Air Force hosts service academy rival Army

Air Force vs. Army
Saturday, Nov. 5, 1:30 p.m. Mtn., Falcon Stadium (46,692)

The Game Facts
Television: ESPN Classic. Gary Bender (play-by-play), Bill Curry (analyst) and Dave Ryan (sidelines). This is Air Force's first-ever apperance on ESPN Classic. The week's game will also be the last televised game the Falcons play in this year, as the New Mexico game to end the season is not televised.
The game will also be broadcast on ESPN360 Broadband internet. ESPN360 broadband internet carriers Adelphia, Mediacom, Frontier DSL and Charter's LA and St. Louis systems all carry this programming which is free. For more details on the ESPN360 coverage, please visit www.espn360.com.

Radio: Local, the game is broadcast by KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs and KLZ 560 AM (ESPN) in Denver and parts of Colorado, Wyoming, Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma and New Mexico.
KVOR's Jim Arthur (play-by-play) and Lee Douglas of News First 5/30 (color) call the action. They are joined on the pre- and post-game shows by KVOR's Jay Ritchie and Greg Lazor of Magic FM.

Streaks: Air Force has a two-game losing streak. Army has a one-game winning streak. The Falcons have won eight consecutive games between the two schools dating back to 1996.

Coaches: Air Force is coached by Fisher DeBerry (Wofford, 1960), who is in his 22nd season. DeBerry has guided the Falcons to a 164-100-1 career record. Army is coached by Bobby Ross (VMI, 1959), who is in his second season. He has led the Black Knights to a 3-15 record. Ross has a career record of 97-91-2 in his 17th season.

50 Years of Air Force football: The 2005 season marks the 50th year of football at the Academy. The Falcons first played in 1956. The school played freshman teams from other schools in 1955, but were not an NCAA-recognized program until the following year.

The series
Air Force and Army meet for the 40th time overall. The Falcons lead the series, 26-12-1. Air Force is 16-2 at home, 9-9 at Army and 1-1-1 in neutral site games. Air Force holds a 17-4 mark overall, including a 10-0 record at home, during the Fisher DeBerry (1984-present) era.
The Falcons have won eight straight and 15 of the last 16 vs. Army. The Black Knights only win during the streak came in 1996 at West Point, 23-7. Air Force has won 13 straight at home vs. Army dating back to 1977 when the Black Knights were 31-6 winners in Falcon Stadium. The teams first played to a 13-13 tie in Yankee Stadium in New York in 1959.
Last year vs. Army
Air Force defeated Army, 31-22, in West Point, N.Y., to snap a two-game losing streak. The Falcons used a solid ground game and dominant defensive effort in the second half to record the victory.
Carlton Jones got Army on the board on the Black Knights' opening drive, going 69 yards for a touchdown to make it 6-0. Air Force responded with a blocked PAT by Grant Thomas to keep the score 6-0. Austin Miller added a career-long 47-yard field goal later in the quarter to put Army ahead 9-0.
The Falcons got it going in the second quarter. Quarterback Adam Fitch, who started the first game of his career, scored on a 16-yard run to cut the lead to 9-7 with 14:03 left in the half. Chris Sutton intercepted a pass in the Air Force redzone and returned it 44 yards to set up a Darnell Stephens five-yard run to give AFA the lead, 14-9, with 8:23 left. Army answered with Jones' second TD run of the game, this one from five yards to put Army back in front, 15-14. Following a Jacobe Kendrick four-yard run to give the Falcons a 21-15 lead, Army quarterback Zach Dahman hit Jacob Murphy with a 16-yard scoring pass with just 17 seconds left in the half to put Army in front, 22-21, at halftime.
The second half was all-Air Force. Stephens put the Falcons in front for good, 28-22, with his second five-yard TD run of the game in the third quarter. Michael Greenaway added a 25-yard field goal with just under six minutes remaining to put the game away. The Falcon defense did the rest, limiting Army to just 123 total yards in the second half. Jones, who rushed for 202 yards in the first half, was held to just 11 yards on seven carries in the second half. Mark Carlson led the way with a team-high 11 tackles. Sutton finished with nine total tackles, including six unassisted, and recorded his first-career sack.
The offense was led by Fitch, who rushed for a career-high 115 yards on 22 carries. He also hit seven of eight passes for 84 yards. Anthony Butler chipped in with 66 yards on 10 carries while Stephens finished with 50 yards on 11 carries.
The Falcons finished the game with 429 total yards, including 345 rushing, and had a 32:24 to 27:36 edge in time of possession.

