Air Force ends season 4-8 overall
12/8/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 8, 2006
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Season wrap -- Air Force concluded the 2006 season with a 4-8 overall record. The Falcons finished tied for sixth in the Mountain West Conference with a 3-5 mark. The losing season is the third straight for Air Force following a 4-7 campaign in 2005 and a 5-6 mark in 2004. The three-year streak is the first since 1979-81. Air Force opened the season with a thrilling 31-30 loss at No. 11/17 Tennessee, then won back-to-back conference games at Wyoming and vs. New Mexico to jump to a 2-1 start. The Falcons lost to Navy for the fourth straigth year, but rebounded with a come-from-behind 24-21 win over Colorado State to improve to 3-2 overall. The Falcons would post just one more victory from that point, a dominant 43-7 victory at Army. Air Force closed the season with four straight losses and dropped six of its final seven games. Air Force won its ninth consecutive conference rushing title and 23rd overall in 2006, posting a 229.4 per-game rushing average which ranked third nationally. The Falcons also finished second in the conference and third nationally in third down conversion percentage with a 54.6 mark. Air Force finished tied for second in the MWC and 16th nationally in turnover margin with a +8 mark on the year. Junior linebacker Drew Fowler led the Falcon's defense throughout the season. Fowler became the first Falcon since All-American Chris Gizzi in 1997 to lead the conference in tackles, averaging a 10.2 stops per game. His 123 tackles are the most by a Falcon since Gizzi recorded 179 in 1997. Fowler led the team in tackles in 10 of 12 games. Quarterback Shaun Carney continued his fine play and has established himself as one of the most talented players in school history. Carney hit 82 of 137 passes for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns. He threw just three interceptions and recorded 618 yards rushing and a team-high eight touchdowns. His 12 touchdown passes are the second-most during the option era while his 59.9 completion percentage is the third-best in school history behind the marks he set the previous two years. Carney is among the school's career top 10 in nearly every rushing and passing category.
All-conference honors - Air Force junior linebacker Drew Fowler was named first-team all-Mountain West Conference. Senior offensive lineman Robert Kraay and junior halfback Chad Hall each earned second-team all-conference honors. Four other Falcons earned honorable mention honors including junior quarterback Shaun Carney, junior safety Bobby Giannini, senior center Stuart Perlow and senior defensive lineman Gilberto Perez. Fowler is the first Falcon to earn first-team honors since 2003 when linebacker Marchello Graddy earned the award. The product of Clayton, N.C., led the conference in tackles with 123, an average of 10.2 per game. He is the first Falcon since All-American Chris Gizzi in 1997 to lead the conference in tackles. Fowler led the team in tackles in 10 of 12 games this season. Hall is just the third Air Force halfback in school history to earn all-conference honors and the first since Greg Johnson was a first-team all-Western Athletic Conference selection in 1989. Hall led the Falcons and was fourth in the conference with 65.3 yards rushing per game. A native of Atlanta, Ga., Hall had 155 carries for 784 yards and five touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes, third on the team, for 117 yards and a score. Kraay, from Tucker, Ga., was second on the team with 124 knockdown blocks and helped lead an injury-riddled offensive line. He averaged 12.2 knockdowns per game and had a season-best 18 vs. New Mexico. Kraay helped pave the way for the Falcon rushing game that led the MWC and ranked third in the nation with 229.4 rushing yards per game. Kraay also blocked four extra points, the fourth most in a single season in school history. He earned MWC Special Teams Player of the Week honors when he blocked two PATs vs. Notre Dame. Carney was second in the league in passing efficiency (among players with more than 50 attempts) and was eighth in the conference in rushing yards per game (51.5) and seventh in passing yards per game (99.3). He completed 82-137 passes for 1,192 yards and 12 touchdowns with three interceptions. The North Olmsted, Ohio, product rushed for 618 yards on 188 carries with eight touchdowns. Giannini, from Hawthorn Ill, was third on the team 64 tackles and also had an interception and two pass break-ups. Perlow, from Lancaster, Ohio, led the team with 202 knockdown blocks and had a career-high 29 vs. New Mexico. Perez, from Tampa, Fla., battled through a variety of injuries all season. A preseason all-conference selection, Perez finished the year with 20 tackles, two pass break-ups and a forced fumble.
