Air Force heads to Notre Dame
11/5/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 5, 2007
Complete Air Force-Notre Dame media notes in PDF Format 
Air Force (7-3, 5-2 MWC) vs. Notre Dame (1-8)
Saturday, Nov. 10, 12:30 p.m. MT
Notre Dame Stadium (80,795), South Bend, Ind.
Television-The Air Force-Notre Dame football game will be carried on NBC. Tom Hammonds (play-by-play), Pat Hayden (color) and Alex Flanagan (sidelines) will call the action.
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 Army, 30-10, on Saturday, Nov. 3, at Falcon Stadium. Notre Dame lost in triple-overtime at home to Navy, 46-44, on Saturday, Nov. 3, in South Bend.
Next Week-Air Force concludes its regular season hosting San Diego State next Saturday, Nov. 17, at 12:00 p.m. Mtn. Notre Dame hosts Duke next Saturday, Nov. 17, at 2:30 p.m. EST. The game will be televised by NBC.
Streaks
Air Force has a one-game winning streak. Air Force is 2-3 on the road this season.
Notre Dame has a three-game losing streak. Notre Dame is 0-4 at home this season.
Last Meeting-Notre Dame defeated Air Force, 39-17, last year (Nov. 11) at Falcon Stadium.
Rankings-Neither team is ranked.
Coaches
Air Force is coached by Troy Calhoun (Air Force, 1989), who is 7-3 in his first season.
Notre Dame is coached by Charlie Weis (Notre Dame, 1978), who is in his third season as a head coach. He has led the Fighting Irish to a 20-13 record.
Key Fact-Air Force is 7-0 when it has a player rush for over 100 yards and 6-1 when they out-rush their opponents. The Falcons are 0-3 when they don't have a player run for over 100 yards.
Did you know?-The 2007 season marks the 11th anniversary of Air Force's last win over Notre Dame. The Falcons defeated the ninth-ranked Irish, 20-17, in overtime in South Bend, Ind., behind a 183-yard rushing effort from All-American quarterback Beau Morgan back in 1996.
The Series-This is the 28th meeting between Air Force and Notre Dame. The Irish lead the series, 22-5. ND is is 12-2 at the Academy and 10-3 in South Bend. The team's first played Oct. 10, 1964, at the Academy. Notre Dame won the game, 34-7. The Irish have won three straight and 11 of the last 12 dating back to 1985 when AF won its last of four straight. Air Force's last win came in 1996 in South Bend, 20-17, in overtime.
Year by Year1964 - ND 34-7 (H)1969 - ND 13-6 (A)1972 - ND 21-7 (H)1973 - ND 48-15 (A)1974 - ND 38-0 (A)1975 - ND 31-30 (H)1977 - ND 49-0 (A)1978 - ND 38-15 (H)1979 - ND 38-13 (H)1980 - ND 24-10 (A)1981 - ND 35-7 (H)1982 - AFA 30-17 (H)1983 - AFA 24-22 (A)1984 - AFA 21-7 (A)1985 - AFA 21-15 (H)1986 - ND 31-3 (A)1987 - ND 35-14 (H)1988 - ND 41-13 (A)1989 - ND 41-27 (H)1990 - ND 57-27 (A)1991 - ND 28-15 (H)1994 - ND 42-30 (A)1995 - ND 44-14 (H)1996 - AFA 20-17 (A) OT2000- ND 34-31 (A) OT2002 - ND 21-14 (H)2006- ND 39-17 (H)
Site ( ) is for AF
Last Meeting vs. Notre Dame-It didn't take Notre Dame long to jump on Air Force en route to a 39-17 Irish win in Falcon Stadium. Notre Dame took the opening drive and scored in just two plays. Quarterback Brady Quinn and Jeff Samardzija hooked up twice, the second time on a 51-yard touchdown strike to give the Irish a 7-0 lead. Following a three-and-out posssession by Air Force, the Irish hit again on a Quinn to John Carlson one-yard touchdown pass to make it 14-0 just over five minutes into the game. Air Force got on the board with a Zach Sasser field goal to cut the lead to 14-3. Notre Dame responsed with Quinn's third touchdown pass of the game to take a commanding 20-3 lead late in the first quarter. The turning point came in the second quarter when Air Force possessed the ball for all but 1:09 of the quarter, but went scoreless. Notre Dame scored on a Terrail Lambert 78-yard blocked field goal