The last time in Falcon Stadium
Air Force defeated Army 31-3, in Falcon Stadium in the final home game for the senior class of 2003. The Falcons used a huge effort from the defense and a steady rushing attack by the offense to beat the Black Knights for the 13th consecutive time at home.
Linebacker Marchello Graddy recorded a team-high seven tackles and tied a school record with three fumble recoveries to pace the Falcons. AFA turned the fumble recoveries into 10 points and jumped to a 16-0 halftime lead. Joe Ashcroft kicked three first half field goals, including a career-long 59-yarder on the final play of the half, and Steve Massie scored on a one-yard run to make up the scoring.
Army opened the second half with a field goal by Anthony Zurisko to cap a 17-play drive that took 7:42 to cut the lead to 16-3. Air Force answered with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that Darnell Stephens capped with a five-yard run to make the score 24-3. AFA added its final touchdown on a Matt Ward fumble recovery in the end zone. Ward rushed for 14 yards, fumbled as he was going into the end zone and jumped on the ball to record the score. The offense rolled up 446 total yards, including 372 rushing. Quarterback Chance Harridge led the offense with 80 yards on 12 carries. He also hit eight of 12 passes for 71 yards. Ward added 65 yards while Stephens chipped in with 52. Ten different Falcons carried the ball on the day and the offense was forced to punt just once.
The Air Force defense held Army to 199 total yards, including 58 passing. The Black Knights completed just 10 of 28 passes. The Falcons forced a season-high six turnovers (four fumbles, two interceptions) and recorded seven tackles for loss, including three sacks. Graddy's big day also included a quarterback sack and a forced fumble. Larry Duncan added six tackles and an interception while Jeff Overstreet added four tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery.

AFA - Army Connections
Army secondary coach Wally Ake was an assistant coach at Air Force during the 1981-83 seasons under head coach Ken Hatfield. Ake coached the defensive line for the Falcons. Fisher DeBerry was the Air Force quarterback coach and offensive coordinator during the time Ake coached the defensive line.
AFA - Army comparisons
Air Force leads the conference and ranks eighth nationally in rushing with a 244.9 per-game average. Army has been solid in rushing defense, allowing just 136.0 yards per game which ranks 50th nationally. This week is the fourth straight week the Falcons have played a team that has been outstanding in stopping the rush. Air Force faced the conference's top rushing defense in two of the last three weeks. The other week the team went against the second-ranked unit.
The Falcons have fared well in the previous three meetings, rushing for more yards than the opponent allowed. Air Force's most successful outing was against UNLV when the team rushed for a season-best 316 yards. The Rebels entered the game allowing just 84.7 yards per game.

Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Air Force is 0-1 in Commander-in-Chief's Trophy games this season. The Falcons were beaten, 27-24, at Navy Oct. 8. This week's game concludes Air Force's CIC games while it begins CIC competition for Army. The CIC series concludes when Army and Navy play Dec. 3. If Army beats Air Force this week, the CIC champion will be decided in the Dec. 3 game. Should Air Force win this week, Navy could win its third straight CIC trophy with a win over Army. The Black Knights last won the trophy out-right in 1996 while AFA's last title came in 2002. Prior to Navy's two consecutive titles, the Falcons had won the trophy 12 of the last 14 years. Air Force was 25-3 overall during the run.
The 2005 season marks 34th year of Commander-in-Chief's Trophy competition between Air Force, Army and Navy. Navy won the trophy for the second consecutive year in 2004. The Midshipmen defeated Air Force, 24-21, in Falcon Stadium and beat Army, 42-13. The Falcons finished the 2004 CIC series with a 1-1 record, following a 31-22 victory at Army Nov. 6. Air Force has a 45-22-0 all-time CIC record and has won 16 trophy titles. Fisher DeBerry has led the Falcons to 14 of the 16 titles and has a 34-9 CIC record.

Falcons vs. non-conference foes
Air Force is 1-1 this season and 30-10 in non-conference games dating back to 1997. Air Force opened the season with a 20-17 win over Washington in Seattle. Navy defeated Air Force, 27-24, Oct. 8 in Annapolis, Md. Four 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. In 2002, the team fell at home, 21-14, to seventh-ranked Notre Dame. The team lost to No. 13 California last season. AFA head coach Fisher DeBerry is 68-33 (.673) during his career in non-conference games.

