Falcon Football Travels To #7/9 Oklahoma
9/13/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 13, 2010
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Air Force vs. #7/9 Oklahoma
Saturday, Sept. 18, 2:30 p.m. CT
Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (82,112), Norman, OK
TELEVISION
Fox Sports Net
Joel Meyers (play-by-play); Joel Klatt (analyst); Jim Knox (sidelines)
RADIO
KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs; KCKK 1510 AM in Denver and Northern Colorado
Goairforcefalcons.com
Jim Arthur (play-by-play); Lee Douglas (analyst); Jay Ritchie/Bob Ihle (pre- and post-game)
• Air Force is playing Oklahoma for just the second time ever and first time since opening the 2001 season against the third-ranked Sooners, who were coming off the 2000 national championship.
• Air Force is receiving votes in both polls this week.
• Oklahoma has won 32 straight home games dating back to 2005.
• Air Force is 2-0 for the third time in the last four years.
• Air Force is second in the nation and Oklahoma fourth in the number of true freshmen to play this season. The Falcons have played 13 while Oklahoma has played 12.
• Air Force is playing back-to-back games vs. nationally ranked teams for the first time since Nov. 15 and 22, 2008 when the team played No. 16/18 BYU (L 38-24) and No. 15/17 TCU (L 44-10).
THE BREAKDOWN
Record: Air Force (2-0, 1-0 MWC), Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Streaks: Air Force (W 3), Oklahoma (W 4)
Next week: Air Force (at Wyoming, 9-25), Oklahoma (at Cincinnati, 9-25)
Last week: Air Force (W 35-14 vs. #24 BYU), Oklahoma (W 47-17 vs. #17 Florida State)
Website: Air Force (goairforcefalcons.com), Oklahoma (soonersports.com)
THE COACHES
Air Force: Troy Calhoun (Air Force, 1989) is in his fourth season. He has led the Falcons to a 27-14 career record. Calhoun is 17-8 in MWC games, 10-6 in non-conference games, 16-4 in Falcon Stadium, 10-4 in the month of September and 0-0 vs. Oklahoma.
Oklahoma: Bob Stoops (Iowa, 1983) is in his 12th season. He has led the Sooners to a 119-29 overall record and is the winningest active coach in the country. Stoops is 77-17 in Big 12 games and 1-0 vs. Air Force.
THE SERIES
• Oklahoma leads the series, 1-0, after a 44-3 win in Falcon Stadium in 2001.
• The Sooners were the defending national champions and ranked third nationally at the time.
LAST MEETING VS. OKLAHOMA
Defending national champion Oklahoma defeated Air Force, 44-3, in Falcon Stadium in the season opener for the Falcons. The Sooners took a 20-3 lead into the fourth quarter before breaking away. Tim Duncan hit a 26-yard field goal to open the quarter. Nate Hybl, who opened the scoring in the first quarter with a two-yard run, hit Mark Clayton with an eight-yard scoring strike to stretch the lead to 30-3. Quentin Griffin added a touchdown run and Cory Heinecke closed the scoring with a 69-yard fumble return for a score. Oklahoma finished the game with 398 total yards. Griffin rushed for 201 yards on 26 carries to lead the Sooners. Air Force was held to 249 yards. Keith Boyea led the way with 80 yards rushing. The loss was the first under then-coach Fisher DeBerry in a home opener vs. a non-conference opponent.
AIR FORCE VS. THE BIG 12
• Air Force is 11-28-2 all-time against teams in the Big 12 Conference.
• Oklahoma's visit to Falcon Stadium in 2001 marked Air Force's last game vs. a team from the Big 12.
• Prior to that meeting, all the action against teams in the Big 12 was prior to the start of the league.
• Air Force's last win against a team from the Big 12 dates back to the 1985 Bluebonnet Bowl win over Texas, 24-16.
OKLAHOMA TIES
• Senior DE Rick Ricketts has three sisters, two of which have ties to Oklahoma. His sister Samantha was an All-American (2010) softball player at Oklahoma while Keilani is a sophomore pitcher currently on the softball team at OU.
• Air Force's varsity roster has two players from Oklahoma, junior DB P.J. Adeji-Paul and freshman RB Tony Daniels, Jr., who both are from Tulsa, OK. Adeji-Paul attended Jenks High School while Daniels went to Booker T. Washington.
SIZE DIFFERENCE
• Air Force's defensive line averages 6-foot-3 and 261 pounds per man compared to 6-foot-5 and 301 pounds per man for the Oklahoma offensive line. That's two inches and 40 pounds on the average per man.
