Air Force Hosts Wyoming At Falcon Stadium
10/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 15, 2007
Complete Air Force-Wyoming Game Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Wyoming (4-2, 1-1) vs. Air Force (5-2, 4-1)
Saturday, Oct. 20, 12 p.m. MT
Falcon Stadium (46,692) - USAFA, CO
Television-The Air Force-Wyoming football game will be carried on the Mountain West Sports Network (The Mtn.). James Bates (play-by-play), Todd Christensen (color) and Andrea Lloyd (sideline) will call the action. Air Force is 6-4 all-time in games played on the network.
Radio-KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, 1510 KCKK in Denver and 1570 KSXT in Northern Colorado. KVOR's Jim Arthur (play-by-play) and News First 5/30's Lee Douglas (color) call the action. They are joined for the pre- and post-game shows by Jay Ritchie.
Last Week-Air Force defeated Colorado State, 45-21, last Saturday, Oct. 13, at Hughes Stadium in Fort Collins, Colo. Wyoming lost to New Mexico, 20-3, last Saturday, Oct. 13, at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo.
Next Week-Air Force travels to New Mexico next Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m., Mtn. The game will be televised by VERSUS. Wyoming hosts UNLV next Saturday, Oct. 27, at 12 p.m.
Streaks-Air Force has a two-game winning streak and a two-game conference winning streak.
Wyoming has a one-game losing streak and one-game conference losing streak.
Last Meeting-Air Force defeated Wyoming, 31-24, last year (Sept. 23) at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo.
Rankings-Neither team is ranked. Air Force received votes in the AP poll and Wyoming received votes in the USA Today Coaches poll.
Coaches-Air Force is coached by Troy Calhoun (Air Force, 1989), who is 5-2 in his first season.
Wyoming is coached by Joe Glenn (South Dakota, 1971), who is in his fifth season. He has led the Cowboys to a 25-28 record and is 183-87-1 in his 23rd year as a head coach overall.
Key Fact-Air Force is 5-0 when out-rushing its opponents and when they have a player rush for over 100 yards. Air Force is 0-2 when getting our-rushed and when they don't have a player run for over 100 yards.
Did you know?-Air Force is 4-1 in Mountain West Conference play. The 4-1 start is the best-ever for Air Force in MWC play and the best overall since starting 4-1 in 1998 in its final year in the Western Athletic Conference. The Four wins are the most in conference play overall since 2002 when the team finished third with a 4-3 record.
The Series-The Air Force/Wyoming series is one of the best and closest series the Falcons play. This week marks the 46th overall meeting and 27th as conference foes. Air Force holds a 22-20-3 overall lead and is 13-13 in conference games. Air Force is 13-9-1 at home, 8-11-2 in Laramie and 1-0 in neutral site games. The teams first played Nov. 2, 1957, to a 7-7 tie in Laramie. Air Force won last year's game and Wyoming the previous two in the series. No team has had a sustained winning streak throughout the series. Three games is the longest streak by each team. Wyoming has the most recent three-game streak, posting it from 1986-88.
Year by Year1957 - Tied 7-7 (A)1958 - AFA 21-6*1959 - AFA 20-7 (A)1960 - Wyo 15-0 (A)1962 - AFA 35-14 (H)1964 - Tied 7-7 (H)1965 - Wyo 31-14 (A)1966 - Wyo 13-0 (H)1967 - Wyo 37-10 (A)1968 - AFA 10-3 (H)1969 - Wyo 27-25 (H)1970 - AFA 41-17 (A)1971 - AFA 23-19 (H)1972 - AFA 45-14 (H)1974 - Wyo 20-16 (A)1975 - Wyo 24-10 (H)1976 - AFA 41-12 (H)1977 - Tied 0-0 (A)1980 - AFA 25-7 (H)1981 - Wyo 17-10 (H)1982 - AFA 44-34 (H)1983 - Wyo 14-7 (A)1984 - Wyo 26-20 (A)1985 - AFA 49-7 (A)1986 - Wyo 23-17 (H)1987 - Wyo 27-13 (A)1988 - Wyo 48-45 (H)1989 - AFA 45-7 (H)1990 - Wyo 24-12 (A)1991 - AFA 51-28 (H)1992 - AFA 42-28 (A)1993 - Wyo 31-18 (H)1994 - AFA 34-17 (A)1995 - AFA 34-10 (H)1996 - Wyo 22-19 (A)1997 - AFA 14-3 (H)1998 - AFA 10-3 (A)1999 - Wyo 10-7 (H)2000 - AFA 51-34 (A)2001 - AFA 24-13 (H)2002 - Wyo 34-26 (A)2003 - AFA 35-29 (H)2004 - Wyo 43-26 (A)2005 - Wyo 29-28 (H)2006 - AFA 31-24 (A)
* Washburn Field, CS, COSite is for AFA
