Air Force travels to BYU for MWC showdown
9/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 17, 2007
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Air Force (3-0, 2-0) vs. BYU (1-2, 0-0) Saturday, Sept. 22, 1 p.m. Mtn., Lavell Edwards Stadium (64,045), Provo, Utah
Television: The Air Force-BYU football game will be carried on the Mountain Sprts Network (Mtn.). Bill Doleman (play-by-play), Blaine Fowler (color) and Sammy Linebaugh (sideline) will call the action. Air Force is 4-3 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 TCU, 20-17, in overtime on Thursday, Sept. 13, in Falcon Stadium. BYU lost a 55-47 shootout last weekend at Tulsa.
Next Week: Air Force plays at Navy next Saturday, Sept. 29, at 11 a.m., Mtn. Time. The game will be televised by CSTV. BYU is at New Mexico on Saturday, Sept. 29.
Streaks: Air Force has a three-game winning streak. BYU has a two-game losing streak.
Last Meeting: BYU defeated Air Force, 33-14, last year (Oct. 28) at the Academy.
Rankings: Neither team is ranked. Air Force received eight votes in the AP Top 25 poll and six in the USA Today Coaches' Top 25 poll.
Coaches: Air Force is coached by Troy Calhoun (Air Force, 1989), who is 3-0 in his first season. BYU is coached by Bronco Mendenhall (Oregon State, 1988), who is in his third season. He has led the Cougars to an 18-10 career record.
Key Fact: Air Force enters the weekend allowing the fewest points amongst Mountain West Conference teams and is second in total defense. BYU enters the weekend tied with Colorado State as the MWC's top scoring offense and is the top passing and total offensive team.
Did you know? Air Force has won five of the last 10 games in the series with BYU. Prior to streak, the Falcons had lost 16 of the first 17 games.
The Series: Air Force and BYU meet for the 28th time overall and 25th time as conference foes. BYU leads the all-time series, 21-6, and holds a 18-6 mark in conference meetings. Air Force is 3-11 at home, 2-10 at BYU and 1-0 in neutral site games. In the past 10 years, dating back to 1995, the series is tied at 5-5. Prior to the last ten meetings, the Cougars dominated the series. BYU won 16 of the first 17 games in the series, until 1995 when AFA started to even things out. The teams first played Nov. 24, 1956, in Provo. The Cougars won the game, 34-21.
Last Meeting: BYU defeated Air Force, 33-14, to take control of the Mountain West Conference with a 4-0 record. The Cougars were dominant, rolling up 411 total yards while holding Air Force to just 229. Quarterback John Beck led the way with 258 yards and three touchdowns on 23 of 31 passing. He hit 10 different receivers in the game. The rushing attack was led by Fui Vakapuna with 52 yards on 12 carries. Curtis Brown added 42 yards on 10 carries. Vakapuna opened the scoring with a six-yard touchdown run on BYU's opening drive to give the Cougars a 7-0 lead. Beck added a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter to give BYU a commanding 21-0 halftime lead. Jared McLaughlin added a 53-yard field goal in the third quarter to extend the lead to 24-0. The Falcons finally got on the board with a Shaun Carney one-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 24-7 with 3:54 remaining in the third quarter. Beck followed with his third TD pass of the game early in the fourth quarter and another McLaughlin field goal made it 33-7. Beau Suder added a touchdown in the final seconds to make up the final margin. The Falcons were led by Jacobe Kendrick, who rushed for 58 yards. Carney added 50 yards on 10 carries and hit two of six passes for 16 yards. The defense was led by Drew Fowler, who had 13 tackles. Bobby Giannini and Chris Thomas each added eight tackles.
