its 16th Commander-in-Chief's Trophy last season, which is the No. 1 goal of the Air Force football program. The 2003 season marks the 33rd year of Commander-in-Chief's Trophy competition between Air Force, Army and Navy. Each year, the President of the United States hosts the winning team at the White House to present them the CIC Trophy. Air Force has dominated the competition with its 16 titles. Army has won it six times and Navy five. Air Force has a 43-19-0 all-time CIC record and has won 12 consecutive games in the series. This year's senior class at Air Force is 6-0 in CIC games and will attempt to become the fifth class overall and fourth consecutive (1992, 2000, 2001, 2002) in school history never to fall to Army or Navy. Fisher DeBerry has led the Falcons to 14 of the 16 titles and has a 32-6 CIC record. The Falcons have been in possession of the Trophy for all but one year (Army, 1996) since 1989.
FALCONS IN NON-CONFERENCE GAMES: Air Force is 26-6 in its last 32 non-conference games dating back to 1997. AFA is 16-3 at home and 10-3 on the road and in neutral site games. 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 in 2001 to third-ranked Oklahoma, 44-3, in Falcon Stadium. Last season, the team fell at home, 21-14, to seventh-ranked Notre Dame. AFA head coach Fisher DeBerry is 64-28 during his career in non-conference games.
SCORING FANCY: Air Force leads the Mountain West Conference in scoring offense with a 35.0 average. The Falcons are in search of their third scoring title in four years. AFA averaged 33.8 points per game last season to win the MWC scoring title for the second time in three years. The Falcons also took the top spot in 2000 with a 34.9 mark. Last season's average ranked 15th nationally and sixth in school history. The team scored 52 (twice), 49 (twice), 48, 38, 34 and 30 points. AFA got off to a fast start this season with a 49-point effort vs. Wofford. Assistant coach Chuck Petersen has led the Falcons to 26 30-plus scoring efforts in 41 games as offensive coordinator.
AIR FORCE TIED WITH TEXAS FOR 14TH NATIONALLY IN WINS SINCE 1997: Air Force ranks second in the Mountain West Conference and is tied with Texas for 14th nationally since 1997 in total wins. The Falcons have a 55-23 record (.705). 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.
DEFENSE PICKS UP WHERE IT LEFT OFF: The new Air Force defensive system (3-3-5) has paid off big for the Falcons. The 2003 season is the team's second in the system. The Falcons opened the year with a 49-0 domination of Wofford to pick up where they left off in 2002. Air Force allowed just 175 total yards against Wofford which is the best single-game effort in the MWC this season. The Terriers managed just nine first downs and drove into Falcon territory just three times, including once in the second half. Air Force's shutout is the team's third on opening day in the last eight years. The team continued its big-time play at Northwestern. AFA recorded four interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, and held Northwestern to just 46 yards on 22 plays in the fourth quarter. The Falcons held North Texas to just seven points until two late touchdowns made up the final margin. The biggest effort against North Texas was the defense picking up the offense after turnovers. The Mean Green had three possessions following AFA turnovers and were held to -5 yards on 10 plays. The defense forced three turnovers of its own. Through four games this season, AFA has allowed just 17.8 points per game which ranks second in the conference and 39th nationally. AFA is third in the league in total defense with a 343.2 average. The defense has already recorded eight interceptions for 211 return yards. The team's eight interceptions are tied for second nationally and the team trails national-leader Michigan State (9) by one. Last year, AFA had just 12 interceptions for 95 yards overall. AFA is on pace to break the all-time interception record at the Academy. The team is on pace for 30 interceptions this year which would break the record of 28 set in 1985. Last year's unit was much improved over 2001. The most important category was scoring defense. AFA allowed 32.2 points per game in 2001. Last year, opponents scored just 23.3 per contest which ranked third in the MWC and 41st nationally. Air Force gave up an average of 452.7 yards per game in 2001. Last season, that figure was 354.3 which ranked third in the conference and 47th nationally.
AIR FORCE SEEKS SECOND STRAIGHT NATIONAL RUSHING TITLE: Air Force leads the nation in rushing this week with a 338.0 average. The team rolled up a season-high 431 yards last week against Wyoming to take over the top spot. The Falcons lead the nation by an average of 45.25 yards per game. One of the most dominant rushing teams in college football since Fisher DeBerry took over in 1984, the Falcons have consistently been in the nation's top 10, but never won the title until last year. AFA has won 19 conference rushing titles and ranked among the nation's top 10 19 times and top five 15 times. The top spot nationally seems to be a comfortable position for Air Force. Dating back to their national title run of last year, Air Force has led the nation 14 of the last 19 weeks. The five weeks that AFA has not led, the team has ranked second four times and third once.
