Air Force hosts Army in service academy showdown
10/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 29, 2007
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Army (3-5) vs. Air Force (6-3, 5-2 MWC) Saturday, Nov. 3, 1:30 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (46,692), USAFA, CO
Television - The Army-Air Force football game will be carried on CSTV. Tom Hart (play-by-play) and Trev Alberts (color) will call the action. Air Force is 1-4 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 lost at New Mexico, 34-31, on Thursday, Oct. 25, at University Stadium in Albuquerque, N.M. Army had a bye this past weekend. The Black Knights lost, 34-10, at Georgia Tech on Saturday, Oct. 20, in Atlanta, Ga.
Next Week - Air Force travels to Notre Dame next Saturday, Nov. 10, at 12:30 p.m. Mtn. The game will be televised by NBC. Army hosts Rutgers next Friday, Nov. 9, at 8 p.m. EST The game will be televised by ESPN2.
Streaks - Air Force has a one-game losing streak. Air Force is 4-0 at home this season. Army has a two-game losing streak. Army is 0-5 on the road this season.
Last Meeting - Air Force defeated Army, 43-7, last year (Nov. 3) at Michie Stadium in West Point, N.Y.
Rankings - Neither team is ranked.
Coaches - Air Force is coached by Troy Calhoun (Air Force, 1989), who is 6-3 in his first season. Army is coached by Stan Brock (Colorado, 1980), who is in his first season as a head coach. He has led the Knights to a 3-5 record.
Key Fact - Air Force is 6-0 when it has a player rush for over 100 yards. The Falcons are 0-3 when they don't have a player run for over 100 yards.
Did you know? - Air Force has won 16 of the last 18 games in the series against Army. Air Force lost to Army in the last meeting between the two schools at Falcon Stadium, 27-24, on Nov. 5, 2005.
The Series - Air Force and Army meet for the 42nd time overall. The Falcons lead the series, 27-13-1. Air Force is 16-3 at home, 10-9 at Army and 1-1-1 in neutral site games. Air Force defeated Army, 43-7, in Michie Stadium last year to avenge a 27-24 loss at Falcon Stadium in 2005. Army's win in 2005 snapped an eight-game Air Force winning streak. The victory was also the first for Army in Falcon Stadium since 1977. Air Force has won 16 of the last 18 games in the series. The teams first played to a 13-13 tie in Yankee Stadium in New York in 1959.
Last Meeting vs. Army - Air Force defeated Army, 43-7, in a nationally televised game on ESPN2's Friday Night Football to snap a three-game service academy losing streak and four-game non-conference game losing skid. Senior Adam Zanotti turned the game around on Army's first drive. Following a three-and-out and punt by Air Force on it's first drive, Army moved the ball to the Air Force one when Zanotti picked up a fumble from quarterback Carson Williams and return it 98 yards for a touchdown. Army never recovered, as Air Force scored 36 points in the second quarter to take a commanding 43-0 halftime lead. Chad Hall opened the offensive scoring with a 19-yard run to give Air Force a 14-0 lead. Ryan Williams scored from one-yard out to make it 21-0. Freshman defensive back Chris Thomas added a safety when he tackled Army kickoff returner Damion Hunter in the end zone to make it 23-0. Quarterback Shaun Carney scored on a six-yard run and Beau Suder added a fumble recovery in the end zone when Jacobe Kendrick dropped the ball inside the five. The Falcons ended the half with Carney hitting Spencer Armstrong on a 36-yard touchdown pass to make it 43-0. All five of the offensive touchdowns came following Army turnovers including two fumbles and three interceptions. FAL John Rabold picked up two of the interceptions, the first two of his career, while Garrett Rybak added the other. Army added a late touchdown pass from David Pevoto to Corey Anderson with 1:39 left to make up the final margin.
Last Time vs. Army At Falcon Stadium - Air Force was beaten by Army, 27-24, in Falcon Stadium for the first time since 1977. Carlton Jones rushed for 146 yards and a touchdown while Zac Dahman hit 13 of 23 passes for 143 yards to lead the Black Knights. Army opened the scoring with a 39-yard field goal from Justin Koenig in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead. Air Force answered with a one-yard run from Shaun Carney to take a 7-3 lead. Jones put Army back in front, 10-7, with a 22-yard scoring run early in the second quarter. The Falcons took back the advantage when Carney hit receiver Jason Brown with a 34-yard TD pass to give AFA a 14-10 lead. Army closed to 14-13 at halftime with another Koenig field goal. Army opened the second half with a Scott Wesley 16-yard run to take the lead back, 20-14, with 4:20 remaining in the third. Air Force appeared to tie the game with a Carney touchdown run, but a penalty on the play made the Falcons settle for a 25-yard Scott Eberle field goal to cut the lead to 20-17. Wesley struck again on a one-yard run to give the Black Knights a 27-17 lead with 10:34 left in the game. Carney led the Falcons back and scored on a seven-yard run with 5:33 left to cut the lead to 27-24. Following an Army punt, the Falcons were driving from their own six yard line before turning the ball over on a fumble with just under a minute to play at midfield to end the game. The Falcons out-gained Army, 433 to 360, but committed two turnovers in the game compared to none for Army. Carney led the Falcons with his first-career 100-yard rushing effort. He rushed for 104 yards and hit 16 of 21 passes for 194 yards after coming into the game on Air Force's third series. Starter Adam Fitch rushed for 13 yards and hit one of two passes for nine yards. Fullback Jacobe Kendrick added 67 yards on 15 carries while Chad Hall caught five passes for 29 yards. Brown added four catches for 72 yards. The defense was led by Drew Fowler, who had 14 tackles. John Taibi and Bobby Giannini added 10 tackles each. Army's defense was led by Caleb Campbell, who recorded 21 tackles. Barrett Scruggs chipped in with 11.