Last Time In Provo: Air Force and BYU turned back time in a battle the Cougars won, 62-41, in Provo, Utah. In a game like the old days of the Western Athletic Conference, BYU and Air Force combined for 103 total points, 1,162 total yards and 60 first downs. The Cougars jumped out to a 28-7 halftime lead behind a pair of TD passes from John Beck. Air Force's only score came on an Adam Fitch to Jason Brown 15-yard pass. Fitch entered the game for Shaun Carney, who left the game due to an injured hand. The Cougars scored three touchdowns in the third quarter to extend the lead to 41-7 with 53 seconds left before Air Force came back. The Falcons scored on the final play of the third quarter when Brown and Fitch hooked up on a 57-yard TD strike to cut the lead to 41-14. The Falcons scored 27 points in the fourth quarter. Garrett Rybak opened the scoring when he returned a blocked punt 10 yards for a touchdown. Following a Curtis Brown TD run for BYU, the Falcons struck again when Chad Hall scored on an eight-yard pass from Fitch. Following a fumble on the kickoff, Fitch found Greg Kirkwood on the first play for a 36-yard TD strike to cut the lead to 48-34 with 9:36 remaining. The Falcons' final score of the day came with 3:40 left when Fitch hit Victor Thompson with an 18-yard TD pass to cut the lead to 55-41. Curtis scored on a four-yard run to make up the final margin for BYU. The Cougars rolled up 683 total yards and 39 first downs while holding a 33:56 to 25:57 advantage in time of possession. Beck led the way, hitting 31 of 43 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Brown finished with 219 yards rushing and four touchdowns while Michael Reed chipped in with five catches for 103 yards and a TD. The Falcons were led by Fitch, who hit 13 of 24 passes for 265 yards and a school-record five touchdown passes. He also rushed for 24 yards. Shaun Carney had rushed for 36 yards and hit four of seven passes for 14 yards. Brown matched his career-high with nine catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, the Falcons were led by Julian Madrid, who had a career-high 13 tackles. The Falcons finished the game with 479 total yards, including 279 passing.
TCU Recap: AP Article - Ryan Harrison's 33-yard field goal on second down gave Air Force a 20-17 overtime victory over TCU on Thursday night, Sept 13. The Falcons, who overcame a 14-point fourth-quarter deficit, were swarmed on the field by thousands of cadets who hadn't had this much to celebrate in a long time. Harrison's winner followed a miss by TCU kicker Chris Manfredini, whose 36-yard attempt hit the left upright on the first possession of overtime. The Falcons had tied it on Jim Ollis' 71-yard TD run on an option pitch from Shaun Carney with 5:55 left. The Frogs were well within Manfredini's range with the wind at his back going toward the south end zone in the final minute of regulation when they went for the touchdown instead on first-and-10 from the 22 only to see cornerback Carson Bird snare Andy Dalton's underthrown pass to Jimmy Young in the end zone. Twice in the third quarter, the Horned Frogs were turned away near the goal line, on a blocked field goal and an interception. Finally, Dalton hit Walter Bryant in the back of the end zone for an 11-yard score one play after the Frogs got a first down by the nose of the football, to make it 17-3 with 13:10 left. But Carney responded by hitting Travis Dekker for 50 yards, setting up a 9-yard touchdown strike to Keith Madsen that pulled the Falcons within a touchdown with 8 minutes remaining. The Falcons gave up great field position to TCU when Horned Frogs up-man Derek Moore recovered the onside kick, but Air Force forced a three-and-out and took over at its 20. On fourth-and-one from the Falcons 29, Carney pitched to Ollis, who scampered 71 yards for the tying touchdown with 5:55 left. TCU capitalized on a blocked punt and an interception to take a 10-3 halftime lead. Stephen Hodges sliced through the Falcons' widespread punt formation to block Harrison's first punt, and Andy Burrell recovered at the Air Force 27. But the Frogs managed to move just five yards and had to settle for Manfredini's 39-yard field goal. Manfredini's 20-yarder in the third quarter was blocked by Chris Thomas, the 100th blocked kick by Air Force since 1990. After Steven Coleman's interception at midfield, TCU again had trouble moving the ball. The Frogs committed three penalties and a fumble but still managed to drive downfield for the touchdown on Dalton's 5-yard fade pass to Ervin Dickerson just before he tumbled out of bounds. After Harrison was wide right on a 50-yard field goal try that was plenty long enough, the Horned Frogs drove to the Falcons 22 before Garrett Rybak forced and recovered a fumble by Christian at the end of an 11-yard scamper. Harrison then nailed a career-long 57-yarder with 1:31 left before halftime, which was nothing like the thrilling 33-yarder he would hit in overtime.
Post-game notes vs. TCU:
Team Notes:
Air Force is using game captains this season. The captains for the TCU game were seniors Drew Fowler (ILB) and Shaun Carney (QB), along with junior Ryan Harrison (PK). They were joined by honorary captains Brock Strom and Scott Thomas. Strom is a 1959 graduate of the Academy and led Air Force to the 1959 Cotton Bowl vs. TCU. Thomas is a 1986 Academy graduate and helped lead the Falcons to a 12-1 record in 1985. Both were consensus All-Americans at Air Force.
Air Force extended its consecutive games scoring streak to 171 games with Ryan Harrison's second-quarter field goal. The last time Air Force was shutout was Dec. 31, 1992, vs. Mississippi (13-0) in the Liberty Bowl. The 170-game streak is the longest in school history and ranks as the eighth-longest active streak in the nation.
The Air Force defense stopped TCU inside the red zone twice in the third quarter, blocking a field goal and making an interception.