return to give the Irish a 27-3 halftime lead. Quinn added his fourth scoring toss midway through the third quarter to extend the lead to 33-3. Quarterback Shaun Carney and halfback Beau Suder finally got Air Force in the end zone on a 12-yard pass play to make it 33-10 at the end of the third quarter. Each team added touchdowns in the fourth quarter to make up the final margin. Air Force won the statistical battle, gaining 405 yards on 79 plays and holding a 38:35 to 21:25 advantage in time of possession. Notre Dame finished with 383 yards on just 46 plays, an average of 8.3 yards per play. Quinn finished the game hitting 14 of 19 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns. Darius Walker added 153 yards rushing on 15 carries with a touchdown. Samardzija added 106 yards on six catches. The defense was led by Ndukwe Chinedum, who had a game-high 22 tackles. Joe Brockington added 14 tackles and Derek Landri chipped in with 11, including two for a loss. Air Force was led by Carney, who hit 14 of 17 passes for 205 yards and two scores. Chad Hall rushed for 67 yards on 20 carries while Mark Root recorded of five catches for 105 yards. Drew Fowler led the defense with 12 tackles.
Last Time vs. Notre Dame in South Bend-Air Force and Notre Dame added another classic in a series that has become defined by memorable games. Air Force overcame an 18-point fourth quarter deficit to tie the game and force overtime before Notre Dame came out on top, 34-31. The Falcons overcame a slow start in the first quarter that saw the team gain just 13 yards on 12 plays to take a 10-7 halftime lead. AFA's 10-point second quarter was fueled by 147 yards on 24 offensive plays while holding the Irish to 17 yards on 12 plays. The third period was all Notre Dame. The Irish scored 21 consecutive points to take a commanding 28-10 lead in the the fourth quarter. Quarterback Matt LoVecchio hit Joey Getherall on a pair of TDs, including a 68-yarder, to spark Notre Dame. Air Force reversed its fortunes in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Mike Theissen hit Chris Jessop for a 30-yard TD and halfback Bert Giovanetti recovered a Scott Becker fumble in the endzone to cut the lead to 28-23 with 6:09 remaining. Scotty McKay added a two-point conversion run to cut the lead to 28-25. The Falcons then drove 78 yards on seven plays to set up a Dave Adams 34-yard field goal with 1:56 left to tie the game. The Falcons got the ball back and Thiessen hit Ryan Fleming with a 46-yard pass to set up a 28-yard field goal attempt by Adams with three seconds remaining. Notre Dame's Glen Earl blocked the field goal to force overtime. The Falcons added a 26-yard Adams field goal to regain the lead at 31-28. Getherall then struck again on a reverse from nine yards for the game-winner. The Falcons out-gained Notre Dame 471 yards to 383 and had eight more first downs in the game. Thiessen and Fleming each finished with career days. Thiessen hit 17 of 29 passes for 265 yards while Fleming had eight catches for 163 yards. Getherall led Notre Dame with four catches for 116 yards and two TDs. Julius Jones added 111 yards on 27 carries.
Air Force-Notre Dame connections-Notre Dame defensive line coach Jappy Oliver coached at Air Force for eight years from 1995-2002. He was on the sidelines for the Falcons for four of the AF-Notre Dame games, including the last time the teams played in 2002.
Head coaches share similarities
- Air Force's Troy Calhoun and Notre Dame's Charlie Weis were both NFL offensive coordinators prior to their head coaching jobs. Calhoun was the offensive coordinator for the Houston Texas last year. Weis was the offensive coordinator for the New England Patriots from 2000-05 and the New York Jets from 1998-1999.