Final home game for seniors
This week will be the final home games for the Air Force seniors. The class has posted a 23-22 overall record, including a 3-0 mark vs. Army. The class has one Commander-in-Chief's Trophy title and helped the Falcons to the 2002 San Francisco Bowl.

Last week
Air Force and BYU turned back time in a battle the Cougars won, 62-41, in Provo, Utah. In a game like the old days of the Western Athletic Conference, BYU and Air Force combined for 103 total points, 1,162 total yards and 60 first downs.
The Cougars jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead behind a pair of TD passes from John Beck. Air Force's only score came on an Adam Fitch to Jason Brown 15-yard pass. Fitch entered the game for Shaun Carney, who left the game due to an injured hand.
The Cougars scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to extend the lead to 41-7 with 53 seconds left before Air Force came back. The Falcons scored on the final play of the third quarter when Brown and Fitch hooked up on a 57-yard TD strike to cut the lead to 41-14. The Falcons scored 27 points in the fourth quarter. Garrett Rybak opened the scoring when he returned a blocked punt 10 yards for a touchdown. Following a Curtis Brown TD run for BYU, the Falcons struck again when Chad Hall scored on an eight-yard pass from Fitch. Following a fumble on the kickoff, Fitch found Greg Kirkwood on the first play for a 36-yard TD strike to cut the lead to 48-34 with 9:36 remaining. The Falcons' final score of the day came with 3:40 left when Fitch hit Victor Thompson with an 18-yard TD pass to cut the lead to 55-41. Curtis scored on a four-yard run to make up the final margin for BYU.
The Cougars rolled up 683 total yards and 39 first downs while holding a 33:56 to 25:57 advantage in time of possession. Beck led the way, hitting 31 of 43 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Brown finished with 219 yards rushing and four touchdowns while Michael Reed chipped in with five catches for 103 yards and a TD.
The Falcons were led by Fitch, who hit 13 of 24 passes for 265 yards and a school-record five touchdown passes. He also rushed for 24 yards. Shaun Carney had rushed for 36 yards and hit four of seven passes for 14 yards. Brown matched his career-high with nine catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Falcons were led by Julian Madrid, who had a career-high 13 tackles. The Falcons finished the game with 479 total yards, including 279 passing.

Last week's game notes
Team Notes
Air Force lost the coin toss to start the game. The team has lost eight of nine coin tosses this season.
The Falcons have now scored in 154 consecutive games dating back to the 1992 Liberty Bowl vs. Mississippi. The streak is the second longest in the MWC and ninth longest in the NCAA.
The 103 total points marks the second-highest scoring game in school history. The most is 105 vs. Utah in 1988 (AF 56-49).
BYU's 683 total yards is the third-most given up by AF and the most since giving up 692 to Utah in 1988.
With the loss, Air Force falls to 3-6 overall and cannot have a winning season. The Falcons have recorded back-to-back losing seasons for the first time in the Fisher DeBerry era (1984-present). The back-to-back losing seasons are the first at the school since 1980-81. AF was 2-9-1 in 1980 and 4-7 in 1981. The losing season this year is just the fourth in the DeBerry era. The loss is also the 100th of DeBerry's career. His career record is 164-100-1 in 22 seasons.
Air Force recorded its third blocked kick this season. Charles Wells recorded a blocked punt in the fourth quarter. The block was picked up by Garrett Rybak and returned 10 yards for a touchdown. The block is Air Force's 92nd since 1990 and the first-career block for Wells. The touchdown by Rybak is the first of his career. The blocked punt return for a touchdown is the first by Air Force since 2000 vs. Northwestern when Nate Allen blocked a punt and recovered it in the end zone.
This season marks the 15th year in the last 16 that Air Force has blocked at least three kicks in a season. The team's other blocks this season are a PAT against Wyoming (Nelson Mitchell) and a punt vs. UNLV (Adam Zanotti).