• Air Force's offensive line average is 6-3 and 252 pounds while OU's defensive line is 6-3 and 274 pounds.
AIR FORCE VS. NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER CALHOUN
• Air Force is 10-6 against non-conference foes under head coach Troy Calhoun.
• The Falcons are 6-1 at home, 2-3 on the road and 2-2 in neutral site games.
• Air Force has a three-game winning streak vs. non-conference opponents entering this week.
AIR FORCE VS. RANKED TEAMS
• Air Force is playing back-to-back games vs. nationally ranked teams for the first time since Nov. 15 and 22, 2008 when the team played No. 16/18 BYU (L 38-24) and No. 15/17 TCU (L 44-10).
• Oklahoma is the highest ranked team Air Force has played since the third-ranked Sooners visited Falcon Stadium in 2001.
• The Falcons snapped a 14-game losing streak to ranked teams with its 47-20 win over No. 25 Houston in the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl last year.
• Air Force defeated No. 24 BYU last week to record consecutive victories over ranked teams for the first time since 1996-98. Air Force beat No. 8/9 Notre Dame, 20-17, in 1996 and No. 25 Wyoming, 10-3, in 1998.
• The 27-point victory over Houston last year is the largest victory margin over a ranked team in school history. The 21-point win over BYU is the third-largest in Air Force history over a ranked team.
• Air Force is 16-67-4 all-time vs. ranked teams.
FOUR BOWL TEAMS IN FOUR WEEKS
• Air Force is in a stretch of four games featuring bowl teams from 2009: BYU, Oklahoma, Wyoming and Navy.
• The four teams combined for a 36-17 (.697) overall record and a 16-9 (.667) conference mark in 2009.
• Following the four games, Air Force plays two of it's next three on the road. • The 2010 schedule features six 2009 bowl teams overall, including TCU and Utah.
LAST WEEK
Air Force defeated BYU, 35-14, in Falcon Stadium in the final conference game between the long-time rivals. The Falcons rolled up 477 total yards, including 409 rushing, while controlling the ball for 36:59. Asher Clark led the way with 121 yards rushing on 18 carries while Jared Tew chipped in with 77 yards on 17 carries.
Jonathan Warzeka added 62 yards on six carries and scored on a 46-yard run on fourth-and-two in the third quarter. The Falcons were dominant in the second half defensively, holding BYU scoreless and allowing just five first downs, 62 rushing yards, 41 passing yards and 103 total yards. The defense was led by Jordan Waiwaiole, who had seven tackles. Brady Amack added six and Andre Morris chipped in with four tackles and two forced fumbles.
LAST WEEK'S GAME NOTES
Team Notes
• Air Force snapped a six-game losing streak to BYU, winning for the first time since 2003.
• The Falcons beat BYU in Falcon Stadium for the first time since 2002, snapping a three-game skid.
• Air Force improved to 11-1 in MWC openers and have won 11 straight.
• BYU had 183 yards of total offense in the first quarter and then had 126 total yards in the final three quarters today.
• BYU's 14 points mark the fewest points the Falcons have allowed to the Cougars since the 24-10 Air Force win in 2003.
• AFA's 35 points are the most against the Cougars since the 52-9 win in 2002.
• AFA had eight penalties in the first half and just two in the second half.
• The attendance of 46,692 marks the first sellout since 49,367 vs. Notre Dame in 2006.
Individual Notes
• Mikel Hunter's 37-yard TD catch in the first quarter was the first of his career. He had the first two-TD game of his career with his 33-yard rushing touchdown in the second quarter. It is the first time in his career that he has a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game.
• Jon Davis' forced fumble in the first quarter is his first turnover this season and seventh of his career. He has three career interceptions, one fumble recovery and three forced fumbles.
• Andre Morris had two forced fumbles in the second quarter, the fourth and fifth of his career.
• Ryan Gardner had the first fumble recovery of his career.
• Jonathan Warzeka's 46-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the longest run on his career. He now has scored a touchdown in four straight games.
• Reggie Rembert's interception was the seventh of his career and the 15th turnover of his career. He now has seven career interceptions, four fumble recoveries and four fumble recoveries.
• Tim Jefferson has rushed and passed for a touchdown four times in his career and in both games this season. He has a rushing touchdown in three straight games dating back to the Armed Forces Bowl.
• Asher Clark's 121 rushing yards mark the fifth100-yard rushing game of his career. His last one was in the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl vs. Houston when he had 129 yards on 17 carries. It is also Air Force's first 100-yard rushing game vs. BYU since Todd Newell went for 116 yards in 2008.
