Air Force Hosts Stony Brook to Open 2018 Season

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Internet: Facebook Live
Ari Wolfe (play-by-play)
Max Starks (analyst)
Dani Kulpenger (sidelines)

Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, CO; The Fan 104.3 in Denver; SIRIUS Ch. 78
Jim Arthur (play-by-play)
Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

GENERAL INFORMATION
Category                                Air Force                                                              Stony Brook
Last Season:........................ 5-7 (4-4; 4th MW Mtn Div)....................... 10-3 (7-1, 2nd CAA)
Streak:................................... W 1 ....................................................................................... L 1
Location:.............................. Colorado Springs, CO................................ Stony Brook, NY
Athletic Website:................. GoAirForceFalcons.com.............. StonyBrookAthletics.com

THE COACHES
Category                                Air Force                                                              Stony Brook
Head Coach:........................ Troy Calhoun..................................................... Chuck Priore
Alma Mater (Year):............... Air Force, 1989.................................................... Albany, 1982
Career Record:..................... 82-60 (12th year)........................................ 116-70 (18th year)
Record at School:............... Same............................................................. 77-61 (12th year)
Record vs. Opponent:........ First meeting....................................................... First meeting

STORYLINES
• This weekend is Parents' Weekend at the Air Force Academy.
• The Academy will be celebrating themes for each home game in 2018 to connect fans with what's going on off the field to highlight a USAFA discipline. This week's theme is the Long Blue Line to celebrate what the Academy delivers future leaders of modern warfare, graduates who join the Long Blue Line and epitomize a proud history of selfless service in the Air Force and beyond.

THE SERIES
Air Force and Stony Brook are meeting for the first time. This is Air Force's second meeting against a team that is currently in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Falcons defeated Villanova, 37-13, Sept. 4, 1999, in Falcon Stadium in the season opener.

AIR FORCE VS. FCS TEAMS
Air Force is 22-0 all-time against teams from the Football Championship Subdivision. Head Coach Troy Calhoun is 12-0, including last season's 62-0 victory over VMI.

SEASON OPENERS
• Air Force is 41-19-2 in season openers, including a 36-8 mark in season openers at home.
• Air Force has won 11 straight and 12 of the last 14 season openers with the only losses coming at No. 11 Tennessee in 2006 and vs. No. 13 California in 2004.
• The Falcons have won 13 of the last 14 season openers at home with the only loss coming vs. No. 13 California in 2004.
• Air Force has won 20 straight season openers vs. unranked teams dating back to a 34-21 setback vs. Colorado State in 1994.
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun is 11-0 in season openers, all coming at home.

Air Force Season Openers Under Troy Calhoun
Year    Opponent                          Result
2017    VMI                                      W 62-0
2016    Abilene Christian               W 37-21
2015    Morgan State                     W 63-7
2014    Nicholls State                    W 44-16
2013    Colgate                               W 38-13
2012    Idaho State                         W 49-21
2011    South Dakota                     W 37-20
2010    Northwestern State            W 65-21
2009    Nicholls State                    W 72-0
2008    Southern Utah                   W 41-7
2007    South Carolina State         W 34-3

LOOKING AT STONY BROOK
Stony Brook is a member of the Football Championship Subdivision and Colonial Athletic Association. The Seawolves were 10-3 overall last season and finished second in the CAA with a 7-1 mark. The 10 overall wins and seven conference wins were school records. The team's only losses came at #19/21 South Florida, 31-17, vs. Delaware, 24-20, and vs. James Madison, 26-7, in the NCAA playoffs. Stony Brook is coached by Chuck Priore, who is in his 12th season.

Stony Brook Quick Facts
Location:............... Stony Brook, NY
Enrollment:........... 25,734
Colors:.................. Red, New York Navy

LAST SEASON'S OPENER
Air Force defeated VMI, 62-0, to open the 2017 season. Air Force scored on the game's opening drive to take a 7-0 lead on a Tim McVey 27-yard touchdown run. The Falcons raced out to a 35-0 halftime lead on their way to the second-largest victory margin in school history. Air Force recorded its first shutout since a 42-0 win at New Mexico in 2011 and first opening day shutout since a 72-0 win over Nicholls State in 2009. McVey led the offense with 98 yards rushing as the team rolled up 473 rushing yards and 663 total yards. Quarterback Arion Worthman hit 8-12 passes for 172 yards and two scores while rushing for 33 yards and TD. Air Force had 17 players carry the ball in the game. The defense was led by Jack Flor, who had a team-best eight tackles. The Falcons held VMI to just 95 total yards which is the second fewest in school history. Air Force allowed just six first downs, which is the fourth fewest in school history.

