Air Force Hosts North Texas
9/8/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 8, 2003
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Air Force vs. North Texas
Saturday, Sept. 13, 12 p.m. (Mountain), Falcon Stadium (52,480)
THE RECORDS: Air Force is 2-0 overall. North Texas is 1-1 overall.
TELEVISION: None.
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 Northwestern, 22-21, in Evanston, Ill. North Texas beat Baylor, 52-14, at Fouts Field in Denton, Texas.
NEXT WEEK: Air Force continues its home stand by hosting Wyoming on Saturday, Sept. 20, at noon in Falcon Stadium. North Texas travels to Arkansas to take on the Razorbacks on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 6 p.m.
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 151-83-1 record. For more information on Fisher DeBerry, please turn to page 12. North Texas is coached by Darrell Dickey (Kansas State, 1992), who is in his sixth season. He has a 22-38 career record.
THE SERIES: This is the the first-ever meeting between the two schools.
Game Notes
SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS: North Texas is a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Mean Green return 14 starters from a year ago when the team finished 8-5 overall and won the Sun Belt regular season title. North Texas also defeated Cincinnati, 24-19, in the New Orleans Bowl. The Mean Green have a solid one-two punch at running back. Patrick Cobbs and Roy Bishop average 84.5 and 80.0 yards rushing, respectively. Both players rushed for over 100 yards last week against Baylor. Cobb rushed for 131 and a touchdown on 10 carries while Bishop had 107 yards and three scores on 19 attempts. Scott Hall is the team's quarterback. He has hit nine of 21 passes for 125 yards. Cody Spencer is the team's leading tackler with 21 total tackles.
NORTH TEXAS LAST WEEK: North Texas took advantage of turnovers on Baylor's first six possessions to jump to a 17-0 halftime lead. The second half was all Mean Green, as the team scored the first two touchdowns of the second half to extend the lead to 31-0. Roy Bishop led North Texas with three touchdowns and 107 yards rushing. Fellow running back Patrick Cobb added 131 yards rushing. The Mean Green rolled up 451 total yards on 62 plays while Baylor was held to just 268 total yards on 62 plays. Chris Hurd led the defense with 12 tackles, followd by Cody Spencer, sho had eight.
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK: Air Force defeated Northwestern, 22-21, in one of the most improbable victories in recent memory. The Falcons trailed 21-7 midway through the third quarter as Northwestern was taking advantage of its tremendous size advantage. The Widcats were controlling the game, holding an 18:14 to 11:46 time of possession advantage entering the third quarter. Northwestern had run 19 more plays than Air Force and out-gained the Falcons 302-215 in the first half. The third quarter seemed to be going the same, as Northwestern scored on its opening drive to take the 21-7 advantage. On Air Force's next drive, Northwestern recovered a fumble by quarterback Chance Harridge at its own 37-yardline. During an altercation following the play, Harridge was enjected from the game. Junior quarterback Adam Fitch came on in relief and the Air Force defense took the game over in the fourth quarter. Anthony Butler scored a touchdown on the opening play of the fourth quarter to cut the lead to 21-13, but a blocked extra point seemed to give Northwestern back the momentum. The Wildcats then recovoered an Air Force fumble at midfield with just over seven minutes remaining. On third and 10 from the Air Force 29-yardline, defensive back Nate Allen stepped in front of a Brett Basanez pass and returned it 79 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-19. The team's two-point conversion run by Fitch failed, but AFA had retaken the momentum. On Northwestern's next drive, Falcon back Dennis Poland intercepted a pass and returned it to the Northwestern 12-yardline. Kicker Joey Ashcroft nailed the game-winning field goal with just 2:01 remaining in the game. The Falcons ensured the victory with another interception on the Wildcat's next drive, this time by safety Larry Duncan. AFA ran out the clock to seal the victory. Fitch was solid stepping in for Harridge. He rushed for 14 yards and completed three of four passes for 51 yards. Halfback Anthony Butler had one of his best days as a Falcon, rushing for a season-high 107 and two touchdowns. He opened the Air Force scoring with a career-long 56-yard run to give AFA a 7-0 lead. The offense finished the day with 409 total yards, including 270 rushing. Defensively, AFA recorded four interceptions and returned them a combined 119 yards. Adrian Wright led the way with 11 tackles, while Larry Duncan and Trevor Hightower each added nine stops. Hightower also recorded the other interception.
Season Notes
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 and 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 54 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 58-24 (.707) in August and September under DeBerry. Air Force has won eight straight and 24 of its last 29 games during the last eight seasons in August and September. That's an 82.8 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 64-24-1 when the starting quarterback returns. Air Force has averaged 8.8 wins per season and has a .718 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.