Last Meeting vs. Wyoming-Air Force defeated Wyoming, 31-24, in Laramie in a game that was not as close as the final score. The Falcons forced Wyoming into a three-and-out on its first possession and the offense answered with an 11-play, 49-yard drive that halfback Chad Hall capped with a 27-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead. Wyoming tied the game with a Jacob Doss 10-yard pass to Tyler Holden early in the second quarter. The Falcons answered back with a vintage triple option drive, going 80 yards in 18 plays and taking 10:15 off the clock to take a 14-7 lead on a Shaun Carney one-yard run. Following a muffed sky kick, Carney struck quick with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Beau Suder to give the Falcons a 21-7 halftime lead. Wyoming gained some much-needed momentum in the third quarter when John Wendling returned a fumble 54 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 21-14 midway through the third quarter. The Air Force offense again had an answer, going 80 yards in 11 plays for a 28-14 lead on a Carney four-yard run. Wyoming scored on another Doss touchdown pass, this one 31 yards to Michael Ford to cut it to 28-21 early in the fourth quarter. Zach Sasser answered with a 27-yard field as the Falcons took 8:27 off the clock with a 17-play, 70-yard drive for a 31-21 lead with 5:11 left. Wyoming added a late Aric Goodman field goal to make up the final margin. The Falcons dominated the statistical battle, collecting 367 total yards, including 327 yards rushing, while holding Wyoming to 246 total yards. The Falcons ran 35 more plays than Wyoming and held a 40:25 to 19:35 edge in time of possession. Carney and Hall each had big rushing days to become the first Falcon tandem since 2002 to each rush for over 100 yards. Carney had 131 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries while Hall added 122 yards and a score on 20 carries. Carney also hit three of seven passes for 40 yards and a touchdown. The defense was led by Drew Fowler, who had nine tackles. Joey Keller added five tackles, including two for losses. Jake Paulson chipped in with three tackles, two for losses, and a fumble recovery.
Last Time vs. Wyoming At Falcon Stadium-The Cowboys defeated Air Force, 29-28, in Falcon Stadium in their Mountain West Conference opener. Air Force opened the game with a Shaun Carney one-yard run to take a 7-0 lead with 2:27 left in the first quarter. Wyoming answered on its next drive with a Corey Bramlet to Jovan Bouknight 63-yard touchdown pass to tie the game after one period. Wyoming's Deric Yaussi added field goals from 30 and 50 yards in the second quarter to give the Cowboys a 13-7 halftime lead. Yaussi added his third field goal of the game, a 23-yarder, to push the lead to 16-7 with 10:08 remaining in the third. Air Force answered with a Justin Handley one-yard TD run to cut the lead to 16-14. Following a John Taibi fumble recovery, Chad Hall scored on a 16-yard run and a two-point conversion gave the Falcons a 22-16 lead with 14:40 left. Wynel Seldon tied the game at 22 with a two-yard run. Air Force's Nelson Mitchell kept it tied, as he blocked the extra point. Air Force appeared to score the game-winner on a Shaun Carney to Jason Brown 18-yard scoring strike, but a bad snap on the extra point left Air Force in front, 28-22, with 3:27 to play. Bramlet scored on a one-yard run with 1:25 remaining and Yaussi nailed the extra point to win it for Wyoming. John Wendling secured the win for Wyoming with an interception on Air Force's final drive. Air Force finished with 339 total yards while the Cowboys had 335. Carney finished the game with 78 yards on 20 carries while hitting four of 12 passes for 53 yards. He also had two interceptions. Fullback Jacobe Kendrick added 66 yards rushing on 17 carries. The defense was led by Overton Spence, who had eight tackles.
Comparing Air Force and Wyoming-Several statistical categories will clash this week when the Falcons and Cowboys battle. A closer look follows (MWC/National rank):
Air Force is 1/5 in rushing offense with a 260.4 average per game.
Wyoming is 2/16 in rushing defense with a 95.8 average.
Air Force is 2/21 in scoring defense, allowing 18.4 points per game.
Wyoming is 8/98 in scoring offense, scoring 21.7 points per game.
Air Force is 4/43 in 3rd down converstions, converting 42 percent of the time.
Wyoming is 1/7 in defensive 3rd down converstions, allowing converstions just 28 percent of the time.
Air Force is 2/7 in fewest yards penalized, averaging 41.1 yards per game.
Wyoming is 2/14 in fewest yards penalized, averaging 44.5 yards per game.
Air Force is 1st in the MWC in defensive red-zone stops allowing scores 57.1% of the time.
Wyoming is 2nd in the MWC in defensive red-zone stops allowing scores 66.7% of the time.