THIS IS AIR FORCE FOOTBALL
• Air Force has an all-time record of 330-274-13 in its 55th season of varsity football. The Falcons are 179-113-3 at home and 151-161-10 on the road and in neutral site games. AFA has played in 20 bowl games and has a 9-10-1 all-time record.
• Air Force is playing in its 31st year in a conference. This season marks the school's 12th year in the Mountain West Conference. Prior to 1999, Air Force was a member of the Western Athletic Conference from 1980-98. The school was an independent prior to 1980.
• Air Force is 43-40 as a member of the Mountain West Conference. The team is 26-16 at home and 17-24 on the road. The Falcons are 76-59 overall since joining the MWC in 1999, including marks of 44-24 at home, 27-31 on the road, 5-4 in neutral site games and 3-2 in bowls.
ACADEMICS AND FOOTBALL
The Air Force football team has the second-highest multi-year Academic Progress Rate (APR) of any team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, according the a report issued by the NCAA. The program's 988 ranks second only to Rutgers, who had a 992, among the 120 FBS football playing schools. Rounding out the top five were Rice (987), Northwestern (986) and Duke (983). The multi-year APR is for the 2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-89 academic years.
Air Force's number is easily the best within the Mountain West Conference. TCU is second with a 968 while Utah is third at 949. Colorado State is fourth with a 945 followed by BYU (940), New Mexico and UNLV (934), San Diego State (931) and Wyoming (928). The Academy is also the highest ranking service academy, as Navy posted a 973 and Army a 964.
In addition, the Air Force football team once again had the top Graduation Success Rate (GSR) in the Mountain West Conference in the recently released report for 1999-2002. Air Force's 87 percent is followed by Colorado State and TCU with 65. The national average for FBS schools was 64 percent.
CALHOUN LEADS THE NATION IN COACHES APR
Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun led the nation in Academic Progress Rates for Division I head coaches released by the NCAA. Calhoun has a three-year average of 986, posting a 981 in 2006-07, a 989 in 2007-08 and a 987 for 2008-09. Ken Niumatalolo of Navy (978) ranked second nationally followed by Randy Shannon of Miami (977).
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.
SECOND HALF BREAKDOWN
• Air Force has been dominant in the second half so far this season. • The Falcons have not allowed a second half point all season, while scoring 55 points.
AIR FORCE FOURTH NATIONALLY WITH 209-GAME SCORING STREAK
• Air Force has scored in 209 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 fourth longest active in the country.
• Air Force's 209-game scoring streak is the 15th longest in Division I-A college history
BLOCKED KICKS
• Air Force has blocked 105 kicks since 1990 when the team began tracking them.
• The breakdown: 51 punts, 32 field goals and 22 PATs
• Air Force set a school record with 11 blocks in 1997 (7 punts, 3 FGs, 1 punt)
• Single season records for each category: Punts (7, 1997), FGs (3, 6 times, 2003), PATs (5, 2006)
• The Falcons have blocked six kicks under head coach Troy Calhoun
• Air Force ranks 14th nationally since 2002 with 27 blocked kicks (Fresno State leads with 48)
100 YARDS RUSHING UNDER CALHOUN
• Air Force is 17-3 when it has a 100-yard rusher with Troy Calhoun at the helm (since 2007).
• The team's only losses came in the 2007 Armed Forces Bowl vs. California, vs. No. 16/14 BYU in 2008 and vs. Houston in the 2008 Armed Forces Bowl.
• Air Force has had two or more players top the 100-yard mark in a game three times, the most recent vs. Houston in the 2009 Armed Forces Bowl (Jared Tew 173, Asher Clark 129)
• Asher Clark has rushed for 100-plus yards five times, including vs. BYU with 121 yards.
• Jared Tew has rushed for 100 yards four times.
ACTIVE AIR FORCE STREAKS
• Air Force has won three straight non-conference games dating back to last season.
• Air Force has out-rushed five straight opponents dating back to Army in 2009.
• Air Force has scored in 13 consecutive quarters dating back to last year.
• Junior WR/KR Jonathan Warzeka has scored touchdowns in four straight games.
• Sophomore WR Mikel Hunter has scored a touchdown in two straight games.
• Junior QB Tim Jefferson has rushed and passed for at least one touchdown each in two straight games.
• Junior PK Erik Soderberg has hit 13 straight PATs.
AIR FORCE TAKEAWAYS
• Air Force leads the conference with a +1.00 turnover margin, which ranks 23rd nationally.