- Calhoun and Weis are two of the four head coaches in Div. I football that do not have the title of offensive coordinator but calls the plays on game day. Thre are 14 head coaches in Div. I football that call the offensive plays on game day.
Listed below are the head coaches that also call the offensive plays on gameday.
Head Coaches (School)Art Briles (Houston)Troy Calhoun (Air Force)*Bill Callahan (Nebraska)*Bill Cubit (Western Michigan)Todd Dodge (North Texas)Ralph Friedgen (Maryland)Turner Gill (Buffalo)*Paul Johnson (Navy)June Jones (Hawaii)Hal Mumme (New Mexico State)Steve Spurrier (South Carolina State)Jeff Tedford (California)Bob Toledo (Tulane)Charlie Weis (Notre Dame)**Does not have title of offensive coordinator, but calls the plays on game day.
Falcons successful in South Bend-Air Force is one of seven teams in the last 25 years to win three or more games in Notre Dame Stadium. The Falcons posted wins in 1983, 1984 and 1996. The Falcons trail only Michigan State with seven, Boston College with five and USC with four in wins in Notre Dame Stadium. Air Force's three wins are tied with Michigan, Pittsburgh, Penn. State, and Southern California. Air Force defeated Notre Dame, 24-22, in 1983, 21-7 in 1984 and 20-17 in overtime in 1996. The Falcons had a near miss in 2000, falling 34-31 in overtime.
Most Wins in Notre Dame Stadium -- Last 25 Years1. Michigan State 7 (83, 97, 99, 01, 03, 05, 07)2. Boston College 5 (93, 99, 02, 04, 07)3. USC 4 (97, 03, 05, 07)4. Air Force 3 (83, 84, 96) Michigan 3 (84, 94, 06) Pittsburgh 3 (83, 86, 04) Penn State 3 (86, 90, 91)
Comparing Air Force and Notre Dame-Several statistical categories will clash this week when the Falcons and Irish battle. A closer look follows (MWC/National rank):
Air Force is 1st/4th in rushing with a 272.8 average.
Notre Dame is 95th in rushing defense with an average of 199.0.
Air Force is 3rd/19th in scoring defense, allowing 18.5 points per game.
Notre Dame is 118th in scoring offense, scoring 13.8 points per game.
Air Force is 9th/118th in passing offense with a 122.4 mark.
Notre Dame is 7th in passing defense with a 169.9 average.
Air Force is 4th/34th in pass defense, allowing 205.8 yards per game.
Notre Dame is 114th in pass offense, throwing for 152 yards per game.
Air Force is 3rd/27th in pass efficiency defense with a 112.65 rating.
Notre Dame is 116th in passing efficiency with a 97.75 rating.
Air Force career statistics vs. Notre Dame
Air Force player's career statistics against Notre Dame follow:
RushingName G Att-Yds-TDsHall 1 20-67-0Carney 1 15-42-0Williams 1 9-33-0Smith 1 4-12-0McCarthy 1 2-10-0Ollis 1 1-6-0
PassingName G C-A-Int-Yds-TDShaun Carney 1 14-17-0-205-2Jim Ollis 1 0-1-0-0-0
ReceivingName G #-Yds-TDRoot 1 5-110-0Moffett 1 2-13-0Armstrong 1 1-7-0
TacklesName G UT-AT-TotalFowler 1 2-10-12Randle 1 3-2-5Rabold 1 3-2-5Rybak 1 2-2-4Kemp 1 2-2-4Giannini 1 1-3-4Thomas 1 1-1-2Smith 1 1-1-2Madrid 1 1-1-2Marvin 1 0-1-1
Falcons vs. non-conference foes-Air Force is 6-8 against non-conference opponents dating back to 2004. After losing four in a row to non-conference opponents in 2005-06, Air Force has gone 3-2 over the past five games. 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.