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 supremacy. 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.
Air Force-Army head coaches have a lot in common - In addition to being first-year head coaches, Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun and Army head coach Stan Brock also have several other things in common. Both are Oregon natives and played their collegiate football in Colorado. Calhoun is a Roseburg, Ore., native and played his football as a quarterback at the Academy, while Brock is a Portland, Ore., native and played his college ball as an offensive lineman at Colorado. In addition, both coaches have ties to the NFL. Calhoun coached with the Denver Broncos (2003-05) and was the Houston Texans offensive coordinator (2006). Brock played 13 seasons in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and the San Diego Chargers. Calhoun and Brock will be the second first-year coaches to square off in the 42-game rivalry. The only other time that the teams have met with first-year head coaches came in 1979. Ken Hatfield replaced Bill Parcells for Air Force that year and Lou Saban replaced Homer Smith at Army.
Falcons vs. non-conference foes - Air Force is looking to reverse a trend of losing to non-conference opponents. In the last three-plus years, the Falcons are just 5-8 in their non-conference tilts and just 3-6 in the last two-plus years. The Falcons are 0-3 against nationally ranked opponents, falling to No. 13 California in 2004 and No. 11 Tennessee and No. 9 Notre Dame in 2006.
New Mexico Game Recap - AP Article - Tailback Rodney Ferguson ran for 146 yards and John Sullivan kicked four field goals, leading New Mexico to a 34-31 victory over Air Force on Thursday night. The Lobos snapped a three-game losing streak to Air Force, capitalizing on five lost fumbles by the Falcons, all inside their own 30 - including three in the fourth quarter. Ferguson showed his durability with 41 carries and Sullivan set a school record by hitting his 18th straight field goal, a 36-yarder that put New Mexico ahead 34-31 with 10:10 remaining. The Falcons got a big break when Sullivan finally missed, sailing wide right on a 32-yard try with 2:18 remaining. But Air Force's Mark Root fumbled and Herbert Felder recovered for the Lobos, who ran out the clock. New Mexico's defense held Air Force's Chad Hall to 97 yards rushing on 21 carries. Hall, who came in as the only player in the nation to lead his team in rushing and receiving, added six catches for 66 yards receiving and added 84 yards on four kick returns, two days after missing practice because of illness. He wasn't slowed by the illness, zigzagging 26 yards on his first carry and scoring on runs of 1 and 18 yards in the first half. But the Lobos kept Hall in check, considering he'd logged 592 yards rushing in the previous three games. Sullivan, meanwhile, connected from 43, 20, 32 and 36 yards to break the school mark of 16 field goals in a row by Vladimir Borombozin from 2000-01. Sullivan's 32-yard field goal tied it at 31 early in the fourth quarter, and his 36-yarder on New Mexico's next series completed the scoring. That possession started after Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney fumbled and Wesley Beck recovered for the Lobos at the Falcons 28. New Mexico scored 14 points off three Air Force fumbles. Ferguson scored on a 3-yard plunge on fourth-and-1, put New Mexico ahead 28-24 in the third. It was set up when Air Force's Garrett Rybak had a New Mexico punt bounce off his leg and Ian Clark recovered for the Lobos. The Falcons answered with a 65-yard drive, capped by an 8-yard TD run by Jim Ollis to give Air Force a 31-28 lead late in the third. Ferguson also had a 1-yard TD that put the Lobos up 7-0.
Sixth-ranked running game still key to Falcons' success - Air Force is 6-0 when it has a player rush for over 100 yards and 0-3 when they don't. The Falcons are also 6-1 when outrushing their opponents. Air Force enters the Army game averaging 254.6 yards rushing per game, ranking sixth in the nation and first in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons have rushed for over 200 yards in seven 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 and ranked 6th in the nation.
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 conference title with a 229.4 per-game average.
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 (100.4) and carries (20.0) per game. The z-wide's lead the way in yards per carry, averaging 6.8 yards a pop, followed by the tailbacks (5.0), fullbacks (4.1) and quarterbacks (3.4).