• The Falcons had an interception and recovered two fumbles vs. BYU last week.
• Air Force led the nation in turnover margin with a 1.69 per-game mark in 2009.
• Air Force was +22 in turnover margin in 2009, forcing a season-high six turnovers vs. San Diego State and Houston and four vs. Nicholls State and New Mexico.
• Air Force is a combined +47 in turnover margin the last four seasons.
AIR FORCE FOOTBALL BY THE NUMBERS
5 - Air Force has won five straight home games
6 - Air Force scored on six straight possessions in the second half vs. Northwestern State
11 - Air Force is 11-1 all-time in MWC openers and have won a conference-record 11 straight
13 - Air Force has won 13 consecutive home openers
13 - Air Force has played 13 true freshmen this season which ranks second nationally behind Florida (15)
15 - Air Force is 15-0 all-time vs. teams from the Football Championship Subdivision with its 65-21 win over Northwestern State.
18 - The team had 18 players carry the ball for Air Force in the victory over Northwestern State
36 - Air Force's win over BYU marked the first win by a conference team outside of the media-tagged Big Three (TCU, Utah, BYU) in the Mountain West Conference in the last three years. The Falcons snapped a 0-36 string by the rest of the conference from 2008-present with the victory.
80 - The team had 80 players participate in the game vs. Northwestern State.
HOME SWEET HOME
• Air Force is 16-4 at home under head coach Troy Calhoun which is the fifth-best mark in school history over a four-year period.
• Air Force was 19-4 (.826) from 1982-85 and 1997-00 which ties as the best four-year stretch in AFA history.
WATCH LISTS / HONORS
• Junior placekicker Erik Soderberg was named to the Watch List for the 2010 Lou Groza Collegiate Placekicker Award, released by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
• Senior defensive back Reggie Rembert was named to the 2010 Paul Hornung Award watch list. Rembert was one of 48 players on the watch list for the award, given annually to the most versatile player in major college football.
• Rembert is also one of 30 NCAA® football bowl subdivision student-athletes who excel both on and off the field and were selected as candidates for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award in football. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence - community, classroom, character and competition.
• Junior defensive back Anthony Wright has been named to the 2010 Lott Trophy Watch List announced by Ronnie Lott and the Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation.
JEFFERSON WINNING GAMES
• Junior QB Tim Jefferson has a 14-6 career record as a starter.
• Jefferson ranks sixth in Air Force history in career wins by a quarterback with 14.
• His 12 wins entering the season ranked second in the MWC and 13th nationally among active quarterbacks. TCU's Andy Dalton entered the season with the conference and national lead with 29 wins.
CALHOUN TO VISIT TROOPS IN 2011
Air Force football coach Troy Calhoun will once again visit military troops overseas in 2011. This will be the coach's second trip to visit troops, as he visited the Middle East during the summer of 2009.
This year's visit will take place from Feb. 12-20 and locations and additional details are still being determined. Calhoun will be joined by other service academy head coaches Rich Ellerson of Army and Ken Niumatalolo of Navy, along with Bill George of the Coast Guard Academy and Mike Toop of the Merchant Marine Academy. Calhoun was joined by Mack Brown of Texas, Jim Tressel of Ohio State, UCLA's Rick Neuheisel and Houston Nutt of Mississippi, along with former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville on the 2009 tour.
The trip is coordinated through Armed Forces Entertainment, a Department of Defense agency, and Morale Entertainment.
HONORS IN 2010
Honors won by Air Force players in 2010 follow below.
• Reggie Rembert: Preseason first-team all-MWC ... Hornung "Watch List" ... LOWES Senior Class award nominee.
• Jared Tew: Preseason first-team all-MWC.
• Anthony Wright: Lott Trophy "Watch List" ... Nagurski Award "Watch List" ... Preseason first-team all-MWC.
• Erik Soderberg: Lou Groza "Watch List."
PLAYER NOTES
Quarterbacks
Tim Jefferson threw for a career-high 179 yards vs. Northwestern State ... matched his career-high in rushing and passing touchdowns with two each ... 144.90 career QB efficiency rating ranks second in Air Force history ... .551 career completion percentage is third in school history ... has rushed and passed for a touchdown four times in his career, including both games this season ... leads the MWC in passing efficiency with a 162.2 mark, but doesn't have enough attempts to qualify for national statistics.
