Air Force football hosts #22/25 San Diego State
9/18/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Air Force vs. #22/25 San Diego State
Saturday, Sept. 23, 5 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (46,692)
BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: CBS Sports Network
Ben Holden (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst), Jenny Dell (reporter)
RADIO: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, CO; The Fan 104.3 in Denver
SIRIUS 134, XM 201, Internet 961
Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)
THE BREAKDOWN
Category Air Force San Diego State
Overall Record: .................. 1-1....................................................................................... 3-0
Conference Record:........... 0-0....................................................................................... 0-0
Streak:.................................. L 1 ...................................................................................... W 5
Last Week:.......................... L 13-29 at #7/7 Michigan......... W 20-17 vs. #19 Stanford
Next Week:......................... at New Mexico (9/30)................... Northern Illinois (9/30)
Conference:........................ Mountain West............................................ Mountain West
Nickname:........................... Falcons.......................................................................... Aztecs
Location:.............................. Colorado Springs, CO..................................... San Diego, CA
Website:.............................. GoAirForceFalcons.com............................... GoAztecs.com
Head Coach:........................ Troy Calhoun....................................................... Rocky Long
Alma Mater (Year):............ Air Force, 1989...................................... New Mexico, 1974
Career Record:................... 78-54 (11th year).................................. 122-95 (18th year)
Record at School:............... Same............................................................ 57-26 (7th year)
Record vs. Opponent:....... 3-6............................................... 10-6 overall (5-0 at SDSU)
NOTES
- Air Force classes of 1972, 1992, 1997 and 2007 are having reunions this week at the game.
- Air Force leads the overall series, 19-15. The Aztecs have won six straight dating back to 2010.
- Air Force and San Diego State each played nationally-ranked teams last week....Air Force at #7 Michigan (L 29-13) and San Diego State at home vs. #19 Stanford (W 20-17).
- San Diego State is the two-time defending Mountain West champion...the Aztecs beat Air Force, 27-24, in the 2015 championship game in San Diego.
- Air Force is 13-5 all-time in Mountain West openers, including a 7-3 mark at home and 6-2 record on the road.
THE SERIES
- Air Force leads the series, 19-15, with all games coming as conference foes.
- The Falcons are 7-9 in San Diego, 11-6 at home and 1-0 in neutral site games.
- San Diego State has won six straight and 10 of the last 14 in the series.
- Prior to San Diego State's six-game streak, Air Force had won three straight from 2007-09.
- The Aztecs defeated Air Force, 27-24, the last time the two played in 2015 in the Mountain West Championship game.
- San Diego State defeated Air Force, 27-20, in 2013 in the last meeting in Falcon Stadium.
- The team's first played in 1980 in Falcon Stadium, resulting in a 13-10 Aztec win.
THE LAST MEETING
San Diego State defeated Air Force, 27-24, Dec. 5 to win the 2015 Sports Authority Mountain West Football Championship in San Diego, Calif. Backup quarterback Christian Chapman hit 9-14 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 32 yards to lead the Aztecs. The two teams exchanged scores throughout the game, but San Diego State took its first lead of the game, 24-17, with a Rashaad Penny 28 yard touchdown run with 14:22 remaining in the game. The Falcons answered with Tim McVey's third touchdown run of the game to tie the score at 24-all with 11:49 left. The Aztecs took the lead for good, 27-24, with a Donny Hageman field goal with 5:10 left and held Air Force on its next two drives to win the game. The Aztecs finished with 436 total yards, including 233 rushing. Air Force had 340 total yards, including 305 rushing. Jacobi Owens led the Falcons with 156 yards on 17 carries while McVey added 48 yards and three touchdowns. Karson Roberts finished with 83 yards on 13 carries and hit 5-11 passes for 35 yards.
THE LAST TIME IN FALCON STADIUM
San Diego State defeated Air Force, 27-20, in Falcon Stadium on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2013. The Aztecs used a 21-point fourth quarter to complete the comeback win. The Aztecs took a 6-0 lead with a Quinn Kaehler to Eric Judge 44-yard TD pass in the first quarter. The Falcons answered with a Nate Romine 16 yard scoring run to take a 7-6 lead. Romine entered the game for an injured Karson Roberts. Will Conant hit the first of two field goals to give the Falcons the halftime lead, 10-6. Conant's second field goal extended the lead to 13-6 early in the third quarter before Romine hit Sam Gagliano with a 71-yard scoring toss to extend the lead to 20-6 entering the fourth. Kaehler tossed a pair of fourth quarter touchdown passes, one to Donnell Pumphrey, who added his second TD on a 10-yard run with 1:39 remaining to secure the win. Pumphrey led the Aztecs with 117 yards rushing while Kaehler hit 15-of-26 passes for 249 yards and three touchdowns. Air Force was led by Anthony LaCoste, who rushed for 109 yards. Romine hit five-of-11 passes for 111 yards and a score.
AIR FORCE - SAN DIEGO STATE CONNECTIONS
San Diego State quarterback coach Blane Morgan is a 1999 Air Force Academy graduate. Morgan was an assistant at Air Force for 12 seasons (2003-14) under former coach Fisher DeBerry and current coach Troy Calhoun.
