Air Force football off to MW Media Summit
7/21/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Air Force Football Quick Facts 
AIR FORCE HAS NATION'S FIFTH LONGEST WIN STREAK
Air Force enters the season with the nation's fifth-longest active winning streak. The Falcons won their final six games last season. Oklahoma has the longest streak with 10 games, followed by USC with nine, Western Kentucky with eight and Coastal Carolina with seven.
AIR FORCE AT HOME
Air Force is 47-15 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 17 of their last 18 at home dating back to 2014, including a 5-1 mark last season. Air Force's 17 wins over the last three years is a school record for a three-year stretch. Air Force finished 6-0 at home in 2014-15 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.
AIR FORCE VS. NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER CALHOUN
Air Force is 32-19 against non-conference opponents under head coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons are 20-3 at home, 7-11 on the road and 5-5 in neutral site games. Air Force was 5-0 last season following a 37-21 win over Abilene Christian in the season opener, a 48-14 win vs. Georgia State Sept. 10, a 28-14 win over Navy Oct. 1, a 31-12 win at Army Nov. 5 and a 45-21 win over South Alabama in the Arizona Bowl Dec. 30.
The Falcons have gone undefeated in regular season non-conference games twice in the last three years (2014). Air Force is 10-2 in regular season non-conference games the last three years with the only losses coming at No. 4 Michigan State and at Navy in 2015.
AIR FORCE SCORING STREAK
- Air Force has scored in a school record 298 consecutive games.
- The streak is the third longest active streak in the nation.
- The streak is the fifth longest in Division I-A history.
- The Falcons were last shutout by Mississippi, 13-0, in the 1992 Liberty Bowl.
STAFF CHANGES FOR 2017
Air Force welcomes three new coaches to the program for 2017. Bart Miller is the new tight ends coach, replacing Steed Lobotzke, who moved to the offensive line replacing Clay Hendrix. Hendrix is the new head coach at his alma mater, Furman. Taylor Stubblefield is the new receivers coach, replacing Jake Moreland, who left to take a position at his alma mater Western Michigan. Nick Toth has joined the staff as the spurs and nickels coach. He replaces Maj. Dylan Newman, who left for another Air Force assignment.
BLOCKED KICKS
- Air Force blocked three kicks last season, two punts and a PAT
- Brodie Hicks led the nation in blocked kicks with two, a punt vs. Navy and a PAT at Army
- Brett Baldwin blocked a punt vs. Boise State, which was returned for a TD
- Air Force has blocked at least one kick in each of Troy Calhoun's 10 seasons
- Air Force has blocked 32 kicks since 2007 under head coach Troy Calhoun
- Air Force has blocked 130 kicks since 1990 when the program began tracking them. The
breakdown: 56 punts, 40 field goals and 34 PATs.
AIR FORCE HAS FOUR STAFF MEMBERS TOGETHER FOR AT LEAST 1O YEARS
Air Force ranks fourth nationally among schools with staff members that have been at the school for 10 years or more. Navy and Northwestern lead the way with eight, while Michigan State is third with five while the Falcons, Ohio and Georgia Tech all have four members.
Head Coach Troy Calhoun enters his 11th season, along with special teams coordinator and running backs coach Ben Miller and outside linebackers coach Matt Weikert. Offensive Coordinator Mike Thiessen enters his 10th season.
CALHOUN RANKS NO. 1
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun ranks as the top coach in the Mountain West, according to a ranking by AthlonSports.com. Calhoun enters the season with a 77-53 record and has led the Falcons to nine bowl games in 10 seasons. Air Force claimed the MW Mountain Division title and first-ever apperance in the conference championship game in 2015. The Falcons have posted 10-win seasons in two of the last three years. San Diego State's Rocky Long was ranked second while Craig Bohl of Wyoming was ranked third.
AIR FORCE AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS IN APR, AGAIN
Air Force was one of 15 FBS football programs that earned NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR) recognition for the ninth straight season. The football program (995) was honored for being in the top 10 percent of their sports for all NCAA programs in Division I for APR. The Falcons posted a 995 mark which is tied for the national lead with Northwestern.
The top five programs nationally follow:
STREBEL ON GROZA WATCH LIST
Air Force senior Luke Strebel is one of 30 players named to the Watch List for the 2017 Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, announced by the Palm Beach County Sports Commission.
Strebel handled all the Air Force kicking duties last season, kickoffs, field goals and PATs. He led the conference and ranked among the national leaders in three categories. He tied for the national lead in PAT percentage (1.000), led the conference in kicker scoring (9.0) and was third overall in scoring. Strebel led the conference and ranked ninth nationally in field goals (1.69).
Strebel was perfect in 51 extra point attempts and hit 22 of 25 field goals. His 22 field goals tied for second all-time at Air Force in a single season. He set a new Mountain West record for consecutive field goals with 22 dating back to last season before missing vs. Hawaii, breaking the mark of 19 set by Chris Manfredini of TCU from 2005-06. Strebel's 22 straight was the longest streak in the nation.