Individual
Sophomore FS Bobby Giannini recorded his third interception of the season and fourth of his career. His three interceptions lead the team and rank among the league leaders. He is also the team's active career leader with his four interceptions.
Senior WR Jason Brown extended his consecutive games with at least one reception streak to 10 games. Brown's streak is the longest current streak by a Falcon.
Jason Brown also hauled in his team-best third and fourth TD passes of the season. Brown has five receiving TDs in his career.
Jason Brown recorded his third-career 100-yard receiving day with 156 yards. All three have come this season. Brown had 115 vs. San Diego State and an option-era-record 184 vs. Utah (1980-present). Brown matched his career high in receptions with nine.
Sophomore QB Shaun Carney went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season with his first completion in the game. Carney entered the game with 999 yards and now has 1,013 passing yards for the season.
Shaun Carney moved into the 30th spot on the Air Force career rushing yards list. He moved past Bill Berry (1971-73), who had 1,074 yards and Curtis Martin (1968-70), who had 1,091 career yards. Carney, who entered the game with 1,072 career yards, now has 1,108.
Senior QB Adam Fitch set an Air Force record with five touchdown passes. He snaps the record of four set by three other players, most recently by Mike Thiessen vs. BYU in 2000.
Adam Fitch recorded a new career high in passing yards en route to his first-career 200-yard passing day. His previous high was 132 yards last year vs. Wyoming. His 265 passing yards are the most by a Falcon since Mike Thiessen threw for 265 vs. Notre Dame in 2000.
Sophomore HB Chad Hall scored the first receiving touchdown of his career. Hall scored on a pass from Adam Fitch in the fourth quarter.

This and that
Air Force had no three-and-out possessions for the first time this season in the 42-7 win over UNLV.
AF is 3-3 this season when having the ball longer than its opponent. The Falcons have had the ball 25:33 longer than their opponent on the year.
AF has run more plays than it opponent in six games this season. The team has run 31 more plays than its opponent on the season.
The Falcons have had 13 touchdown drives of 80 yards or longer this season.
Air Force has scored 57 points off 15 opponent turnovers this season.
Three of Air Force losses this season have come by a combined seven points. The Falcons lost to Wyoming, 29-28, Utah, 38-35, and Navy, 27-24.
Air Force has two double-digit comeback wins this season. Air Force trailed 17-6 in the fourth quarter against Washington before coming back to win, 20-17. The Falcons fell behind 10-0 in the first quarter to San Diego State before coming back to win 41-29.
Don't forget about Bryce: Air Force has one player currently playing in the NFL. Bryce Fisher, a 1999 graduate of the Academy, is a defensive end for the Seattle Seahawks.

Air Force ranks ninth
Air Force has scored in 154 consecutive games dating back to 1992. The Falcons were last shutout by Mississippi, 13-0, in the 1992 Liberty Bowl. That shutout is the only one in the 22-year career of Fisher DeBerry. Air Force's streak is the second-longest active streak in the Mountain West Conference and the ninth longest in the country. A closer look at the longest active streaks follows (* - MWC teams):

# Team Games
1. Nevada 300
2. Michigan 268
3. Washington St. 246
4. Oregon 238
5. Florida State 217
6. Florida 212
7. Colorado 205
8. TCU* 161
9. Air Force* 154

The option era's most balanced offense
Air Force has shown more balance on offense this season than ever before. The Falcons have rushed and passed for over 200 yards each in four games. In the win over Washington, the Falcons rushed for 218 yards and passed for 207. In the San Diego State win, Air Force rushed for 272 yards and passed for 231. Air Force rushed for 251 yards and passed for 234 in the loss at Utah. Last week at BYU, the Falcons rushed for 200 yards and passed for 279 yards in a loss.
This season's rushing offense has accounted for 59.7 percent of the total offense while the passing game has posted 40.3 percent. The most successful year of passing in the option era (1980-present) came in 2000. That year, the team had 4,971 yards of total offense, including 3,244 rushing and 1,727 passing. The team averaged 65.2 percent of its offense via the run while 34.8 came from passing.