AIR FORCE VS. RANKED TEAMS
Air Force is playing its second nationally-ranked team this season, as #22/25 San Diego State visits Falcon Stadium. The Falcons played at #7 Michigan (L 29-13) Sept. 16. The Falcons are playing ranked teams in back-to-back weeks for the first time since 2010 when they played at #4/4 TCU (L 38-7) Oct. 23 and vs. #8/7 Utah (L 28-23) Oct. 30. Air Force is playing a nationally ranked team for the fourth straight season and ninth in the last 10.
Air Force is 19-76-3 all-time vs. ranked teams, including a 5-15 mark under head coach Troy Calhoun. Air Force's last win over a ranked team came last season at home against #19/20 Boise State, 27-20.
CONFERENCE OPENERS
- Air Force is 13-5 in Mountain West openers dating back to 1999
- The Falcons are 7-3 at home and 6-2 on the road
- Air Force is 2-0 all-time vs. San Diego State in conference openers (2005, 2001)
- Air Force defeated Utah State, 27-20, in Logan, Utah, in last season's MW opener
- Air Force has won two straight openers, following a four game losing streak
- Air Force won a Mountain West-record 11 straight openers from 2000-10
- The Falcons are 25-12 all-time in conference openers dating back to 1980
- Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun is 6-4 in conference openers
Air Force Mountain West Openers
Year Opponent Result
2016 at Utah State W 27-20
2015 San Jose State W 37-16
2014 at Wyoming L 13-17
2013 Utah State L 20-52
2012 at UNLV L 35-38
2011 TCU L 19-35
2010 BYU W 35-14
2009 at New Mexico W 37-13
2008 at Wyoming W 23-3
2007 at Utah W 20-12
2006 at Wyoming W 31-24
2005 San Diego State W 41-29
2004 at UNLV W 27-10
2003 Wyoming W 35-29
2002 New Mexico W 38-31 OT
2001 San Diego State W 45-21
2000 BYU W 32-12
1999 Wyoming L 7-10
AIR FORCE AT HOME
Air Force is 48-15 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 18 of their last 19 at home dating back to 2014.
Air Force's 17 wins over the last three years (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 1-0 Defeated VMI, 62-0, to open the season
2016 5-1 Air Force has 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 in AF history
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 48-15
CURRENT HOME STREAK BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY
Air Force is 18-1 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 one home game 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 18-1
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK
Seventh-ranked Michigan defeated Air Force, 29-13, in Ann Arbor behind five field goals from Quinn Nordin. The team's exchanged field goals in the first half, as Michigan built a 9-6 halftime lead. Michigan extended its lead to 16-6 behind a 79 yard punt return, but the Falcons answered to cut the lead to 16-13 behind an Arion Worthman to Ronald Cleveland 64 yard touchdown pass. Following two more field goals from Nordin, Michigan iced the game with its lone offensive touchdown on a 36 yard run from Karan Higdon. Michigan had 359 total yards while holding Air Force to 232. Ty Isaac rushed for 89 yards to lead Michigan while Wilton Speight hit 14 of 23 passes for 169 yards. Tim McVey rushed for 62 yards and Worthman 60 to lead the Falcons. Air Force's defense was led by Marquis Griffin and Jack Flor, who each had a career-best 11 tackles.
GAME NOTES FROM LAST WEEK
Team Notes
- Air Force uses game captains. The captains for the Michigan game were: Santo Coppola (DL), Alex Norton (OL) and Grant Ross (LB).
- The attendance of 111,387 is the second-biggest crowd Air Force has ever played in front of, trailing the crowd of 112,522 at Michigan in 2012 and ahead of the crowd of 105,466 at Tennessee in 2006.
- Air Force extended its school-record consecutive games scoring streak to 300 dating back to a 13-0 loss to Mississippi in the 1992 Liberty Bowl. The streak is the third longest active streak in the nation and the fifth longest in NCAA history.
- Air Force's defense extended its consecutive quarters without allowing a touchdown to eight in the first half. The streak dates back to the second half of the 2016 Arizona Bowl vs. South Alabama. The Falcons allowed just three field goals (all vs. Michigan) during the streak.
Individual Notes
- Junior DB Garrett Kauppila and junior DB Robert Bullard combined to record their first-career turnover. Kauppila forced a fumble while Bullard recovered it.
- Junior DB Garrett Kauppila recorded a career-high eight tackles. He also had his first-career forced fumble and tackle for loss.
- Senior PK Luke Strebel tied the game at 3-3 in the first quarter with his first field goal of the season. Strebel's miss on his third field goal attempt snapped a string of 10-straight made field goals, dating back to 2016.
- Junior WR Ronald Cleveland recorded a career-long 64 yard reception which was good for a touchdown in the third quarter. The catch was the first this season for Cleveland.
- Senior DL Santo Coppola recorded a career-high six tackles. His previous has was three vs. New Mexico last season.
- Senior Marquis Griffin recorded a career-high 11 tackles. His previous high was six last season vs. Utah State.
- Junior QB Arion Worthman completed a season-long 64 yard pass for a touchdown to Ronald Cleveland in the third quarter.
- Senior LB Jack Flor recorded a career-high 11 tackles, his first tackle for loss of the season and first-career forced fumble. His previous high in tackles was eight in last week's season opener.
- Senior LB Shaquille Vereen recorded a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss, the most by a Falcon this season.
- Sophomore Charlie Scott recorded a career-long 54 yard punt in the third quarter. His previous long of 53 yards was last week vs. VMI and earlier in the game vs. Michigan.