Strebel is 32 of 36 for his career in field goals and has hit all 88 of his PAT tries. He is tied for first in school history in career PAT percentage at 1.000 and is one of just three to be perfect for his career. Strebel is the career leader in field goal percentage with a .889 mark.
While the Watch List highlights 30 of the best returning kickers in the country, the Groza Committee will be watching all FBS kickers during the season, and releasing a weekly "Stars of the Week" feature on www.lougrozaaward.com. All FBS kickers remain eligible to be selected as semifinalists.
Accomplishments are tabulated throughout the season and the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award will announce its 20 semifinalists on Thursday, November 2nd. From this list, a panel of more than 100 FBS head coaches, SIDs, media members, former Groza finalists, and current NFL kickers selects the top three finalists for the award by Tuesday, November 21st. That same group then selects the national winner, who will be announced on Thursday, December 7th during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show.
The 26th Annual Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, presented by the Orange Bowl Committee, recognizes the three finalists during a celebration in Palm Beach County, culminating with a gala awards banquet on December 4th.
The Award is named for National Football League Hall of Fame kicker Lou "The Toe" Groza, who played 21 seasons with the Cleveland Browns. Groza won four NFL championships with Cleveland and was named NFL Player of the Year in 1954. Although an All-Pro offensive lineman as well, Groza ushered in the notion that there should be a place on an NFL roster for a kicker.
For more information on the Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award and to see the "Stars of the Week" throughout the season, please go to www.lougrozaaward.com. For even more updates on the best kicking performances throughout the season, follow @LouGrozaAward on Twitter.
WORTHMAN STEPS UP
Quarterback Arion Worthman stepped up big for Air Force to close last season as a sophomore. He recorded a 5-0 record as the starter. He finished third on the team in rushing with 674 yards and second with six touchdowns. He hit 23-39 passes for 546 yards and four TDs. He averaged 114.4 yards rushing as a starter and hit 22-38 passes for 529 yards which is an average of 105.8 yards per game.
He burst on the scene against Fresno State coming on in relief of an injured Nate Romine and rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Falcons to a come-from-behind win. He was named CollegeSportsMadness.com Mountain West Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
He started the first game of his career at Army Nov. 5 and responded with an outstanding performance. Worthman rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries and recorded then career highs in every passing category. He hit six of nine passes for 195 yards and a career-long 46 yard pass that went for a touchdown. Worthman averaged 32.5 yards per completion. He was named National Football Foundation player of the week for his performance.
He led the Falcons to a thrilling win over Colorado State Nov. 12 in his second-career start, rushing for a then-career-high 143 yards and scoring on a career-long 54 yard run. He hit 3-8 passes for 49 yards. Worthman set new career highs in ever rushing category while leading the Falcons past San Jose State, 41-38, Nov. 19. He had 28 carries for 215 yards and two touchdowns. His 215 yards are the 11th most in school history and fifth most by a quarterback. He is the first quarterback to rush for 200 or more yards since All-American Beau Morgan rushed for 217 vs. Fresno State in 1996.
Worthman played perhaps the best game of his career in the bowl game vs. South Alabama. He rushed for 71 yards on 21 carries and recorded career highs in every passing category. Worthman hit 7-10 passes for 207 yards and a career-long 75-yard TD. He was named the bowl's most valuable offensive player.
TOUCHDOWN TIM HAS 26 TOUCHDOWNS IN 27 CAREER GAMES
Senior running back Tim McVey ranked among the Mountain West's top 10 in two categories last season. He finished third in the MW and 16th nationally in kickoff returns with a 26.3 average. He was ninth in all-purpose yards with a 103.7 average.
McVey recorded career highs in every rushing category against Colorado State Nov. 12 with 15 carries for 184 yards and four touchdowns. He also had a season-long run of 38 yards. He moved into 10th on the Air Force career touchdowns list and has now scored 26 touchdowns in 27 career games.
McVey has made a career of big plays. He is averaging 26.8 yards per kickoff return which is second in Air Force history. He is also second in career receiving average with a 27.8 mark. McVey is the Air Force career leader in rushing average with an 8.4 mark. McVey rushed for 89 yards at San Jose State Nov. 19 to become the 46th player in school history to top the 1,000-yard mark for his career. McVey ranks 39th in Air Force history with 1,149 yards.
LOOKING BACK AT 2016
Air Force finished the season 10-3 overall, completing just the seventh 10-win season in school history. The Falcons closed the season with a six-game winning streak which tied as the fifth-longest in the nation. Air Force defeated South Alabama, 45-21, in the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl to post its second bowl win in three years. Air Force also won the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy for a record 20th time overall and second time in three years with victories over Army and Navy.
Air Force had a .769 winning percentage which ranked 12th nationally and ended up one of just 25 teams in the nation with 10 or more wins. The Falcons finished the season ranked third nationally in rushing with a 317.4 per-game average. The team was fourth nationally in time of possession with a 34:03 mark and seventh in third-down offense at 50.5 percent. Air Force was also effective through the air, leading the nation in yards per completion (25.8) and finishing eighth in passing efficiency (163.58).