AIR FORCE VS. NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER CALHOUN
Air Force is 33-22 against non-conference opponents under head coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons are 21-4 at home, 7-13 on the road and 5-5 in neutral site games. Air Force was 1-3 last season with the win coming vs. VMI and losses at #7 Michigan, at Navy and at home vs. Army.

AIR FORCE AT HOME
Air Force is 50-18 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun, including a school-record 15-game winning streak from 2014 to Oct. 22, 2016. Air Force went 20-4 at home over the last four seasons. The 20 wins is the best four-year mark in school history, breaking the record of 19 set from 1982-85 and 1998-2001 when the program went 19-4 those years.
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.
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     3-3     20 wins over four years is best four-year run in school history
2016     5-1     Air Force won 16 of 17 home games from 2014-16
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 losses at the hands of nationally ranked teams
2007     6-0     Just the third undefeated home record in school history
Total    50-18

Best 4-year home records in Air Force history
2014-17            20-4
1982-85            19-4
1997-01            19-4
2009-12            19-6

AN AIR FORCE WIN.....
• Air Force would open the season 1-0 for the 12th consecutive season dating back to 2007
• Air Force would improve to 23-0 all-time vs. teams from the Football Championship Subdivision
• Air Force would improve to 2-0 all-time vs. teams from the Colonial Athletic Association
• Air Force would improve to 42-19-2 in season openers, including a 36-8 mark in season
openers at home.
• Air Force would win its 21st straight season home opener against an unranked team dating back to a 34-21 setback vs. Colorado State in 1994
• Air Force would win its 12th straight and 13th of the last 15 season openers overall
• Air Force would improve to 12-0 in home openers under Troy Calhoun
• Air Force would improve to 34-22 against non-conference opponents under Troy Calhoun
• Air Force would improve to 51-18 in Falcon Stadium under Troy Calhoun

AIR POWER LEGACY SERIES UNIFORMS
The Air Force football continued its Airpower Legacy Series this season with a helmet and uniform honoring the AC-130.
The helmet features the AC-130 on one side, plus squadron patches on the other. The AC-130 gunship is a heavily armed, long-endurance ground-attack variant of the C-130 Hercules transport fixed-wing aircraft. It carries a wide array of anti-ground oriented weapons that are integrated with sophisticated sensors, navigation, and fire-control systems. Unlike other military fixed-wing aircraft, the AC-130 relies on visual targeting. Because its large profile and low operating altitudes (around 7,000 ft) make it an easy target, it usually flies close air support missions at night.
The Airpower Legacy Series began in the 2016 season with the football team wearing an alternate uniform for the Georgia State game to celebrate the Tiger Shark teeth nose-art which has been represented on multiple Air Force aircraft dating back to World War II. During the WWII era, fighter plane pilots were called "Flying Tigers" and were part of the U.S. Army Air Corps, which later became the Air Force. The helmets worn for the game featured a shark-teeth design like those painted on the aircraft.
While 2016 focused on the past, the Falcons honored the present, and future, of air power last season with the F-35 theme in 2017. The F-35 completed its first flight in 2006. In 2012, the F-35 program increased to 30 aircraft. In 2016, the F-35A was declared combat ready by Gen. Hawk Carlisle, the commander of the Air Combat Command. The helmet had five different designs. On one side of every helmet will be the familiar Air Force logo often seen on aircraft, which includes the length-wise bars intersecting the roundel. On the other side will be a decal representing one of the five Air Force F-35-A operational fighter squadrons in the Air Force.

Air Force Hosts Stony Brook to Open 2018 Season

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Players Mentioned

Jack Flor

Tim McVey

Arion Worthman

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