The last game - Air Force was beaten by TCU, 38-14, in Fort Worth, Texas, to close out the season. TCU dominated the Falcons from the opening kickoff, scoring the first six times they had had the ball to jump to a 38-0 lead midway through the third quarter. The Falcons finally got on the board early in the fourth quarter when Hunter Altman returned a blocked punt by Adam Zanotti 15 yards for a touchdown. Backup quarterback Jim Ollis later added a 19-yard touchdown run in the final minutes to make up the final margin. TCU rolled up 377 yards of total offense while holding Air Force to a season-low 142 yards. Quarterback Jeff Ballard hit 20 of 25 passes for 220 yards and a touchdown while Lonta Hobbs added 66 yards rushing. Aaron Brown chipped in with 48 yards rushing and a touchdown and caught six passes for 72 yards. Air Force was led by Ollis, who rushed for 63 yards. The defense was led by Aaron Kirchoff, who recorded a career-best 10 tackles.
Air Force conference / national rushing numbers - 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 22 times and the top five 17 times. In 2002, the Falcons won the school's first national rushing title with a 307.8 per-game average. Air Force has won 23 conference rushing titles, including 21 under DeBerry. This season the Falcons won their ninth straight title with a 229.4 per-game average.
Air Force third down conversions - Air Force was one of the top teams in the nation in third down conversions. The Falcons finished second in the conference and third nationally in third down percentage with a 54.6 mark. The team converted 95 of 174 attempts on the year. Air Force ranked among the nation's top five all season.
T & T -- Air Force among the national leaders in turnover margin - Turnovers and takeaways! Air Force concentrated on these two areas in the preseason and the results showed up in the regular season. The Falcons ranked second in the conference and 16th nationally with a .67 per-game turnover margin. Air Force was +8 on the year after forcing 22 turnovers and committing just 14. The Falcons were -7 overall last year in turnover margin.
Blocked kicks - Air Force is one of the premier teams in the country when it comes to blocking kicks. The Falcons have blocked 99 kicks since 1990 to rank second nationally behind Virginia Tech. After going the first six games of the season without a block, Air Force blocked seven kicks in the final six games, including a season-best three at UNLV. The seven blocks is the most by a team since the 2003 squad blocked seven and ties as the third-most since 1990. Offensive lineman Robert Kraay led the way with four blocks, all on extra points. The 6-foot-8 Kraay recorded the first block of his career against BYU, then added two more against Notre Dame and another at UNLV. He is the first Falcon since Justin Pendry against Tennessee Tech in 2001 to record two blocks in a game and to have three or more in a season. Kraay earned MWC special teams player of the week honors for his efforts vs. the Irish, becoming the first offensive lineman in the league's history to earn a weekly award. Kraay's four blocks are the second-most in a single-season at Air Force. Tim Curry set the single-season record with five in 1997. Kraay's four career blocks tie him for fourth all-time at the Academy with Brian McCray, who blocked four from 1992-93. Jake Paulson (PAT vs. UNLV) and Hunter Altman (punt vs. UNLV) recorded the first blocks of their careers while Adam Zanotti (punt vs. TCU) notched his second-career blocked kick.
Air Force ranks eighth - Air Force has scored in 168 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 23-year career of Fisher DeBerry. Air Force's streak is the second-longest active streak in the Mountain West Conference and the eighth longest in the country.
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy - The 2006 season marked the 35th year of competition between Air Force, Army and Navy for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. Navy won the competition for the fourth consecutive year after beating both Air Force and Army. The Falcons were 1-1 in CIC games. Air Force was beat by Navy, 24-17, in Falcon Stadium and defeated Army, 43-7, at West Point. Air Force has a 46-24-0 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 35-11 CIC record.