BLOCKED KICKS: Air Force is one of the premier kick-blocking teams in college football. After not blocking a kick in the first two games of the year, the Falcons have picked it up. AFA has blocked three kicks the last two games. The Falcons recorded their first block of the season vs. North Texas when Adrian Wright blocked a punt for his first-career block. AFA had two blocks vs. Wyoming. Nick Taylor blocked a PAT and Jeff Overstreet blocked a punt. The blocks were the first of each player's career. Air Force has blocked 82 kicks since 1990 which ranks second nationally to Virginia Tech, who has blocked 85. 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 14 consecutive years.
FULLBACK RUSHING GAME: Air Force is tough to beat when the fullback rushing game is working. The Falcons opened the 2003 season with the fullback game in high gear, despite missing one of its leaders. Last year's starter, Steve Massie, missed the opener with a stress reaction in his lower leg, but his teammates certainly made up for the loss. Dan Shaffer and Adam Cole, along with freshman Jacobe Kendrick combined for 170 yards and scored five touchdowns. Shaffer rushed for 64 yards and three TDs while Cole chipped in with 44 yards and a touchdown. Kendrick added 62 yards and a TD on 14 carries in his first-career game. Air Force is 35-8 since 1990 when the position rushes for 100 or more yards.
HOW ABOUT A HALFBACK RUSHING GAME: Air Force has one of its best groups of halfbacks in recent years. The group is made up of senior Joe Schieffer, juniors Darnell Stephens, Anthony Butler and Kris Holstege and sophomores Matt Ward and Jason Boman. The group had its best game of the season against Wyoming last week, rushing for 235 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Darnell Stephens led the way with a career-high 91 yards and a TD on 14 carries. Anthony Butler added 70 yards on 10 carries while Matt Ward chipped in with 42 yards and two scores on just five carries. Schieffer added 34 yards which is the second-best day of his career. Schieffer's final carry, a five-yard gain, may have been the biggest as the Falcons picked up a fourth-and-one at Wyoming's 48 yardline to run out the clock. The 235 yards are the most by the halfbacks since the Army game last year when they went for 238 yards. In that game, Leotis Palmer had 66, Butler 84, Stephens 75 and Ward 13. Earlier this season against North Texas, the halfbacks were the team's top three rushers. That's pretty rare at the Academy. The last time that happened was in 2001 against UNLV in a loss. The last time it happened in an AFA win was in 1993 against Indiana State. Against North Texas, Ward led the way with 61 yards while Stephens added 54 and Butler 32. On the season, halfbacks have gained 47.5 percent (642 yards) of the team's 1,352 rushing yards. The group also has six of the 13 rushing touchdowns. Butler leads the way with 221 yards and two TDs to rank second on the team. Stephens is third on the team in rushing with 196 yards and a score. Ward has rushed for 124 yards and is tied for the team lead in rushing TDs with three.
HARRIDGE WINS MWC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge has been named MWC offensive player of the week for his performance vs. Wyoming. The senior rushed for a season-high 117 yards and hit eight of 13 passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. His TD pass gave AFA the lead for good in the game. This is the second time in Harridge's career he been offensive player of the week in the conference. He also won the award last season against California.
ALLEN ALREADY FOURTH: Junior defensive back Nate Allen has been solid this season. He is currently tied for third in the MWC with two interceptions. Allen has returned his two interceptions for 117 yards (79 vs. Northwestern and 38 vs. North Texas) which are the most by a Falcon in a season since Frank Staine-Pyne had 182 yards in 1997. Allen's interception return yards this season are the fourth most in school history. Allen was named Mountain West Conference defensive player of the week for his efforts in Air Force's 22-21 win over Northwestern. Allen gave the Falcons new life when he intercepted the first pass of his career and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to pull AFA within eight points, 21-13, late in the third quarter. Allen also had a pass breakup and three unassisted tackles in the game. Allen's 79-yard return is the longest by a Falcon since teammate Larry Duncan set the school record with a 95-yard return against Army in 2001.
MARTIN LEADS THE MWC IN PUNTING: Senior Andrew Martin had a successful debut as the team's starting punter against Wofford. Martin punted twice for a 53.5 average with a long punt of 56 yards. His 53.5 average is the best by any punter in the MWC this season. He also had a punt downed inside the 20. Martin is averaging 45.6 yards per punt on the season which leads the conference. Martin doesn't have enough punts to qualify for the national statistics. Martin has been instrumental in helping the Falcons to lead the conference and rank third nationally in net punting with a 45.6 average. Martin's career-long punt of 69 yards against Northwestern is the longest by a player in the MWC this season. As good as Martin's punting is, its his persistence that may be his best asset. Martin was cut during his freshman year. He walked back onto the team as a sophomore for spring practice and was the team's junior varsity punter in 2002. During last spring's drills, the Lucas, Ohio, native impressed the coaches with his improved leg strength and earned the starting job this fall.