Year Date Opp Score2004 Sept. 4 California L 14-56 Sept. 11 E. Washington W 42-20 Sept. 30 Navy L 21-24 Nov. 6 at Army W 31-222005 Sept. 3 Washington (N) W 20-17 Oct. 8 at Navy L 24-27 Nov. 5 Army L 24-272006 Sept. 9 at Tennessee L 30-31 Oct. 7 Navy L 17-24 Nov. 3 at Army W 43-7 Nov. 10 Notre Dame L 17-392007 Sept. 1 South Carolina St. W 34-3 Sept. 29 at Navy L 20-31 Nov. 3 Army W 30-10
Army Game Recap-AP Article - Chad Hall ran for a school-record 275 yards and a touchdown, leading Air Force over Army 30-10 on Nov. 3. Hall broke his own single-game record of 256 yards, set against Colorado State on Oct. 13. Oh, and for good measure he also added two other school records to his resume. He passed Cormac Carney for the career all-purpose yards record and Ernie Jennings for the single-game all-purpose yards mark. Air Force also set season highs for total yards (542) and yards rushing (437). Hall finished with 333 all-purpose yards to lead Air Force to its first win over Army at home since 2003. Shaun Carney also did his part to ensure Air Force its first winning record since 2003. The dual-threat quarterback threw for 105 yards and a touchdown and added 53 yards rushing and another score on the ground. The Falcons scored the game's first touchdown when Carney connected with wide receiver Spencer Armstrong on a 48-yard pass at the beginning of the second quarter. Despite the yards, Hall didn't score until his 58-yard run in the third quarter set up a 1-yard touchdown run that gave the Falcons a two-possession lead. Army only managed 181 yards of total offense, including just 17 yards rushing. The Black Knights' touchdown came after linebacker Frank Scappaticci intercepted Carney at the Air Force 24 and returned it to the 3. Carson Williams found tight end Ernie Bernal in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown pass three plays later to tie it. The game drew the biggest crowd to watch Air Force this season with 46,144 fans in attendance. Falcon kicker Ryan Harrison was perfect on all three extra-point and three field goal attempts. Harrison hit from 35, 40 and 56 yards. The 56-yarder was his third field goal of 50-plus yards this season.
Post-game notes vs. Army
Team Notes
• Air Force is using game captains this year. The captains for the Army game were seniors John Rabold (ILB), Caleb Morris (OG), Drew Fowler (ILB) and Chad Hall (WR-Z). The team is also using honorary captains. The honorary captains were Jim Bowman and Terry Isaacson. Bowman retired last summer after 49 years at the Academy as a coach and administrator. Most recently he served as the associate athletic director for candidate counseling. Isaacson was a three-year football letterman and graduate from the Academy in 1964.
• Air Force improved to 5-0 at home this season. The five wins are the most at home since the 2003 team finished 5-1. The Falcons are one win away from their first undefeated home season since the 1998 team was 6-0. AF closes the home schedule Sept. 17 against San Diego State.
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun recorded his seventh win which is the third most in school history for a first-year football coach. Ben Martin set the standard with a 9-0-2 mark in 1958 while Fisher DeBerry ranks second with eight wins during an 8-4 mark in 1984.
• The Air Force senior class recorded its first home service academy win in their career. The class entered the game 0-3 with two losses to Navy and one to Army.
• Air Force improved to 28-13-1 all-time vs. Army, including a 17-3 mark at home. The Falcons have won 17 of last 19 games in the series.
•The Falcons completed Commander-in-Chief's Trophy competition with a 1-1 record in 2007. Air Force improved to 47-25 all-time in CIC competition.
• Air Force improved to 2-1 this season vs. non-conference opponents. The Falcons have secured their first non-losing record in non-conference game since 2004.
• Air Force posted its third win over the final six games of the season which ensures the program its first non-losing streak over the final six games of the regular season since the 2004 team finished 3-3. Air Force is currently 3-1 with games at Notre Dame and at home vs. San Diego State remaining. The last time the team had a winning record over the final six games of the year was in 2000 when the Falcons were 4-2.
• Air Force posted its first November home win since 2004 when the Falcons defeated Colorado State, 47-17. The November win is the first overall since beating New Mexico, 42-24, in Albuquerque in 2005.