Running Backs
Jared Tew ranks fifth in the MWC in rushing with a 71.0 per-game average ... 17 carries for 77 yards vs. BYU ... 25th in school history in rushing with 1,440 yards ... ranks sixth all-time at AFA among fullbacks ... four career 100-yard rushing games. Asher Clark ranks third in the MWC and 32nd nationally in rushing with a 102.5 per-game average ... rushed for a game-high 121 yards on 18 carries vs. BYU ... is averaging 6.8 yards per carry this season ... ranks 16th in school history with 1,658 career rushing yards.
Receivers
Kevin Fogler led the team with two catches for 67 yards vs. Northwestern State ... had a long reception of 37 yards ... both catches went for first downs ... 22 of his last 27 catches have been for first downs of touchdowns ... ranks second in school history with a 22.3 yards per catch average. Jonathan Warzeka scored a rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game for the first time in his career in the win over Northwestern State ... caught a 37-yard TD and rushed for an 11-yard TD ... two kickoff returns for 87 yards ... has averaged 51.0 yards per KOR on his last four returns with a 50-yarder and a 100-yarder for a TD ... has a 43.5 KOR average this season ... rushed for 62 yards on six carries and had a 46 yard touchdown run on a fourth-down play vs. BYU ... has scored at least one touchdown in each game this season. Kyle Halderman tied for the team lead with two catches for 43 yards and a touchdown vs. Northwestern State ... scored on a 29-yard reception ... one catch for 23 yards vs. BYU ... two carries for 16 yards vs. BYU. Mikel Hunter has scored a touchdown in each game this season ... two carries for 53 yards and a touchdown vs. BYU ... also caught a 37-yard touchdown pass vs. BYU to mark his first-career game with a rushing and receiving touchdown.
Defensive Line
Rick Ricketts leads the team in tackles with 14 ... led the team with eight tackles vs. Northwestern State, all coming in the first half ... had a sack and a pass breakup ... second among active players with 114 career tackles. Ryan Gardner had four tackles in his first-career start in the Northwestern State game ... one tackle and a fumble recovery vs. BYU. Zach Payne had two tackles in his first-career start in the Northwestern State game ... three tackles and a tackle for loss vs. BYU.
Linebackers
Brady Amack is second on the team in tackles with 13 ... had six tackles and a pass breakup vs. BYU ... had a career-high seven tackles in his first-career start in the win over Northwestern ... also had 1.5 sacks and his first-career interception, returning it 50 yards. Jordan Waiwaiole is tied for second on the team in tackles with 13 ... led the team with seven tackles and a tackle for loss vs. BYU ... recorded six total tackles in his first-career start in the Northwestern State game ... also had a sack for two yards ... moved from outside to inside linebacker this season. Andre Morris, Jr. had four tackles and a pass breakup vs. Northwestern State ... four tackles and two forced fumbles vs. BYU ... also had a pass breakup ... has 106 career tackles and ranks third on the team among active players with 8.5 TFL. Patrick Hennessey returned to the lineup vs. BYU after missing the opener with an injury ... had five tackles and a fumble recovery in the end zone for a touchback vs. BYU.
Secondary
Reggie Rembert, Jr. had two tackles and a TFL before being injured and leaving the Northwestern State game in the first quarter ... returned to action vs. BYU and had five tackles and an interception ... leads all active players with 138 career tackles and 10.0 TFL ... second among active players with seven interceptions ... has been involved in 15 career turnovers (7 INT, 4 FF 4 FR). Anthony Wright, Jr. had four tackles and a TFL vs. Northwestern State ... returned a punt for a touchdown, but had it called back ... had three tackles vs. BYU ... leads all active players with eight career interceptions ... ranked third nationally in 2009 with seven interceptions. Jon Davis had six tackles and a pass breakup vs. Northwestern State ... five tackles and a forced fumble vs. BYU ... his forced fumble was recovered in the end zone by AFA for a touchback ... three career interceptions and seven career turnovers (3 INT, 3 FF, 1 FR). Brian Lindsay had five tackles and a TFL in his first-career start in win over Northwestern State ... four tackles, a pass break up and a tackle for loss vs. BYU.
Specialists
Erik Soderberg hit a 29-yard field goal and all eight PATs vs. Northwestern State ... has 23 career field goals which ranks ninth in Air Force history ... hit five PATs and missed a 48 yard field goal vs. BYU ... .719 career field goal percentage (23-32) ranks seventh in school history ... has hit 13 straight PATs. Keil Bartholomew had two punts for a 45.0 average in his first-career start in the win over Northwestern State ... had a net average of 45.0 on his two punts ... four punts for a 41.5 average vs. BYU ... had one punt inside the 20 ... ranks fourth in the MWC in punting with a 42.7 average.