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE EXPERIENCE: Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry often says there is no substitute for playing experience. The Falcons have a roster full of experienced players in 2003. The team has seven players with 10 or more consecutive starts. Leading the way is senior offensive lineman Brett Huyser, who has starting 21 consecutive and 22 overall. Tight end Adam Strecker, quarterback Chance Harridge and offensive linemen Brett Waller and Jesse Underbakke have each started 17 straight. Safety Larry Duncan follows with 14 consecutive starts while Monty Coleman has 11. Coleman has started 20 overall.
COLEMAN AMONG THE MWC'S BEST: Senior Monty Coleman is having a great season. In his second year at defensive end, Coleman is finding the position to his liking. Coleman ranks second in the conference in quarterback sacks with 2.5 which is an average of .62 per game. He is fifth in the conference in tackles for loss with five for 26 yards. He averages 1.25 per game. While Coleman is rolling up big numbers on the field, it's off the field where he is having his biggest impact. Coleman helped start a mentoring program called Hope Springs, which is a pilot program under the umbrella of Big Brothers, Big Sisters. The program benefits teenagers from single-parent homes and that live with mothers or grandparents. Two of Coleman's teammates, Jeff Overstreet and Sean Rodgers, have also been active in the program. Coleman was mentored by former Phoenix Suns star, Kevin Johnson, while growing up in the Phoenix area.
WRIGHT NAMED SPECIAL TEAMS LEADER: Senior Adrian Wright has been named special teams leader this season by the coaching staff. This season marks the first time the staff has given out the honor. Wright was chosen because he plays on every special teams unit and has shown great leadership. Wright is responsible for motivating the units during practices and games. In addition, Wright works with the team to select the music and video used to introduce the units.
MASSIE WINS MR. INTENSITY AWARD: Senior fullback Steve Massie was awarded the football team's Jack Braley Mr. Intensity Award, given annually to the player on the team that worked the hardest and had the most dedication in the weight room during the off season. Massie ranked first on the team in bench press with a maximum lift of 405 pounds. Massie squated 515 pounds and cleaned 319 until a wrist injury forced him to slow down.
THREE FALCONS SELECTED FOR POST-SEASON BOWL GAMES: Air Force senior quarterback Chance Harridge and senior tight Adam Strecker have been selected to play in the Las Vegas All-American Classic, formerly known as the Paradise Bowl. The game takes place at Sam Boyd Stadium on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2004, and will be televised by Fox Sports. The classic pits the West team made up of players from the Big 12, Mountain West, Pacific 10, Sun Belt and Western Athletic Conferences against the East with players from the Big 10, Big East, Conference USA, Mid-American and Southeastern conferences. Harridge and Strecker's selection makes three all-star game appearances for the Falcons, as teammate Brett Huyser was selected for the East-West Shrine Classic.
ALL IN THE FAMILY: Air Force has three brother combinations on the team this season. Junior fullback Dan Shaffer is joined by his younger brother, David, a sophomore nose guard. Senior fullback Steve Massie is joined by his younger brother, John, a freshman on the junior varsity. Junior place kicker Michael Greenaway has a younger brother, Brendan, who is a freshman on the JV.
HARRIDGE ON NATIONAL RADIO SHOW: Senior quarterback Chance Harridge has been selected to participate in a weekly national radio show on Fox Sports Radio this season. Harridge will tape his interview each Wednesday during the football season for the show which airs every Saturday on the Fox radio network. The show airs locally on KKZN 760 in Denver, KIIX 1410 in Fort Collins and KGHF 1350 in Colorado Springs.
MOST RETURNING STARTERS IN DEBERRY ERA: Air Force finds itself in unfamilier territory in 2003. The team may go from underdog to favorite. The reason is simple. The Falcons return 16 starters from last season's team. AFA has seven starters on offense and defense returning as well as two on special teams. The 16 returning starters is the most in Fisher DeBerry's tenure at the Academy. Last year, Air Force returned only five starters which was the fewest in the DeBerry era.
AIR FORCE OPENS WITH ONE OF THE NATION'S MOST PRODUCTIVE DAYS: Air Force got 2003 off to a great start with its 49-0 win over Wofford. The Falcons had one of the best statistical days, as the team ranked among the national leaders in several categories. The team tied for the national lead in scoring defense with the shutout. AFA's 49-point effort was the sixth-best nationally. The team ranked in the nation's top five in five other categories. AFA's rushing offense (380) was first, the net punting (50.5) was second, the total defense (175) was fourth, passing defense (87) seventh and the turnover margin of +2 was tied for ninth.
DEBERRY WINS NO. 150: Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry won his 150th career game as the Falcons defeated his alma mater, Wofford College, 49-0, on Aug. 30. DeBerry has a 152-83-1 career record in 20 seasons as a head coach, all at the Academy. DeBerry is the winningest coach in service academy football history. His .646 winning percentage is the best in Air Force history and his 153 wins at Air Force is more than the other four head coaches in school history combined (134-151-12).