Air Force among national leaders in time of possession - The Falcons led the conference and ranked ninth nationally in time of possession with a 31:55 per-game average. The Falcons won the time of possession battle in seven games with a season-high 20:50 advantage vs. Wyoming. Air Force was 4-3 in the seven games.
Air Force fullbacks - When the fullback gets rolling, the Falcons are tough to beat. Air Force is 43-12 since 1990 when the fullback position rushes for 100 or more yards. Air Force hit the 100-yard mark three times in 2006, posting a 1-2 mark. Junior Ryan Williams led the attack at Tennessee with a career-best 98 yards rushing. Scott Peeples added four yards to give the fullbacks 102 for the game. The position topped the 100-yard mark against New Mexico with 151 yards. Williams had 94 yards, Peeples 33 and Jacobe Kendrick 24. The position did it for the third time this season at San Diego State, as Kendrick carried the load with 92 yards. Williams chipped in with 13 yards to give the group 105 yards.
Fowler wins conference tackle crown, earns first-team honors - Junior linebacker Drew Fowler led the conference and ranked 11th nationally in total tackles with a 10.2 average becoming the first Falcon since Chris Gizzi in 1997 to lead the league in tackles. The Clayton, N.C., product recorded 123 tackles, which is the most by a Falcon since Gizzi posted 179 in 1997. Fowler led the team in tackles in 10 of 12 games in 2006 and notched a career-high 18 tackles in the loss to Navy. His 18 stops are the most by a Falcon since Gizzi had 20 vs. Fresno State in 1997. He was named the conference's player of the week for his efforts against Navy. Fowler earned first-team all-conference honors for his efforts, becoming the first Falcon to earn first-team honors since Marchello Graddy in 2003.
Hall named second all-conference; its 1,000-yard mark for career - Junior halfback Chad Hall had a breakout season. He ranked fourth in the conference in rushing with a 65.3 per-game average. Hall rushed for a caeer-high 122 yards in Air Force's win at Wyoming. Hall hit the 100-yard mark for the second time this season and third in his career against Colorado State with 102 yards rushing. His two 100-yard efforts tie him for the team lead with quarterback Shaun Carney, who also rushed for over 100 yards against Wyoming and Colorado State. Hall nearly did it for the third time this season in the win over Army with 93 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Hall has topped the 20-carry mark three this season. He had 20 carries vs. Wyoming, 25 against Colorado State and 20 for a team-high 67 yards vs. Notre Dame. Hall hit the 1,000-yard mark for his career recently, becoming the 34th player in school history to rush for over 1,000 yards. Hall ranks 31st in school history with 1,128 career yards. Hall is just the third Air Force halfback in school history to earn all-conference honors and the first since Greg Johnson was a first-team all-Western Athletic Conference selection in 1989.
Carney moving up the charts - Junior quarterback Shaun Carney continued his climb up the Air Force record charts in 2006. He hit 82 of 137 passes for 1,192 yards with 12 touchdowns and just three interceptions. His 59.9 completion percentage is the third-best mark in school history for a single season. Carney already owns the top mark of 64.2 set last season. He hit 61.1 as a freshman which is the second-best mark in AF history. Carney ranked third in the conference in passing efficiency with a 157.5 mark. His 12 touchdown passes are the second most by an option quarterback in school history and he only trails record-holder Mike Thiessen's 13 set in 2000. Carney's 12 TD tosses rank fifth overall in school history. For his career, Carney has hit 268 of 434 passes for 3,900 yards with 30 touchdowns. His 3,900 yards rank third all-time in school history and are the most ever by an option quarterback. His 30 touchdown passes are best all-time among option quarterbacks at Air Force and second overall. He ranks third in school history in career total offense with 5,824 yards. Carney is eighth in AF history in career rushing yards with 1,924. He needs just 76 yards to become only the seventh player in school history to hit the 2,000-yard mark.