• Air Force extended its consecutive games scoring streak to 178 games. The last time Air Force was shutout was Dec. 31, 1992, vs. Mississippi (13-0) in the Liberty Bowl. The 178-game streak is the longest in school history and ranks as the eighth-longest active streak in the nation.
• The attendance of 46,144 ranks as the largest this season. Air Force has averaged 43,838 fans the last two home games. AF had 41,531 for its last home game vs. Wyoming on Oct. 20.
• Air Force's 542 total yards and 437 rushing yards are both season highs.
Individual Notes-(Chad Hall Notes on Pages 16 and 17 of PDF Release)
• Sophomore OL Peter Lusk made the first start of his career. Lusk started at left guard while fellow sophomore Nick Charles moved from left guard to left tackle and junior Keith Williams moved from left to right tackle.
• Senior QB Shaun Carney scored his 28th career rushing touchdown to move into a tie for sixth place in Mountain West Conference history in career rushing touchdowns. Carney moved even with Colorado State's Cecil Sapp, who had 28 from 1999-2002.
• Shaun Carney rushed for 53 yards to move into fifth place on the Air Force career rushing list with 2,335 yards. Carney moved past Brian Beam (1969-71) and Pat Evans (1984-86), who each rushed for 2,284 yards.
• Junior PK/P Ryan Harrison kicked three field goals to give him 14 this season. Harrison's 14 field goals are the seventh most in Air Force history for a single season and are the most since Joey Ashcroft kicked 16 in 2002. Harrison kicked a 56-yard field goal in the fourth quarter which is his third field goal of over 50 yards this season. He is the second kicker in school history to have three 50-plus field goals in a season. Dave Lawson also had three in 1975.
• Senior OLB John Rabold recorded his 13th tackle for loss in the first quarter. Rabold has recorded at least one tackle for loss in eight consecutive games and nine of the 10 this season.
• Junior WR-X Spencer Armstrong made his first catch of the season in the first quarter. Armstrong later recorded a career-long reception of 48 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter for his first score of the year. He missed the first five games of the season due to injury. Last year Armstrong made 11 catches for 178 yards.
• The pass catching trio of WR-Z Chad Hall, WR-X Mark Root and TE Travis Dekker each recorded a reception in every game this season (10 games).
• Chad Smith rushed for a career high 62 yards. His previous career high was 47 vs. Navy earlier this season
• Defensive end Ben Garland tied a career high with seven total tackles including a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss
Fourth-ranked running game still key to Falcons' success-Air Force is 7-0 when it has a player rush for over 100 yards and 0-3 when they don't. The Falcons are also 7-1 when outrushing their opponents. Air Force enters the Notre Dame game averaging 272.8 yards rushing per game, ranking fourth in the nation and first in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons have rushed for over 200 yards in eight games and over 300 yards four times. The Falcons rushed for a season-best 437 yards on 67 carries last week against Army. 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.
Year Stats Conf. National1980 170.7 5th 79th1981 185.1 4th 53rd1982 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 272.8 1st 4th
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 ball the most, averaging 19.1 carries, while the z-wide receivers have averaged the most yards (114.3). The z-wide's also lead the way in yards per carry, averaging 6.8 yards a pop, followed by the tailbacks (4.9), fullbacks (3.9) and quarterbacks (3.6).
A breakdown of the Falcon running game by position
Carries Yards Touchdowns Average per carryTailbacks 191 (35.8%) 933 (34.2) 6 4.9Quarterbacks 115 (21.6) 412 (15.1) 3 3.6Z-Wideouts 167 (31.3) 1,143 (41.2) 13 6.8Fullbacks 62 (11.6) 245 (8.9) 0 3.9* Falcons also have six team rushes for -15 yards
Hall leads Falcons in rushing for fifth consecutive week-For the fifth week in a row, senior Z-wide receiver Chad Hall has led the Falcons in rushing. Hall ran for a school-record 275 yardson 34 carries and a touchdown against Army last week. Two weeks ago, 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 then-school-record 256 yards and four touchdowns against Colorado State and 167 yards on 28 carries against Wyoming. Hall has 964 rushing yards in the last five weeks, which totals out to 192.8 yards per game. Through 10 games this season, Hall has 1,122 yards rushing, which is the most by a Falcon since Chance Harridge ran for 1,229 yards in 2002.