Air Force career statistics vs. Wyoming
Air Force player's career statistics against Wyoming follow:
RushingName G Att-Yds-TDsShaun Carney 3 56-248-3Chad Hall 2 25-158-2Chad Smith 3 15-81-0Ryan Williams 1 13-47-0Kip McCarthy 1 2-7-0Scott Peeples 1 1-3-0
PassingName G C-A-Int-Yds-TDShaun Carney 3 10-29-3-150-2
ReceivingArmstrong 1 1-10-1
TacklesName G UT-AT-TotalBobby Giannini 3 10-12-22Drew Fowler 2 6-10-16Carson Bird 3 4-5-9Julian Madrid 3 2-6-8John Rabold 2 2-3-5Chris Thomas 1 3-0-3Jake Paulson 1 1-2-3Josh Clayton 1 1-1-2Garrett Rybak 1 1-1-2Nathan Smith 1 0-1-1Aaron Kirchoff 1 0-1-1
Colorado State Game Recap-AP Article - Chad Hall and Shaun Carney set school yardage records and Air Force beat Colorado State 45-21 on Oct. 13. The Falcons scored four first-half touchdowns on their way to the blowout win. Hall, a senior wide receiver, ran for four touchdowns and a single-game school-record 256 yards. It was his third 100-yard rushing performance against the Rams, and his fifth overall. Carney completed only one pass in the first half, but the 12-yard completion to Hall was enough to set the school record for passing yards. Dave Ziebart, who played from 1976-79, had the old record of 4,789 yards. Carney finished the game with 52 yards passing and a touchdown. Colorado State quarterback Caleb Hanie threw three first-half interceptions and the Falcons capitalized, returning one for a touchdown and turning another into a scoring drive. The game was delayed 45 minutes because lightning knocked out power to some parts of the stadium. On the first drive of the game, the Falcons marched 80 yards on 14 plays, capped by Hall's two-yard touchdown run. He added three more, from two yards, six yards, and 13 yards. Falcons linebacker Drew Fowler intercepted a pass in the first half and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown. Colorado State cut Air Force's lead to seven in the second quarter on a touchdown run by Gartrell Johnson. Hanie threw four interceptions in the game and just one touchdown, a 7-yard pass to Damon Morton in the third quarter. Air Force's Carson Bird had two interceptions and Austin Randle had the fourth pick. Ryan Harrison also kicked a 52-yard field goal, his second 50-plus yarder this season and punted just once, placing the ball to the CSU nine yard line.
Post-game notes vs. Wyoming
Team Notes
• Air Force is using game captains this season. The team captains for the Colorado State game were junior defensive tackle Ryan Kemp and sophomore offensive lineman Nick Charles. The team also has honorary captains for each game. The honorary captains for the Colorado State game were Dave Phillips, a 1959 graduate of the Academy, and Neal Starky, a 1968 graduate of the Academy. Phillips was a three-year letterman and played on Air Force's undefeated 1959 Cotton Bowl team. Starky was a three-year letterman and earned third-team All-American honors in 1967.
• Air Force snapped a four-game losing streak at Colorado State, winning for the first time in Fort Collins since 1997 when the team won 24-0. The Falcons also improved to 26-19-1 all-time vs. Colorado State in the series, including an 11-8 mark at CSU.
• The Falcons retain the Ram-Falcon Trophy, winning the prize for the 15th time in 28 years. The Ram-Falcon series began in 1980.
• The Falcons improved to 5-2 overall which is the team's best overall win total since 2004 when Air Force finished 5-6 overall.
• Air Force improved to 2-0 in October to mark the first time since 2002 the Falcons have posted multiple wins in the month of October. The win over CSU is Air Force's first on the road in October since defeating Navy, 24-18, in 2001. The road win is the first over a conference foe in October since defeated Wyoming, 51-34, in Laramie in 2000. This win also marks Air Force's first back-to-back wins in October since 2002 when the Falcons defeated Navy (48-7) and BYU (52-9) in 2002. Both games were played in Falcon Stadium.
• Air Force extended its consecutive games scoring streak to 175 games. The last time Air Force was shutout was Dec. 31, 1992, vs. Mississippi (13-0) in the Liberty Bowl. The 175-game streak is the longest in school history and ranks as the eighth-longest active streak in the nation. • Air Force's touchdown on the opening drive is the team's first since scoring a touchdown vs. South Carolina State in the season opener. The team had punted four times and thrown an interception on its opening drives since the SCSU game.
• Air Force's 14 points in the first quarter is the most in the opening stanza this season. The previous best for the first quarter was seven points vs. South Carolina State and UNLV.