Passing fancy
Air Force's offense is known for its dominance in rushing the football. Recently, the passing game has made the headlines. Air Force has passed for 200 or more yards in four games this season and five of the last 10 games dating back to last season. Air Force opened the season with a 207-yard performance in the season opener vs. Washington. Shaun Carney threw for 107 yards while Adam Fitch connected for 100 yards. The Washington game was the first since 1994 vs. UTEP that two AFA quarterbacks threw for 100 or more yards. That year, Preston McConnell threw for 119 and Beau Morgan 100. Against San Diego State, Carney threw for a career-high 231 yards to mark the third consecutive game the Falcons had topped the 200-yard mark. AFA finished the 2004 season with a 203-yard effort from Carney. The three straight 200-yard performances is a first in the option era (1980-present) at Air Force. In the game at Utah, Carney hit nine of 16 passes for 145 yards while Fitch hit four of nine passes for 89 yards a touchdown. Last week at BYU, the team had its best day passing of the season. The quarterbacks combined to hit 17 of 31 passes for 279 yards and a school-record five touchdowns. Carney hit four of seven passes for 14 yards before being injured. Fitch came on in relief and had the best day of his career. Fitch hit 13 of 24 passes for 265 yards and all five of the touchdowns. His 265 yards passing are the most by a Falcon since Mike Thiessen threw for 265 against BYU in 2000.
On the season, the Falcons have hit 93 of 167 passes for 1,489 yards with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The team has completed 55.7 percent of its passes. Air Force is averaging 165.4 yards per game which is in reach of establishing a new record in the option era. The current record of 157.0 yards per game was set in 2000.
The passing game operated at near record efficiency in 2004. The team averaged 148.1 yards per game passing which is the 11th-best effort in school history and best since the 2000 season. The team's completion percentage of 59.8 set a new single season school record. The previous mark of 56.6 was set in 2000. Air Force quarterbacks completed 113 of 189 passes for 1,629 yards with 12 touchdowns and eight interceptions. The team had a 144.68 quarterback efficiency rating.

Air Force among the best
Air Force ranks second in the Mountain West Conference and 24th nationally since 1997 in total wins. The Falcons have a 66-40 record (.623). During the last nine 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. A closer look at the national leaders since 1997 follows:

# Team Wins
1. Florida St. 87-20
2. Michigan 84-24
3. Georgia 83-24
Marshall 83-27
Miami 83-20
6. Tennessee 82-24
Texas 82-25
8. Kansas State 81-29
Nebraska 81-28
10. Virginia Tech 80-25
Ohio State 80-27
Oklahoma 80-28
Boise State 80-25
14. Florida 78-29
15. USC 75-32
16. Toledo 74-29
Wisconsin 74-35
18. Oregon 71-32
LSU 71-32
20. Colorado State 70-35
Miami-OH 70-31
22. Auburn 69-33
23. Georgia Tech 68-38
24. Air Force 66-40
25. Texas A&M 65-41
Texas Tech 65-40
27. Purdue 64-43
28. Virginia 63-42
29. NC State 61-44
30. Mississippi 60-43

Blocked kicks
Air Force has blocked three kicks this season. Nelson Mitchell swatted an extra point attempt in the fourth quarter vs. Wyoming. The block is the second of Mitchell's career, as he blocked a PAT last year vs. Eastern Washington. Adam Zanotti recorded his first-career block when he deflected a punt against UNLV. The block is the first of Zanotti's career. Charles Wells added the first block of his career against BYU when he blocked a punt that Garrett Rybak returned 10 yards for a touchdown.
Air Force has blocked at least three kicks in 15 of the last 16 years. The Falcons have blocked 92 kicks since 1990 to rank second nationally behind Virginia Tech.

2005 Blocks
Wyoming: Nelson Mitchell, PAT (2nd of career)
UNLV: Adam Zanotti, Punt (1st of career)
BYU: Charles Wells, Punt (1st of career)

Year-by-Year Blocks Since 1990
Year Total Punts FGs PATs
1990 6 3 1 2
1991 3 1 1 1
1992 8 6 1 1
1993 5 2 3 0
1994 5 4 1 0
1995 3 1 2 0
1996 4 1 3 0
1997 11* 7 3 1
1998 7 4 3 0
1999 8 6 1 1
2000 9 4 2 3
2001 7 2 3 2
2002 4 3 1 0
2003 7 3 3 1
2004 2 0 0 2
2005 3 2 0 1
Totals 92 49 28 15
* - school record

Air Force a national power in rushing
Air Force has been one of the most dominant rushing teams in college football since Fisher DeBerry took over in 1984. The team has ranked among the nation's top 10 a remarkable 21 times and the top five 16 times. In 2002, the Falcons won the school's first national rushing title with a 307-8 per-game average.
Air Force has won 21 conference rushing titles, including 19 under DeBerry. The Falcons won the Mountain West Conference title and ranked fourth nationally last season with a 277.4 average.
This season, the Falcons lead the conference and rank eighth nationally with a 244.9 average. A closer look at the team's yearly rank in the conference and the nation under DeBerry follows:

Year Stats Conf. National
1984 326.5 1st 2nd
1985 293.2 1st 6th
1986 232.6 1st 15th
1987 386.3 1st 2nd
1988 377.5 1st 2nd
1989 356.0 1st 3rd
1990 267.5 1st 7th
1991 338.1 1st 2nd
1992 242.4 2nd 7th
1993 284.9 1st 4th
1994 304.8 1st 2nd
1995 332.4 1st 2nd
1996 328.9 1st 2nd
1997 332.7 2nd 9th
1998 266.8 1st 3rd
1999 285.5 1st 2nd
2000 294.9 1st 2nd
2001 273.2 1st 3rd
2002 307.8 1st 1st
2003 280.6 1st 4th
2004 277.4 1st 4th
2005 244.9 1st 8th

Brown - Kirkwood combination best in option era
Air Force receivers Greg Kirkwood and Jason Brown are having breakout seasons.
Kirkwood, a senior from Othello, Wash., was a reserve the last two years behind Alec Messerall and J.P. Waller. He's finally got his chance this year and made the most of his first-career start at Washington. Kirkwood recorded careers highs with six catches for 134 yards and scored on an 84-yard touchdown toss in the fourth quarter. Kirkwood entered the game with three career catches for 65 yards. The 84-yard TD catch is the fourth-longest in school history and longest since 1984. Besides that touchdown catch, Kirkwood came up with a key 14-yard reception in the final moments on a third-and-nine deep in Washington territory to set up Shaun Carney's one-yard game-winning TD run.
Kirkwood found the endzone again at Navy, scoring on a 54-yard touchdown pass. The TD gives him two of over 50 yards on the year. Kirkwood has caught 25 passes for 449 yards this season and averages 18.0 yards per catch.
Brown had his career day in the Utah game. He recorded a career-high nine catches for an Air Force option-era-record 184 yards and a touchdown. His 184 yards are the fourth-best ever in school history. Last week at BYU, Brown matched his career high in receptions with nine for 156 yards and two touchdowns. The 156-yard effort ties as the 10th-best in school history. His two-TD game marks the first-career multiple touchdown effort of his career. Brown scored on catches of 15 and 57 yards. His 57-yarder is the second-longest reception of his career. Earlier this season against San Diego State, the senior from Arvada, Colo., caught four passes for 115 yards. He also hauled in a career-long 61-yard reception.
Brown ranks fifth in the conference in receiving with an average of 78.7 yards per game. He has 40 catches for 708 yards and is averaging 17.7 yards per catch on the year. His season is the second-best by a receiver in the option era, trailing only Ryan Flemming's 2000 season with 52 catches for 930 yards.
Kirkwood and Brown have combined to catch 65 passes for 1,157 yards and seven touchdowns. The duo has already passed the previous top receiving duo in option era history. The previous record was held by Steve Senn and Trent Van Hulzen, who combined for 56 catches and 1,115 yards in 1989.

Air Force fullbacks
Air Force has a stable full of fullbacks. The groups is led by junior Jacobe Kendrick, who ranks second on the team in rushing with 376 yards on 83 carries. After spending his first two years moving between fullack and halfback, Kendrick is having a breakthrough season. In the win over San Diego State, the Midland, Texas, product went wild with career highs in attempts with 26, yards with 128 and touchdowns with four. Kendrick became the first Falcon since Chance Harridge against BYU in 2002 to score four touchdowns. He also became just the second fullback ever and first since Rodney Lewis in 1989 to score four TDs. Kendrick also caught two passes for 39 yards against the Aztecs and earned MWC offensive player of the week honors for his performance.
Backup Ryan Williams stepped up in his first-career start against the Utes, as he started for Kendrick after he missed some practice time due to injury. He rushed for a then-career-best 68 yards on 11 carries and scored the first two touchdowns of his career. He added his first-career receiving touchdown at Colorado State, becoming the first AFA fullback to catch a TD pass in a regular season game since Nakia Addision in 1995.
Williams returned to the starting lineup vs. UNLV, as Kendrick missed the game due to an injured ankle. Williams responded with a career-high 73 yards on 13 carries. Kendrick's injury moved third-stringer Scott Peeples to the backup role. The sophomore responded with 40 yards on four carries in his first varsity action. He also scored the first touchdown of his career on a 20-yard run. Charles Wells, who had not played in a varsity game this year, moved up to the No. 3 spot and rushed for 29 yards on three carries. Wells was moved from defense to fullback during spring drills last year. The three combined for a fullback-season-best 142 yards on 20 carries.
Air Force fullbacks have combined for 100 or more yards in two other games this season. Kendrick's 128-yard effort vs. San Diego State, along with he and Williams' 111 yards against Utah push the Falcons' record to 41-10 since 1990 when the fullback position rushes for 100 or more yards.

