Air Force football hosts UNLV
10/9/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Air Force football hosts UNLV
Saturday, Oct. 14, Noon MT, Falcon Stadium (46,692)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: AT&T Sports Network
Brad Thompson (play-by-play), Sed Bonner (analyst), JJ Raterink (reporter)
RADIO: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, CO; The Fan 104.3 in Denver
SIRIUS 157, XM 206, Internet 975
Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)
NOTES
- This week's game is the lone home game in a five-week span for Air Force. The Falcons were at New Mexico and Navy the last two weeks and travel to Nevada and Colorado State following this week.
- Air Force and UNLV meet for the 21st time overall and 20th time as conference foes. Air Force leads the overall series, 14-6, and has a 14-5 mark in conference games. The Falcons are 7-2 at home and 7-4 at UNLV in the series.
- Air Force snapped a two-game UNLV win streak with a 48-21 win in 2014 in the last meeting.
- UNLV defeated Air Force, 41-21, in 2013 in the last meeting in Falcon Stadium.
THE SERIES
- Air Force and UNLV meet for the 21st time overall and 20th time as conference foes.
- Air Force leads the overall series, 14-6, and has a 14-5 mark in conference games.
- The Falcons are 7-2 at home and 7-4 at UNLV.
- Air Force snapped a two-game UNLV win streak with a 48-21 win in 2014 in the last meeting.
- UNLV defeated Air Force, 41-21, in 2013 in the last meeting in Falcon Stadium.
- The teams first played in 1981 in Las Vegas. UNLV won the game, 24-21.
THE LAST MEETING
(Nov. 8, 2014) Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-21, in Las Vegas, Nev. The Falcons rolled up a 21-point second quarter to take control of the game. Kale Pearson and Jacobi Owens scored one one-yard touchdown runs and Pearson and Jalen Robinette connected on a 59-yard touchdown pass in the quarter to give the Falcons a 31-14 halftime lead. Fullbacks Shayne Davern and D.J. Johnson added third-quarter touchdown runs and Will Conant hit his second field goal of the game to help Air Force win its third straight game and sixth in the last seven games. Air Force had 542 total yards. The Falcons rushed for 386 yards and passed for 156. Owens rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in a return to his home state. Pearson added 67 yards rushing and a touchdown and hit five of six passes for 115 yards and a score. He also caught a 41-yard pass from receiver Colton Huntsman. The defense held UNLV to 339 total yards, including just 33 rushing. Jordan Pierce led the way with 11 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Alex Hansen added six tackles, a sack and a pair of tackles for loss. The Falcons had five sacks and eight tackles for loss.
THE LAST TIME AT FALCON STADIUM
(Nov. 21, 2013) UNLV defeated Air Force, 41-21, in a Thursday night game in Falcon Stadium. Tim Cornett rushed for 220 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Rebels, who had 471 total yards including 330 rushing. Cornett scored on a 22-yard run on UNLV's first possession and Caleb Herring scored a pair of touchdowns to give the Rebels a 20-0 lead in the first quarter. Cornett scored twice more in the second to give the Rebels a commanding 33-14 halftime lead. Air Force got as close as 33-21 with a touchdown run from D.J. Johnson, but Cornett sealed it with a TD in the final minutes. Air Force finished with 298 total yards, including 228 rushing. Anthony LaCoste led the Falcons with 75 yards rushing on 15 carries.
TIES TO UNLV
Air Force second lieutenant Jacobi Owens, a 2017 Academy graduate, is a native of Las Vegas, Nev. He attended Centennial High School where he lettered three years in football and track. His high school football coach was Leon Evans. Owens completed his Air Force playing career last season and ranks fourth in school history in career rushing yards with 3,005. Owens is currently on the Air Force football coaching staff as a graduate assistant.
AIR FORCE AT HOME
Air Force is 48-16 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun, including a school-record 15-game winning streak from 2014 to Oct. 22, 2016. The Falcons have won 18 of their last 20 at home dating back to 2014.
Air Force's 17 wins from 2014-16 is a school record for a three-year stretch. Air Force finished 6-0 at home in 2014 and 2015 to mark the first back-to-back undefeated home seasons in school history. Air Force has finished undefeated at home just five times overall in school history, three coming under Calhoun.