• Air Force's opening scoring drive used a season-most 14 plays and matched the season long of 80 yards. The previous best for plays was 13 vs. Navy. Air Force also drove 80 yards for a score last week vs. UNLV. The Falcons added another 14-play touchdown drive in the second quarter. • Air Force recorded four interceptions which ties as the fifth most in a single game in school history. The four INTs are the most since intercepting four vs. Army last season.
• Air Force's four takeaways is a season high. The previous best was three vs. TCU with two interceptions and a fumble recovery.
• Air Force's 28-point first half is the team's highest of the season. The previous was 24 points in the second half last week vs. UNLV which gives Air Force a four-quarter total of 52 points entering the second half of the CSU game. The 28-point half is Air Force's best since exploding for 43 in the first half vs. Army last season.
• Air Force scored a season high 45 points. The team's previous best was 31 points last week vs. UNLV. The 45 points tonight are the most since scoring 47 vs. Colorado State in 2004. The 45 points are the most in a conference road game since scoring 49 at UNLV in 2002.
• Air Force's 385 rushing yards are a season high. The previous best was 334 yards vs. Utah on Sept. 8.
Individual Notes
• Senior WRZ Chad Hall recorded a school record 256 yards rushing yards on a career-high 31 carries. Hall is the first Falcon with 200-plus yards rushing since Beau Morgan, who had 217 yards vs. Fresno State in 1996. Hall broke the record of 249 yards set by Dee Dowis vs. San Diego State in 1989.
• Hall recorded his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game vs. Colorado State. The 100-yard game is his second this season and fifth of his career. Hall also rushed for 102 yards on 25 carries vs. CSU in 2006 and 107 yards on 11 carries in 2005. Hall has recorded back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time of his career, as he notched 169 yards last week vs. UNLV. He is the first Falcon with back-to-back 100-yard games since quarterback Adam Fitch vs. Army and San Diego State in 2004. Hall is the first non-quarterback with back-to-back 100-yard games since fullback Jason Jones vs. Colorado State and Utah in 1991. Hall also recorded his third straight multiple-touchdown game. Hall rushed for a career-best four touchdowns vs. the Rams. He also rushed for two scores vs. UNLV last week and Navy two weeks ago.
• Senior ILB Drew Fowler scored on a 26-yard interception return in the first quarter. The interception return for a score is the first by a Falcon since Nate Allen went 79 yards vs. Northwestern on Sept. 6, 2003. The interception is the second this season by Fowler and his touchdown is the first of his career. The touchdown is also the first non-offensive score by the Falcons this season.
• Senior QB Shaun Carney became the career passing leader at Air Force. Carney reached the milestone with his first completion in the first quarter and now has 4,835 career passing yards. He passed Dave Ziebart (1976-79), who threw for 4,789 yards. Carney is also Air Force's career leader in total offense, surpassing the 7,000-yard mark for his career. He now has 7,033. He became the Air Force career leader earlier this season, passing Beau Morgan (1994-96), who had 6,627. Carney threw his first touchdown pass since the TCU game, four games ago. The TD pass was the 33rd of his career. He trails all-time leader Rich Haynie (1971-73), who threw for 34.
• Senior CB Carson Bird recorded his fourth and fifth interceptions of the season. The interceptions are the sixth and seventh of his career. Bird is the active career leader for the Falcons. The takeaways are the seventh this season for Bird. He has also recovered two fumbles in addition to his five INTs. Bird's five interceptions tie as the 10th most in school history for a single season and are the most since Tim Curry had had five in 1997. Bird's two takeaways in the game mark the third time this season he has had multiple takeaways. Bird also had two takeaways vs. SCSU (INT, fumble recovery) and BYU (INT, fumble recovery).
• Senior ILB Austin Randle recorded his first-career interception in the second quarter.
• Junior PK Ryan Harrison kicked a 52-yard field goal in the third quarter. Harrison is now 2-3 this season on field goals of 50 or more yards. Harrison kicked a career-long 57-yard field goal earlier this season vs. TCU. Harrison is the sixth kicker in Air Force history with two field goals of 50-plus yards in a single season and the first since Dave Adams in 2000.
Falcons face Mountain West's top run-defenses the next two weeks-Air Force, which enters the week as the top rushing team in the Mountain West Conference and fifth-ranked nationally with 260.4 yards per game, faces the top two run-defenses in the conference the next two weeks in Wyoming and New Mexico. Wyoming ranks second in the conference and 16th nationally, allowing just 95.8 yards per game. New Mexico is first in the MWC and 12th nationally allowing 82.8 on the ground.
Fifth-ranked running game still key to Falcons' success-Air Force is 5-0 when out-rushing its opponents and 0-2 when getting out-rushed this season. The Falcons are also 5-0 when they have a player rush for over 100 yards and 0-2 when they don't. Air Force enters the Wyoming game averaging 260.4 yards rushing per game, ranking fifth in the nation and first in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons have rushed for over 200 yards in five games and over 300 yards three times. The Falcons rushed for a season-best 385 yards on 69 carries vs. Colorado State. Air Force averaged 229.4 yards rushing per game in 2006.