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 25-6 in its last 31 non-conference games dating back to 1997. AFA is 15-3 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 63-28 during his career in non-conference games.
AIR FORCE 15TH NATIONALLY SINCE 1997: Air Force ranks second in the Mountain West Conference and 15th nationally since 1997 in total wins. The Falcons have a 53-23 record (.697). 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.
SCORING FANCY: Air Force averaged 33.8 points per game last season to win the Mountain West Conference 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. The team followed up with 22 points at Northwestern and ranks second in the conference in scoring with a 35.5 average. Offensive coordinator Chuck Petersen has led the Falcons to 24 30-plus scoring efforts in 39 games as offensive coordinator.
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. The Terriers managed just nine first downs 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 last week 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. Through two games this season, AFA has allowed just 10.5 points per game which leads the conference and ranks 16th nationally. AFA is second in the conference in pass defense, allowing just 160.5 yards per game. The team is third in total defense, allowing just 313.3 yards per game. That total also ranks 40th in the nation. 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 finally won its first national rushing title in 2002. 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. The Falcons opened the season with 380 yards rushing vs. Wofford to lead the nation. Following a 270-yard effort at Northwestern, the Falcons rank third this week with a 325.0 per-game average. Dating back to their national title run of last year, Air Force has led the nation 13 of the last 17 weeks. The four weeks that AFA has not led, the team has ranked second three times and third once.
BLOCKED KICKS: Air Force is one of the premier kick-blocking teams in college football. Air Force blocked four kicks last season (3 punts, FG). Nate Allen had 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 vs. Army in 2001. Eric Thompson blocked a field goal 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, 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 13 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. Juniors Dan Shaffer and Adam Cole, along with freshman Jacobe Kendrick combined for 170 yards and scored four touchdowns. Shaffer rushed for 64 yards and three TDs while Cole chipped in with 44 yards and a touchdown. Kendrick added 62 yards on 14 carries in his first-career game. Air Force is 35-8 since 1990 when the position rushes for 100 or more yards.
Individual Notes
ALLEN EARNS MWC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS: Junior defensive back Nate Allen was named Mountain West Conference defensive player of the week for his efforts in Air Force's 22-21 win over Northwestern last week. 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. Allen's touchdown is the second of his career, as he blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone last year against Northwestern. This honor is the second MWC player of the week honor of his career. Allen won the special teams honor last year against Northwestern.
FITCH SAVES THE DAY: Sophomore backup quarterback Adam Fitch saved the day for Air Force against Northwestern last week. Fitch came into the game after starter Chance Harridge was ejected for a personal foul during the third quarter. Fitch was solid, leading AFA to two scores, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. Fitch finished the game with 14 yards on six carries and hit three of four passes for 51 yards, including a long of 27 yards. Fitch played the first game of his collegiate career in the season opener against Wofford. Through two games, he's rushed for 36 yards on 13 carries and hit five of six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. He has a 248.9 passing efficiency rating which leads the conference. He doesn't have enough pass attempts to qualify for national statistics. Fitch, who was recruited to the Academy as a punter, played quarterback at the Prep School in 2001. He was also the junior varsity quarterback as a freshman.
MARTIN CONTINUES AFTER SUCCESSFUL DEBUT: 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. He also had a punt downed inside the 20. Martin continued his fine play against Northwestern, averaging 46.8 yards per punt with a long of 69 yards. Martin is averaging 48.7 yards per punt on the season which leads the conference by 4.1 yards per effort. Martin doesn't have enough punts to qualify for the national statistics. 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 19 consecutive and 20 overall. Tight end Adam Strecker, quarterback Chance Harridge and offensive linemen Brett Waller and Jesse Underbakke have each started 15 straight. Linebacker John Rudzinski and safety Larry Duncan follow with 14 and 12 consecutive starts, respectively.
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.
Football Facts
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.
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 151-83-1 career record in 20 seasons as a head coach, all at the Academy. DeBerry is the winningest coach in service academy football history. His .644 winning percentage is the best in Air Force history and his 151 wins at Air Force is more than the other four head coaches in school history combined (134-151-12).
SEVEN CAPTAINS NAMED FOR 2003: Air Force players voted seven teammates to serve as team captains this season. The captains include seniors Chance Harridge (QB), Joe Schieffer (HB), Brett Huyser (OL), Jeff Overstreet (DB), Monty Coleman (DE), Trevor Hightower (ILB) and junior John Rudzinski (ILB).
FALCONS PICKED THIRD IN MWC POLL: Colorado State was picked the win the Mountain West Conference by the conference media at this year's media day in Las Vegas in July. The Rams received 18 of 21 first-place votes. New Mexico was picked second and had one first-place vote while Air Force was selected third. The Falcons received one first-place vote. BYU was picked fourth and received one first-place vote.