Hall sets three records against Army-Chad Hall rushed for 275 yards and had 333 all-purpose yards against Army, both school records. Hall now has 1,961 all-purpose yards which is also a school record. Hall broke his own school record for most rushing yards in a game, of 256 yards done just four weeks ago against Colorado State. The former all-purpose yardage mark was 315 yards by Ernie Jennings against Colorado in 1968. The former single-season all-pupose mark was 1,735 yards by wideout Cormac Carney in 1978.
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 1,122 yards rushing and 426 yards receiving. Hall is also one of 16 players in the nation to have statistics in rushing, receiving, kickoff and punt returns - (For more information on Chad Hall, turn to page 16 and 17 of this release).
Hall and Harrison Earn MWC Player of the Week Honors -Air Force z-wide receiver Chad Hall and kicker/punter Ryan Harrison were named Mountain West Conference players of the week for games through Nov. 3, announced today by the conference office. Hall earned his third Offensive Player of the Week honor while Harrison earned co-Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Air Force has now claimed a conference player of the week in four of the last five weeks. Hall, a senior, set new school records with 275 rushing yards and 333 all-purpose yards in Air Force's 30-10 win over Army. Hall's 275 rushing yards on 34 carries (8.1 avg.) eclipsed his own Academy rushing record of 256 set against Colorado State earlier this season, while his 333 all-purpose yards broke a 39-year old school record set by Ernie Jennings in 1968 (315 all-purpose yards). His 275 rushing yards and 333 all-purpose yards also are the second-most in a single game in Mountain West Conference history. His 34 carries are a career-high and his one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter marked his sixth straight game with a rushing touchdown. Two of Hall's rushing attempts went for over 50 yards, and 13 of his carries went for first downs, five of which came on third down. It was his second 200-yard rushing game of the season and fourth 100-yard effort. Harrison, a junior, connected on a career-high three field goals and averaged 42 yards on two punts Air Force's win over Army. Harrison hit field goals from 35, 40 and 56 yards. His 56-yarder is the second-longest of his career and the fourth longest kicked by any player in the nation this season. Harrison's 57-yarder vs. TCU earlier this season ties as the longest by any player in the nation this season. He is the only player in the nation with three field goals of 50 yards or more this season. Harrison also kicked off seven times with four touchbacks. Army's average starting position in the game after the seven kickoffs was the 19-yard line.
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 to break the school passing touchdowns record and now has 36 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 Notre Dame game with 5,102 yards passing and 7,437 yards of total offense. Carney is also tops at Air Force in completion percentage 62.0 and passing efficiency 146.96.
Air Force Career Records held by Shaun Carney
Passing Yards 5,102
Total Offense 7,437
Passing Touchdowns 36
Completion Percentage 62.0
Passing Efficiency 146.96
- (For more information on Shaun Carney, turn to page 15 of this release).
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 +6 turnover margin ranks 33rd in the nation. The Falcons have forced 14 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries. The 14 picks are the most since 2001. Air Force has forced nine turnovers in the past four games, leading to 49 points.
Air Force takeaways and +/- in last 10 yearsYear Takeaways(Int./Fum.) +/- W/L2007 21 (14/7) +6 7-32006 22 (9/13) +8 4-82005 17 (9/8) -7 4-72004 17 (9/8) +1 5-72003 23 (13/10) +6 7-52002 26 (12/14) +9 8-52001 28 (14/14) +8 6-62000 19 (7/12) +7 9-31999 14 (8/6) -4 6-51998 30 (17/13) +17 12-1
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 three games, picking off two at Colorado State and one against Wyoming. Bird has eight takeaways on the season, to 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. He is currently tied for fifth all-time in confernce interceptions. Bird is one pick shy of the MWC record of seven picks, held by Utah's Eric Weddle (2006) and UNLV's Kevin Thomas (2001).