Five different rushing leaders in seven games-Through seven games in 2007, Air Force has had five different players lead the team in rushing. Senior z-wide receiver Chad Hall and tailback Jim Ollis have led the team in rushing twice this season with Hall being the only back-to-back leader. Big runs have also keyed the Falcons in the rushing game, as the Falcons have had runs of over 30 yards in all seven games.
Game Leading Rusher, Pos. Carries-Yards-TDs Long run of gameSCSU Kip McCarthy, TB 22-129-1 50Utah Shaun Carney, QB 16-113-0 53TCU Jim Ollis, TB 16-138-1 71BYU Chad Smith, TB 2-47-0 45Navy Jim Ollis, TB 15-73-0 34UNLV Chad Hall, WRZ 18-169-2 52*CSU Chad Hall, WRZ 31-256^-4 47
*Shaun Carney had the longest run of the game vs. UNLV with a 71-yard TD run.
^ School single-game record
Air Force conference/national rushing numbers
• Air Force has won 23 conference rushing titles since joining conference play in 1980.
• In 2002, the Falcons won the school's first national rushing title with a 307.8 per-game average.
• Last season the Falcons won their ninth straight title with a 229.4 per-game average.
Year Stats Conf. National1982 301.7 1st 4th1983 246.5 1st 2nd1984 326.5 1st 2nd1985 293.2 1st 6th1986 232.6 1st 15th1987 386.3 1st 2nd1988 377.5 1st 2nd1989 356.0 1st 3rd1990 267.5 1st 7th1991 338.1 1st 2nd1992 242.4 2nd 7th1993 284.9 1st 4th1994 304.8 1st 2nd1995 332.4 1st 2nd1996 328.9 1st 2nd1997 332.7 2nd 9th1998 266.8 1st 3rd1999 285.5 1st 2nd2000 294.9 1st 2nd2001 273.2 1st 3rd2002 307.8 1st 1st2003 280.6 1st 4th2004 277.4 1st 4th2005 246.5 1st 8th2006 229.4 1st 3rd2007 260.4 1st 5th
Breaking down the run game-So how have the Falcons been able to rack up their yards on the ground? Broken down statistically through the first six games, the Falcon running game has been able to run the ball in four different ways, via: tailback, fullback, z-wide receiver and quarterback. The tailbacks have carried the brunt of the load, averaging the most yards (110.4) and carries (21.6) per game. The z-wide's lead the way in yards per carry, averaging 7.2 yards a pop, followed by the tailbacks (5.1), fullbacks (4.3) and quarterbacks (3.1).
A breakdown of the Falcon running game by position Carries Yards Touchdowns Average per carryTailbacks 151 (41.9%) 773 (42.4) 5 5.1Quarterbacks 88 (24.4) 275 (15.1) 2 3.1Z-Wideouts 81 (22.5) 586 (32.1) 9 7.2Fullbacks 45 (12.5) 194 (10.6) 0 4.3* Falcons also have three team rushes for -5 yards
Hall earns consecutive MWC Offensive Player of the Week honor-For the second week in a row, senior z-wide receiver Chad Hall was named Mountain West Conference Offensive Player of the Week. Hall recorded a school record 256 yards rushing yards on a career-high 31 carries (8.26 yards per carry) in Air Force's 45-21 win at Colorado State. Hall broke the previous Academy record of 249 yards by quarterback Dee Dowis vs. San Diego State in 1989 and is the first Falcon with 200-plus yards rushing since Beau Morgan had 217 yards against Fresno State in 1996. Hall has recorded back-to-back 100-yard games for the first time of his career, as he notched 169 yards last week vs. UNLV. He is the first Falcon with back-to-back 100-yard games since quarterback Adam Fitch vs. Army and San Diego State in 2004. Hall is the first non-quarterback with back-to-back 100-yard games since fullback Jason Jones against Colorado State and Utah in 1991. Hall also recorded his third straight multiple-touchdown game. Hall rushed for a career-best four touchdowns against the Rams. The 256 yards rushing is the third most by any player in the nation so far this season.
Hall leading team in rushing and receiving-Chad Hall is just one of two players in the nation to lead his team in rushing and receiving yardage. Hall and Chris Johnson of East Carolina are the two players in the nation that lead their team in rushing and receiving yardage.