Air Force improved to 3-8 all-time in Thursday night games. The team has won two straight on Thursday night, defeating Colorado State, 24-21, last year.
Air Force has a three-game winning streak, its longest since 2003 when the team opened the season 5-0. Head Coach Troy Calhoun has opened his career with a 3-0 mark, which is the second-best start in Academy history. Only L.T. "Buck" Shaw, who opened 6-0 in Air Force inaugural season of 1956, has had a better start than Calhoun.
Air Force has snapped a four-game losing streak to TCU with its first win over the Horned Frogs since 1987. The Falcons improved to 2-4-1 all-time vs. TCU.
Air Force played its seventh overtime overall and first since 2003. The Falcons improved to 5-2 all-time in overtime games included a 3-1 mark in Falcon Stadium. The overtime tilt was the first for Air Force since 2003 and the fifth vs. a conference opponent. Air Force improved to 4-1 all-time in overtime games vs. conference opponents.
Individual Notes:
Senior HB Jim Ollis made his first start of the season and second of his career at halfback. Ollis recorded career highs in rushing attempts with 16 and yards with 138. Ollis scored a touchdown on a career-long run of 71 yards. The 71-yard run is the longest by an Air Force player this season. The 71-yard run is the longest by a Falcon since Blane Morgan ran for 80 yards vs. New Mexico in 1998. The 100-yard effort is the first of Ollis's career.
Senior TE Travis Dekker recorded career highs with four catches for 83 yards. Dekker also recorded a career-long reception of 50 yards in the fourth quarter to set up a touchdown. Dekker entered the season with four catches for 40 yards in his career.
Junior PK Ryan Harrison kicked a career-long 57 yard field goal in the second quarter. The field goal ties the sixth-longest in school history. He is tied with Dennis Leuthauser vs. Wyoming in 1968 and Sean Pavlich vs. Notre Dame in 1982. Harrison's 57-yard field goal is the longest by a Falcon since Joey Ashcroft kicked a 59-yarder vs. Army in 2003. The AF school record is held by Dave Lawson, who hit a 62-yarder vs. Iowa State in 1975. Harrison later added a career-long 61-yard punt in the third quarter. Sophomore SS Chris Thomas blocked the first kick of his career in the third quarter on a 20-yard attempt. The block is the first this season and 100th for the Falcons since 1990. The block is the first on a field goal attempt since 2003.
Senior ILB Drew Fowler recorded the first interception of his career in the third quarter.
Senior WR Mark Root recorded a career high in receptions with six. His previous high was five vs. Notre Dame last season.
Junior TE Keith Madson scored the first touchdown of his career in the fourth quarter on a nine-yard pass from Shaun Carney.
Senior QB Shaun Carney recorded a career high in passing attempts with 28 and tied his career high in completions with 17. His previous high was 22 attempts last season vs. Utah. Carney also completed 17 passes vs. Navy in 2004.
Nationally ranked defense: The Air Force defense is ranked 23rd nationally in total defense, allowing just 294.0 yards per game and 12th in points allowed at just 10.7 per game. The Falcons have the top run defense in the conference, allowing 77.3 yards per game (17th in nation) and a 2.3 yards per carry average. The Falcon pass defense is 54th in the nation, allowing 216.7 yards per game. Air Force has allowed just three touchdowns through three games. The Falcon defense has not allowed a rushing touchdown or allowed an opponent to rush for more than 98 yards in a game. The Falcon defense has allowed opponents to score just 33 percent of the time in the red zone (2-for-6). Their seven takeaways and five interceptions rank second in the conference.
Defense makes big plays for second week in a row: Air Force made several big plays defensively to hang in against TCU and eventually pull out the win. TCU got into the red zone five times and came away with just two scores. The Falcon defense forced two fumbles, recovering one, picked off Horned Frog quarterback Andy Dalton two times and blocked a field goal. Drew Fowler intercepted a Dalton pass at the Falcons' five yard line in the third quarter and Carson Bird picked off another TCU pass in the end zone to preserve a 17-17 tie with less than a minute to go in the game. Air Force then forced TCU to kick a field goal in its possession which failed, leading to Harrison's field goal that won the game. This is the second-straight week Air Force has come up huge defensively late in the game. Against Utah, Drew Fowler and Hunter Altman combined to stop running back Daryll Poston at the one-yard line on 4th-and-goal to preserve a 20-12 score.
What a difference a year makes defensively: Although its just three games into the season, the Air Force defense has made significant strides from a year ago. The Falcons are allowing 15 fewer points per game compared to 2006 and about 60 fewer yards per game. Air Force held opponents to under 100 yards rushing three times last year and have already done so three times this year. The Falcons have managed to cut third-down conversions by the opponent by 21 percent from a year ago, when they ranked last in the nation.