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 65.7 percent of its chances defending the end zone (23-of-35). In 35 tries, opponents have came away with 16 touchdowns and are 7-of-12 in field goal attempts. Air Force was ranked 8th in the confernce red-zone defense in 2006, allowing the opponent to score 86 percent of the time.
Red Zone Defense MWC Rank RZ Pct. TDs R/P FG-ATT F/Int/Downs/Other2004 8 42-49 85.7 33 21/12 9-9 2/1/3/12005 7 42-47 89.4 27 14/13 9-11 0/1/2/02006 8 37-43 86.0 28 15/13 9-10 3/1/1/02007 2 23-35 65.7 16 9/7 7-12 1/1/3/2
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 40.2 percent of the time, which is an improvement of 16 percent from 2006 and the best percentage since allowing 39 percent in 2002. Air Force held Army to convert on 3rd down just 31 percent of the time (5-for-16).
Air Force defensive third-down conversions the past five years
2002 39%
2003 47%
2004 46%
2005 45%
2006 56%
2007 40%
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 14 field goals on the season, which is the most since Joey Ashcroft had 16 in 2002 and his 71 points is the most by a Falcon kicker since Ashcroft's 95 points in 2002.
- He is one of two kickers in school history (Dave Lawson , 1975) to hit three 50-yard field goals in a season.
- He has three of the 10 longest field goals in NCAA Div. I this season.
- His 57-yard field goal vs. TCU is tied for the longest in NCAA Div. I this season.
Harrison also maintains a 43.0 average as a punter and has six punts downed inside the 20. Harrison has shown off his booming leg on kickoffs as well, leading the conference with 25 touchbacks. The next closest team is Colorado State with 11 touchbacks. Harrison has accounted for 37 percent of the MWC's touchbacks in 2007 (25-of-67).
Longest Field Goals in 2007 (NCAA Div. I) Team School Dist. Game1. Ryan Harrison Air Force 57 Sept. 13 vs. TCU Jose Martinez UTEP 57 Oct. 27 vs. Houston Billy Vinnedge Wyoming 57 Oct. 20 vs. Air Force4. Ryan Harrison Air Force 56 Nov. 3 vs. Army10. Ryan Harrison Air Force 52* Oct. 13 vs. Colorado State* 14 players tied with 52 yarder
Air Force kickers the past five seasonsYear Player FG-ATT Pct. Long FG XP-Att Pct. Pts2003 Joey Ashcroft 13-21 61.9 59 28-30 93.3 672004 Michael Greenaway 7-11 63.6 48 33-36 91.7 542005 Scott Eberle 10-16 62.5 49 38-40 95.0 682006 Zach Sasser 9-14 64.3 48 32-34 94.1 592007 Ryan Harrison 14-22 63.6 57 29-30 96.7 71
Harrison Field Goal Breakdown20-29 Yds 30-39 Yds 40-49 Yds 50+5-5 (100%) 3-5 (60%) 3-8 (37.5%) 3-4 (75%)TouchbacksHarrison - 21 The rest of the Mountain West Conference (Eight other teams) - 42
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
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 178 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 284 Oct. 20, 1984 at Iowa (0-26)2. Washington State 271 Sept. 15, 1984 at Ohio State (0-44)3. Oregon 265 Sept. 28, 1985 at Nebraska (0-63)4. Florida 238 Oct. 29, 1988 vs. Auburn (0-16)5. Colorado 232 Nov. 12, 1988 at Nebraska (0-7)6. TCU (MWC) 185 Nov. 16, 1991 at Texas (0-32)7. Nevada 184 *--All games: joined Div I-A in 19928. Air Force (MWC) 178 #--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. 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, despite beating Army 30-10 on Nov. 3.
Team Record Pct.Air Force 47-25-0 .644Navy 34-36-1 .486Army 25-45-1 .359
Air Force outright CIC title years: -`82, `83, `85, `87, `89, `90, `91, `92, `94, `95, `97, `98, `99, `00, `01, `02
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.