Name/Team Rushing Receiving
Chad Hall/Air Force 77-583 30-337
Chris Johnson/East Carolina 115-530 20-291
Hall is also one of 16 players in the nation to have statistics in rushing, receiving, kickoff and punt returns
Name, TeamAntonio Brown, Central MichiganDorien Bryant, PurdueReggie Campbell, NavyChris Garrett, OhioDesmond Gee, Middle TennesseeChad Hall, Air ForceJeremy Maclin, MissouriKenny Moore, Wake ForestPreston Parker, Florida StateMarcus Perez, Northern IllinoisDesmond Reed, USCRoy Small, Ohio StateBrandon Tate, North CarolinaLarry Taylor, UConnDevin Thomas, Michigan StateChris Williams, New Mexico State.
Carney adds to Air Force record resume-Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney reached two statistical milestones at Air Force last weekend against Colorado State. With his first pass completion of the game, Carney surpassed Dave Zeibart for most career passing yards at the Academy. Carney finished the game with 52 yards passing to reach 4,835 career yards, surpassing Ziebart's 4,789 yards thrown from 1976-79. With 57 yards of total offense in the game, Carney also surpassed the 7,000 yard mark in total offense, extending his school record. Carney leapfrogged former Falcon quarterback greats, Beau Morgan and Dee Dowis with 300 yards of total offense against Navy. Morgan (1994-96) is second with 6,627 yards and Dowis (1986-89) ranks third with 6,482.
Tight ends making impact-Through seven games, the Air Force tight ends have caught 16 passes, which is more than tight ends caught in the last three seasons combined. Junior Travis Dekker has hauled in 13 passes for 199 yards and a touchdown and junior Keith Madsen has three receptions for 29 yards and a TD. Against TCU, Dekker hauled in a 50-yard reception that led to a nine-yard TD pass to Madsen on the next play.
Tight end catches over the past five seasons at Air ForceYear #2007 162006 42005 22004 72003 6
Falcons lead MWC in the red zone-Air Force is the top-ranked red-zone offense and defense in the Mountain West. The Falcon offense has scored on 84.6 percent of its chances inside the 20 (22-for-26), scoring 16 TD's and six field goals. The Falcons defense has allowed scores on 57.1 percent of its chances defending the end zone (12-of-21). In 21 tries, opponents have came away with 11 touchdowns and are 1-of-5 in field goal attempts.
Rabold tackling for losses-Senior John Rabold, who ranks amongst the top-three in several defensive categories (Sacks, 3rd with 4.0; TFL's, 1st with 10.5; Fumbles forced 2nd with 3), has recorded tackles for loss in five consecutive games and in six of seven games this season. Rabold is tied with TCU's Chase Ortiz for the conference lead with 10.5 tackles for losses.
Bird third in the nation in interceptions-Senior cornerback Carson Bird has five interceptions on the season, ranking first in the conference and third in the nation. Bird picked off two passes against Colorado State, giving him seven takeaways on the season. Bird has three multi-takeaway games, intercepting a pass and recovering fumbles against South Carolina State and BYU. His five picks rank tied for 11th all-time at the Academy and are the most interceptions since Tim Curry had five in 1997. The Falcons rank 19th in the nation as a team with nine interceptions.
Harrison a force in special teams-Junior Ryan Harrison has been a key component of the Falcon special teams, handling all kicking duties. The junior from Keller, Texas, is 10-of-15 on field goal attempts this season and currently has the longest field goal kicked in Div. I football this season, booting a 57-yarder against TCU. Harrison is 2-3 on field goals of 50 or more yards. In addition to the 57-yarder, Harrison hit a 52-yarder against Colorado State. Harrison is the sixth kicker in Air Force history with two field goals of 50-plus yards in a single season and the first since Dave Adams in 2000. Harrison handles the kickoff duties and has 17 touchbacks, which is by far the tops in the conference. The next closest kicker is TCU's Drew Combs, who has six touchbacks. Harrison has accounted for 34.0 percent of the conference's touchbacks, as the other eight schools in the conference have 33 touchbacks combined. Harrison also handles the punting duties for the Falcons, maintaining a 41.4 average.
An Old School Look-For the first time since 1979, Air Force football is not featuring the blue and silver striping in the center of its helmet. In addition to the Lightning Bolts on each side, the Falcons have had the stripes on the helmet from 1980 to 2006. Air Force originally had just the Lighting Bolts on the helmet for the first 25 years from the program's inception in 1955. There is also a slight alteration to the Lightning Bolts as the silver lining of the blue bolts has been replaced by an all-blue bolt.
Rookies on the roster-Several newcomers have come in and immediately made their presence felt, as 17 freshmen have made the roster while seven have cracked the two-deep depth chart.