Wilson on Rimington, Outland Trophy Watch Lists
Air Force senior center Jon Wilson has been added to the Rimington Trophy "Watch List" for the 2005 season. The Rimington Trophy is presented annually to the most outstanding center in college football. Dave Riminton, the award's namesake, is the most decorated center in college football history as a Lombardi Award winner and the only player ever to win the coveted Outland Trophy in consecutive years. The 2005 season marks the fifth year of the award.
Wilson is also on the 2005 Outland Trophy "Watch List." Wilson is one of 36 standout linemen from around the country have been nominated for consideration in the preseason. The Outland Trophy has been awarded to the best interior offensive or defensive lineman in college football since 1946. The winner is selected by the FWAA's All-America Committee, which selects the association's 25-man team and picks three Outland Trophy finalists.

QB Shaun Carney on O'Brien "Watch List"
Air Force sophomore quarterback Shaun Carney is one of 33 quarterbacks on the Davey O'Brien "Watch List" for the 2005 season, according to an announcement from the O'Brien Foundation. The O'Brien National Quarterback Award is presented annually to the nation's best college quarterback.
The O'Brien Award is the oldest and most prestigious award in the country for college quarterbacks and is named in honor of the late Davey O'Brien. O'Brien led the TCU Horned Frogs to the 1938 national championship and was the first player to win the Heisman, Walter Camp and Maxwell Awards in one season.
Semifinalists will be announced in early November as voted on by the O'Brien Selection Committee, a nationwide panel of sportswriters and commentators, as well as former O'Brien Award winners. The committee will then narrow the field to three finalists and then the winner. The winner of the 2005 Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award will be announced on the Home Depot College Football Awards Show at 7 p.m. (EST) on Thursday, Dec. 8, 2005 and will be honored Feb. 20, 2006, at the 29th annual Davey O'Brien Awards Dinner at The Fort Worth Club in downtown Fort Worth.

Fitch sets school record for touchdown passes; will start vs. Army
Senior backup quarterback Adam Fitch has been outstanding during his career in his backup role. The latest chapter came last week against BYU when he entered the game for the injured Shaun Carney and rallied Air Force. Fitch hit 13 of 24 passes for 265 yards and a school-record five touchdowns. Fitch recorded career highs in every category in the game. His five touchdowns are the most since Mike Thiessen tied the record of four vs. BYU in 2000. Paul Stein (Arizona, 1965) and Rich Haynie (Arizona State, 1972) also threw for four TDs in a game. Fitch's 265 yards are the most by a Falcon since Thiessen tossed for 265 vs. BYU in 2000.
Carney is listed as questionable this week with a hand injury and Fitch will start against Army because of the uncertainty of Carney's availbility. Fitch started last year's game vs. Army and responded by leading Air Force to a 31-22 victory in West Point.

Sutton second in MWC in punt returns
Junior Chris Sutton ranks second in the Mountain West Conference in punt returns with a 9.4 average per return. Sutton recorded a career-long 23-yard return in the win over UNLV. Sutton has been among the top three in the conference all season and has led the league for two weeks. Since Air Force began conference play in 1980, the program has had just one player lead the league in punt returns. All-American Scott Thomas led the WAC in punt returns in 1984 with a 12.7 average.

Team Captains
Seniors Jon Wilson (OL), Ross Weaver (OL) and Russ Mitscherling (NG) are serving as team captains this season. The trio was elected by a vote of their peers following spring drills.

2005 Falcon honors
Honors won by Air Force football players this season follow:
Shaun Carney -- Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Watch List.
Jon Wilson -- First-team all-MWC preseason by the MWC media ... Outland Trophy watch list .. Rimington Trophy watch list.
Jacobe Kendrick -- MWC offensive player of the week vs. San Diego State ... National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame Colorado Chapter player of the week vs. San Diego State.

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