100th Blocked Kick: Sophomore SS Chris Thomas blocked the first kick of his career in the third quarter on a 20-yard field goal attempt by TCU's Chris Manfredini. The block is the first this season and 100th for the Falcons since 1990. The block is the first on a field goal attempt since 2003. The 100 blocked kicks ranks second nationally since 1990, trailing only Virginia Tech.
Ollis' position change pays dividends for Falcons: After spending most of his sophomore and junior season on the sidelines as a backup quarterback and halfback, senior Jim Ollis has proven to be a valuable addition at tailback for the Falcons. Ollis got off to a slow start this season, missing the season-opener against South Carolina State and seeing spot-duty against Utah due to a nagging ankle injury. The Columbus, N.C., native earned his second-career start against TCU and made it a memorable one, carrying the ball 16 times for 138 yards and a touchdown. The 138 yards is the most rushing yards by an individual against TCU in over 19 games. His 71-yard TD run on a 4th-and-1 option right play tied the game up at 17-17 late in the fourth quarter. Ollis also had a crucial 10-yard run to open the overtime session, setting up Ryan Harrison's game-winning field goal, as the Falcons defeated TCU for the first time since 1987. Ollis currently leads the Falcons with 175 yards rushing to go with a 7.0 yards per carry average and two touchdowns.
Falcon ground game still amongst the top in the nation: Air Force enters the BYU game averaging 253.0 yards rushing per game, ranking 10th in the nation. The Falcons rumbled for 334 yards on the ground against Utah on 63 rushes and 279 yards on 60 rushes against South Carolina State. The Falcons ran for 146 yards on 42 rushes against TCU, whom entered the game having allowed an average of 62.6 rushing yards per contest in its previous 18 games. Air Force averaged 229.4 yards rushing per game in 2006.
Breaking down the run game: So how have the Falcons been able to rack up so many yards on the ground? Broken down statistically through the first three 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 (139.6) and carries (26) per game. The tailbacks also lead the way in yards per carry, averaging 5.4 yards a pop, followed by the z-wide (5.0), fullbacks (4.4) and quarterbacks (3.4).
Three different 100-yard rushers: Through the first three games of 2007, Air Force has had a different player go for over 100 yards rushing in each game. In the season-opener vs. South Carolina State, senior tailback Kip McCarthy ran for 129 yards on 22 carries, to go with a touchdown. Against Utah, senior quarterback Shaun Carney ran for 113 yards on 16 carries. In the TCU game, senior tailback Jim Ollis ran for 138 yards on 16 carries an a touchdown. Another similarity between all three is that they each had runs of over 50 yards in those games. McCarthy had a 50-yard run vs. SCSU, Carney a 53-yard run vs. Utah and Ollis a 71-yard TD run vs. TCU.
Hall-Purpose: A year after leading the Falcons with 784 yards rushing as a halfback, senior Chad Hall is making a smooth transition to z-wide receiver and return specialist in 2007. Hall is averaging 127.3 yards of all-purpose yardage, ranking sixth in the conference. Against TCU, Hall tied for the team-lead with a career-high six receptions for 48 yards and also rushed five times for 17 yards and accounted for 113 all-purpose yards. Hall's top performance came against Utah, when he accounted for 169 all-purpose yards and ran the ball 11 times for 74 yards. Hall is also one of the top return specialists in the conference, ranking second in punt-return average (14.0) and fifth in kick return average (24.6).
Tight Ends making impact: After three games, the Air Force tight ends have caught 14 passes, which is more than tight ends caught in the last three seasons combined. Senior Travis Dekker has hauled in 11 passes for 93 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.
Fowler Earns MWC Defensive Player of the Week Honor: Air Force senior linebacker Drew Fowler was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the week for football games through Sept. 8. Fowler joins New Mexico's Donovan Porterie and John Sullivan, who were named MWC Offensive and Special Teams players of the week. Fowler, a native of Clayton, N.C., recorded a game-high 14 tackles, including six solo stops, in Air Force's 20-12 victory at Utah. Ten of his tackles came in the second half and the 14 total were the second-most of his career. Fowler and teammate Hunter Altman combined to stop Utah running back Darryl Poston on a fourth-and-goal with just over minute to play in the game to preserve the Falcon victory. Fowler led the Falcons in tackles for the 13th time in his career. This is Fowler's second MWC player of the week honor.
An Old School Look: For the first time since 1979, Air Force football will not feature 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 striples 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 familarity, 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.
Air Force ranks eighth: Air Force has scored in 171 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.
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.