# Name Pos. Hometown8 Reggie Rembert* CB Flower Mound, TX18 Will McAngus QB Justin, TX31 Patrick Hennessey OLB Strongsville, OH36 Andre Morris Jr.* OLB Newnan, GA38 Stephan Atrice CB Fairburn, GA41 William Keuchler* OLB Westerville, OH42 Savier Stephens* TB Jacksonville, FL46 Eric Collins CB Madison, AL53 Ken Lamendola* ILB Westlake, OH66 Ben Leung OG Fort Worth, TX70 Matt Markling* OT Cleveland, OH75 Jake Morrow OG Austin,TX78 Rick Ricketts DE San Jose, CA83 Kyle Halderman WRZ Katy, TX84 Steve Shaffer TE Austin, TX92 Chad Gross PK Suwanee, GA94 Zack Bell* PK Darien, IL* On the two-deep depth chart
A New Era At Air Force-The 2007 season ushers in a new era of Air Force football with Troy Calhoun taking over for the legendary Fisher DeBerry as head coach. DeBerry retired in December after 23 years at the helm. Calhoun, a 1989 Academy graduate, takes over as the sixth coach in school history and first graduate to lead the program. Calhoun returns to the Academy after serving as the Houston Texans' offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach last season. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak brought Calhoun along with him from the Denver Broncos where he served as the assistant to the head coach in 2005. Calhoun had become a well-rounded NFL coach, working as a defensive assistant, special teams assistant and offensive assistant with the Denver Broncos prior to last season. Prior to the NFL, Calhoun was an offensive coordinator for six seasons on the collegiate level. He began his coaching career at Air Force where he worked as a graduate assistant from 1989-90. He started at quarterback for the Air Force Academy in 1986 and was a four-year letterwinner. He was one of only two freshmen to letter for the 1985 team that finished fifth in the final polls with a 12-1 record. Calhoun served his country from 1989-95 as an active duty officer in the Air Force. He was the Falcons' recruiting coordinator and the junior varsity offensive coordinator in 1993-94. He moved to Ohio University in 1995 where he served as the quarterbacks coach for two seasons. Calhoun was promoted to offensive coordinator in 1997. He moved to Wake Forest in 2001 as offensive coordinator.
Young coaching staff with familiarity-The new Air Force coaching staff isn't really all that new. Ten of the staff's 14 members either played or previously coached at Air Force. Along with head coach Troy Calhoun, assistant head coach Brian Knorr (Air Force, 1986), defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter (Air Force, 1985), cornerbacks coach Capt. Charlton Warren (Air Force, 1999), running backs coach Jemal Singleton (Air Force, 1999), co-offensive coordinator/quarterback coach Blane Morgan (Air Force, 1999), wide receivers coach Mike Thiessen (Air Force, 2001), tight ends Ben Miller (Air Force, 2002), junior varsity head coach Lt. Col. Steve Senn (Air Force, 1990) and junior varsity assistant head coach Maj. Anthony Roberson (Air Force, 1989) all played and graduated from the Academy. Only offensive line coach Clay Hendrix (Furman, 1986), defensive line coach Ron Burton (North Carolina, 1987), outside linebacker coach Matt Weikert (Ohio, 2002) and offensive assistant Patrick Covington (Furman, 2006) have no previous experience at the Academy. In addition to familiarity, no coach on the staff graduated from college prior to 1985. Tim DeRuyter, at age 44, is the oldest member of the staff.
Air Force Academy grads comprise 71.4 percent of the coaching staff (10 of 14). No other Div. I football program has over 50 percent of its staff coaching for their Alma Mater.
Coach - Position Year graduatedTroy Calhoun - Head Coach 1989Brian Knorr - Assistant Head Coach/ILB's 1986Tim DeRuyter - Defensive Coordinator/Safeties 1985Blane Morgan - Co-Offensive Coordinator/QB's 1999Jemal Singleton - Running Game Coordinator 1999Lt. Col. Steve Senn - JV Head Coach 1990Maj. Anthony Roberson - JV Assistant Head Coach 1989Capt. Charlton Warren - Cornerback/Recruiting Coord. 1999Capt. Mike Thiessen - Wide Receivers 2001Ben Miller - Tight Ends 2002
101st Blocked Kick-Junior Ryan Kemp blocked Navy kicker Joey Bullen's field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, giving Air Force its 101st blocked kick since 1990. The 101 blocks ranks second nationally since 1990, trailing only Virginia Tech. Air Force got the 100th blocked kick against TCU, when Chris Thomas blocked Chris Manfredini's 20-yard attempt in the third quarter.
Blocked kicks
- The Falcons have blocked 101 kicks since 1990 to rank second nationally behind Virginia Tech.
