Coach Troy Calhoun address media at weekly press conference
10/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun addressed the media at his weekly teleconference Tuesday. The Falcons travel to Fort Collins, Colo., to take on in-state rival Colorado State Saturday, Oct. 28, at 1 p.m. MT.
Air Force is completing a five-game stretch with four of five games on the road. The Falcons started at New Mexico and Navy, hosted UNLV and played at Nevada last week. The team is 2-2 during the stretch. Air Force has three of its final four games of the season at home.
Air Force and Colorado State compete each year for the Ram-Falcon Trophy. The 2017 season marks the 38th year of the trophy competition with Air Force holding a 22-15 lead. The trophy's origin is tracked back to Shelly Godkin, a former ROTC commander at Colorado State. He watched the teams play in 1978 and sought to translate his impressions into a trophy symbolic of an annual game. The first Ram-Falcon trophy game was in 1980.
Air Force leads the overall series, 33-21-1, including a 22-15 mark in conference games. The Falcons are 20-11-1 at home and 13-10 at Colorado State. The teams have split the last four meetings, each winning twice at home. Colorado State beat Air Force, 38-23, in 2015 the last time the teams played in Fort Collins. Air Force defeated Colorado State, 49-46, last year in Falcon Stadium. The teams first played in 1957 in Colorado Springs, resulting in a 20-7 Colorado State win.
Air Force defeated Colorado State, 49-46, last season in one of the more memorable games in the long-standing in-state series. The team exchanged scores throughout and rolled up a series best 95 points and 1,093 total yards. Tim McVey led the way for Air Force with career highs of 184 yards rushing and four touchdowns while Arion Worthman added a career-best 143 yards and a score. Air Force had 534 total yards, including a season-best 485 rushing. Colorado State was led by Nick Stevens, who hit 22 of 29 passes for 374 yards and two scores. Michael Gallop had 13 catches for 213 yards and a touchdown. In the offensive showcase, it was a defensive play that made the difference. Air Force held a 49-46 lead in the final minutes with Colorado State driving. Stevens and Gallop connected on a first down throw near midfield when linebacker Grant Ross made the tackle and stripped the ball. Brodie Hicks made the recovery and Air Force gained a first down before running out the clock.
Colorado State defeated Air Force, 38-23, in 2015 in the last game in Fort Collins. The Rams, who led 21-13 at the half, scored 17-straight second half points to race to a 38-13 lead early in the fourth quarter. The Falcons added a late field goal and touchdown to make up the final margin. Quarterback Nick Stevens hit 23 of 30 passes for 296 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Rams. Jasen Oden added 89 yards rushing on 11 carries and Rashard Higgins had seven catches for 74 yards and Joe Hansley had three for 75 yards and two scores. Karson Roberts led Air Force with 79 yards rushing on a career-high 24 carries. He also hit nine of 15 passes for 104 yards. Shayne Davern chipped in with 76 yards and scored on a career-long run of 60 yards. Roland Ladipo led the defense with a career-best 12 tackles. Weston Steelhammer added nine tackles, two tackles for loss and an interception.