Hall leads Falcons in rushing for fourth consecutive week - For the fourth week in a row, senior Z-wide receiver Chad Hall has led the Falcons in rushing. Hall ran for 97 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns against New Mexico. The Atlanta, Ga., native ran for 169 yards vs. UNLV, a school-record 256 yards and four touchdowns against Colorado State and 167 yards on 28 carries against Wyoming. Hall has 689 rushing yards in the last four weeks, which totals out to 172.3 yards per game. Through nine games this season, Hall has 847 yards rushing, which is the most by a Falcon since Chance Harridge ran for 914 yards in 2003.
Hall climbing up the record charts - Chad Hall enters the Army game with 1,628 all-purpose yards, which ranks first in the Mountain West Conference and 11th in the nation. Hall is second at Air Force for all-purpose yardage in a season and needs 108 yards to eclipse the record of 1,735 yards set by wide receiver Cormac Carney in 1978. Hall has 3,043 career all-purpose yards, ranking fourth at the Academy and has 1,975 career rushing yards, ranking ninth all-time at the Academy. Hall has 38 receptions, needing four more to crack the single-season top-10 at Air Force.
Hall is the lone player in Div. I to lead team in rushing and receiving - Chad Hall is the only player in the nation to lead his team in rushing and receiving yardage. Hall has 847 yards rushing and 407 yards receiving. Hall is also one of 16 players in the nation to have statistics in rushing, receiving, kickoff and punt returns
Carney atop Falcon passing records - As a four-year starter, senior quarterback Shaun Carney has put his name atop several Air Force passing records. Carney has broke the Air Force passing yardage, passing touchdowns and total yardage records this season. Carney tossed a pair of touchdowns against Wyoming giving him a school-record 35 for his career. At Colorado State, Carney broke the school passing yardage record. Earlier in the season against Navy, Carney had 300 yards of total offense to set the school record for total offense. Carney enters the Army game with 4,997 yards passing and 7,279 yards of total offense. Carney is also tops at Air Force in completion percentage 61.7 and passing efficiency 146.71.
Tight ends making impact - The Air Force tight ends have caught 20 passes this season, which is more than tight ends caught in the last four seasons combined. Junior Travis Dekker has hauled in 17 passes for 244 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.
Bird second in the nation in interceptions - Despite sitting out the New Mexico game with a stomach virus, senior cornerback Carson Bird has six interceptions on the season, ranking first in the conference and second in the nation. Bird has three interceptions in his last two games, picking off two at Colorado State and one against Wyoming. Bird has eight takeaways on the season, go with three multi-takeaway games, intercepting a pass and recovering fumbles against South Carolina State and BYU. His six picks rank tied for 4th all-time at the Academy and are the most interceptions since Brian Watkins had six in 1994. Bird has eight career interceptions, ranking tied for 10th all-time at the Academy.
Defense leads MWC in takeaways - The Air Force defense has 21 takeaways on the season to lead the Mountain West Conference and has scored 82 points off of those turnovers. The team's +7 turnover margin ranks 24th in the nation. The Falcons have forced 14 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. The 14 picks are the most since 2001. Air Force forced nine turnovers in the past three games, leading to 49 points.
Falcon defense stingy in red-zone - Air Force is second in red-zone defense in the Mountain West. The Falcon defense has allowed scores on 63.6 percent of its chances defending the end zone (21-of-33). In 33 tries, opponents have came away with 15 touchdowns and are 6-of-11 in field goal attempts. Air Force was ranked 8th in red-zone defense in 2006, allowing the opponent to score 86 percent of the time.
Falcons improved on third-down defense - In addition to Air Force's improvement on red-zone defense, the Falcons have improved their third-down defense as well. Air Force is allowing opponents to convert on third down 41 percent of the time, which is an improvement of 15 percent from 2006 and the best percentage since allowing 39 percent in 2002.
Harrison putting up solid special teams numbers - Junior Ryan Harrison has done a solid job for Air Force handling all kicking chores in 2007. Harrison has 11 field goals on the season, which is the most since Joey Ashcroft had 13 in 2003. He has hit two field goals of over 50 yards on the season (from 57 and 52). He 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 also maintains a 43.1 average as a punter and has five punts downed inside the 20. Harrison has shown off his booming leg on kickoffs as well, leading the conference with 21 touchbacks. The next closest team is Colorado State with 11 touchbacks. Harrison has accounted for 33 percent of the MWC's touchbacks in 2007 (21-of-63).
Falcons bowl-eligible for first time since 2003 - With the win over Wyoming, the Air Force football team has reached six wins, making them bowl-eligible for the first time since 2003. The six wins are the most since that 2003 season, when the Falcons went 7-5. Air Force last played in a bowl game in 2002, losing 20-13 to Virginia Tech in the San Francisco Bowl. Air Force has now won six or more games 11 times in the last 14 years.
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.
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.
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.
Air Force ranks eighth - Air Force has scored in 177 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.
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.