Year Rec. Notes
2017 1-1 Loss to #22/25 San Diego State
2016 5-1 Air Force won 16 of its last 17 home games the last three years
2015 6-0 Fifth 6-0 mark in AF history, third under Calhoun
2014 6-0 Fourth 6-0 mark in AF history, second under Calhoun
2013 2-5 Lone losing record in Calhoun era
2012 5-1 Second-best mark in school history
2011 4-3 Sixth time with four or more wins in Calhoun era
2010 5-1 Combined with 2009, 10 wins in two seasons is third-best at AF
2009 5-1 Second-best mark in school history
2008 3-3 Two loses at the hands of nationally ranked teams
2007 6-0 Just the third undefeated home record in school history
Total 48-16
CURRENT HOME STREAK BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Air Force is 18-2 at home over the last four seasons. The 18 wins is just one shy of the best four-year mark in school history despite playing just two home games in 2017. The team's best four-year run came from 1982-85 and 1991-2001 when the program went 19-4 those years in Falcon Stadium. The Falcons were 19-6 from 2009-12.
Air Force set a record for the best three-year run from 2014-16 with a 17-1 record, breaking the mark of 15-2 from 1983-85. The Falcons were 14-3 from 1998-2000 and 1997-99 and 14-5 from 2009-11 to round out the top five marks in school history.
Best 4-year home records in Air Force history
1982-85 19-4
1997-01 19-4
2009-12 19-6
2014-17 18-2
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK
Navy defeated Air Force, 48-45, in a classic in the long-standing series. The Midshipmen led 28-10 at the half and opened the third quarter with a field goal to push the lead to 31-10. Things got exciting from there, as the Falcons scored touchdowns on five straight possessions and took a 45-41 lead with 1:53 remaining. Navy marched down the field and scored the game-winning touchdown with 15 seconds left on a Zach Abey to Tyler Carmona 16 yard pass. The 93 combined points are the most in the series. Navy finished with 557 total yards, including 471 rushing. Abey led the way with 214 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Air Force had 621 total yards, including 340 rushing and 281 passing. Arion Worthman broke a 47-year-old record for total offense with 396 total yards. He had 139 yards and two touchdowns rushing and 257 yards and a pair of TDs passing.
GAME NOTES FROM LAST WEEK
Team Notes
- Air Force uses game captains. The captains for the Navy game were Grant Ross (LB), Santo Coppola (DL) and Alex Norton (OL).
- The attendance of 38,792 set a new stadium record.
- Air Force improved its school-record consecutive games scoring streak to 303 games dating back to the 1992 Liberty Bowl. The streak is the third-longest active streak in the nation and the fifth-longest in the history of the NCAA.
- Air Force's 621 yards of total offense is the 12th most in program history.
Individual Notes
- Sophomore RB Nolan Eriksen and senior FB Jacob Stafford each started for the first time in his career.
- Senior TB Tim McVey rushed for 46 yards to move into 28th place on the Air Force career rushing yards list with 1,473 yards. McVey also scored two touchdowns to move up to seventh place on the Air Force career touchdown scored list with with 31.
- Junior QB Arion Worthman set a school record with 396 yards of total offense (257 passing, 139 rushing), surpassing the previous record of 380 yards by Bob Parker in 1970 vs. Colorado State. Worthman set a career-high in passing yards and his rush yards were a season best and the fourth time going over 100 yards. He is the first Falcon to hit the 100-yard mark this season. Worthman hit 9 of 16 passes to record his third 100-yard passing effort of the season. Worthman rushed and passed for over 100 yards each for the first time in his career. Worthman also hauled in his first-career reception, good for a 24 yard catch.
- Junior WR Marcus Bennett recorded a career-long 59 yard reception in the first quarter for his first-career touchdown. He finished the game with five catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns. The 161 yards receiving is the 11th best single game total in school history. Bennett entered the game with four receptions for 73 yards on the season. He became Air Force's first player over 100 yards receiving this season and the first since Jalen Robinette hauled in 124 yards receiving vs. South Alabama on Dec. 30, 2016.
- Senior LB Jack Flor, senior LB Grant Ross and junior DB Kyle Floyd recorded a career-highs in tackles. Flor had 16 tackles, the most by a Falcon this season. Floyd had 13 and Ross 12. The previous game-high for tackles by a Falcon this year was 11.
- Senior PK Luke Strebel scored nine points to move into seventh place on the Air Force career scoring list with 218 points. Strebel ranks fourth all-time among place kickers.
- Sophomore RB Nolan Eriksen recorded career highs in every rushing category with 15 carries for 90 yards. He entered the game with five carries for 42 yards on the season.
- Junior WR Garrett Amy hauled in his first-career reception, good for 10 yards.
- Junior WR Ronald Cleveland tallied 141 yards of all-purpose yards (65 rushing, 62 receiving, 14 punt return). Cleveland had 60 yard reception.