- Air Force blocked seven kicks last season, including five extra points and two punts
- Jake Paulson (PAT vs. UNLV), Hunter Altman (Punt vs. UNLV), Chris Thomas (FG vs. TCU) and Ryan Kemp (FG vs. Navy) are current Falcons with a blocked kick
Year-by-Year Blocks Since 1990Year Total Punts FGs PATs1990 6 3 1 21991 3 1 1 11992 8 6 1 11993 5 2 3 01994 5 4 1 01995 3 1 2 01996 4 1 3 01997 11* 7 3 11998 7 4 3 01999 8 6 1 12000 9 4 2 32001 7 2 3 22002 4 3 1 02003 7 3 3 12004 2 0 0 22005 3 2 0 12006 7 2 0 52007 2 0 2 0Totals 101 51 30 20* - school record
Air Force ranks eighth
- Air Force has scored in 175 consecutive games dating back to 1992.
- The Falcons were last shutout by Mississippi, 13-0, in the 1992 Liberty Bowl.
- Air Force's streak is the second-longest active streak in the Mountain West Conference and the eighth longest in the country.
# School Streak Last Shutout1. Michigan 281 Oct. 20, 1984 at Iowa (0-26)2. Washington State 268 Sept. 15, 1984 at Ohio State (0-44)3. Oregon 262 Sept. 28, 1985 at Nebraska (0-63)4. Florida 235 Oct. 29, 1988 vs. Auburn (0-16)5. Colorado 229 Nov. 12, 1988 at Nebraska (0-7)6. TCU (MWC) 183 Nov. 16, 1991 at Texas (0-32)7. Nevada 181 *--All games: joined Div I-A in 19928. Air Force (MWC) 175 #--Dec. 31, 1992 vs. Mississippi (0-13)(#--Liberty Bowl)
Commander-in-Chief's Trophy-Air Force, Army and Navy compete each year for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy, which is emblematic of service academy football supremecy. The trophy goes annually to the winning academy with the best record in round-robin competition. The President of the United States presents the trophy to the seniors from the winning team each year at a ceremony at the White House. The 2007 season marks the 36th year of trophy competition. Last year, Navy won the trophy for the fourth consecutive year after beating both Air Force and Army. The Falcons were 1-1 in CIC games. Air Force was beaten by Navy, 24-17, in Falcon Stadium and defeated Army, 43-7, at West Point. Air Force has a 46-25-0 all-time CIC record and has won 16 trophy titles. Air Force's overall record and number of trophy titles are best among the three academies. Air Force is out of the running for the 2007 CIC Trophy after its 31-20 loss at Navy Sept. 29.
Team Record Pct.Air Force 46-25-0 .648Navy 34-36-1 .486Army 25-44-1 .364
Air Force outright CIC title years:
`82, `83, `85, `87, `89, `90, `91, `92, `94, `95, `97, `98, `99, `00, `01, `02
Four Falcons make mid-season awards list-Four Falcons were named to Phil Steele's mid-season All-Mountain West Conference team released on Oct. 12. Linebacker Drew Fowler and safety Chris Thomas were named to the first-team and tight end Travis Dekker and left tackle Keith Williams were named to the second team. Fowler was also on Steele's preseason list. For a full list of mid-season awards, log on to: www.philsteele.com.
Falcons on watch lists-Air Force has three players on four award watch lists to start the 2007 season. Senior linebacker Drew Fowler is on the "watch list" for the Lombardi Award, which recognizes the college football lineman of the year. Fowler is also on the watch list for the Butkus award, which recognizes the best down lineman in college football. Senior center Blaine Guenther is on the Rimington Trophy watch list, which recognizes the top collegiate center each year. Senior quarterback Shaun Carney is on the Davey O'Brien watch list for the third consecutive season. The O'Brien award recognizes the top quarterback in college football.
Air Force Announces Inaugural Hall of Fame class-The Air Force Academy is proud to announce the inaugural class for induction into the Air Force Academy Athletic Hall of Fame. The six inductees, Alonzo Babers, Bob Beckel, John Clune, Chad Hennings, Michelle Johnson and Brock Strom will be inducted on Friday, Oct. 19, at the Broadmoor Hotel. The dinner ceremony will be the night before the Air Force-Wyoming football game on Oct. 20th. The inductees, or representative, will then be honored during halftime of the football game on Saturday, kickoff is at 12 p.m. Mountain Time.
The six inductees represent one track athlete, one men's basketball player, one women's basketball, two football players and one athletic director. The group includes an Olympic Gold Medalist, a Super Bowl champion, two Air Force generals, three members of the Academic All-America Hall of Fame and a member of the National Association of College Director's of Athletics Hall of Fame.
Alonzo Babers - 1983 grad. - Track & Field
Bob Beckel - 1959 - Basketball
John Clune - Air Force Athletic Director from 1975-91.
Chad Hennings - 1988 - Football
Michelle Johnson - 1981 - Basketball
Brock Strom - 1959 - Football
