Air Force football hosts Nevada Saturday

Air Force vs. Nevada
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (46,692)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: ESPNNEWS
Doug Sherman (play-by-play); Dustin Fox (analyst)

Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, CO; The Fan 104.3 in Denver
XM 385; INTERNET 975
Jim Arthur (play-by-play); Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

GENERAL INFORMATION
Category                               Air Force                                                                      Nevada
Record:................................. 1-2 (0-1 MW)................................................... 2-2 (0-0 MW)
Streak:.................................. L 2 ........................................................................................ L 1
Last Week:.......................... L 32-42 at Utah State (9/22).................. L 44-63 at Toledo
Next Week:......................... vs. Navy (10/6)................................ vs. Fresno State (10/6)
Conference:........................ Mountain West............................................ Mountain West
Location:.............................. Colorado Springs, CO............................................. Reno, NV
Athletic Website:............... GoAirForceFalcons.com.................. NevadaWolfPack.com

THE COACHES
Category                               Air Force                                                                      Nevada
Head Coach:........................ Troy Calhoun........................................................ Jay Norvell
Alma Mater (Year):............ Air Force, 1989.................................................... Iowa, 1986
Career Record:................... 83-62 (12th year)........................................ 5-11 (2nd year)
Record at School:............... Same................................................................................ Same
Record vs. Opponent:....... 3-1....................................................................................... 0-1

STORYLINES
• Air Force and Nevada are playing for the fifth time, all as conference foes. The Falcons lead the series, 3-1. Air Force is 2-0 at home and 1-1 at Nevada.
• This week is the MW opener for Nevada.
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun would become just the second coach in Mountain West history to win 50 conference games. He would join San Diego State's Rocky Long in the 50-win club.

THE SERIES
• Air Force and Nevada are playing for the fifth time, all as conference foes
• The Falcons lead the series, 3-1
• Air Force is 2-0 at home and 1-1 at Nevada
• Air Force defeated Nevada, 45-42, last season in Reno
• The Falcons beat Nevada, 45-38, in overtime in 2014 in the last meeting at Air Force
• The team's first played in 2012 in Falcon Stadium, resulting in a 48-31 Air Force win

Year by Year
2012 - AF 48-31 (H)
2013 - Nevada 45-42 (A)
2014 - AF 45-38 (H) OT
2017 - AF 45-42 (H)
(H/A) is for AF

LAST YEAR VS. NEVADA
Air Force defeated Nevada, 45-42, in Reno. Luke Strebel kicked a 30 yard field goal as time expired to provide the winning margin. The Falcons took the lead for good, 21-20, on the touchdown run by Tim McVey in the second quarter. Nevada answered each Air Force score from that point with the last coming to tie the score at 42-all with 3:57 remaining. Air Force drove the ball from its own 25 on the game's last drive to set up Strebel's game-winner. Air Force finished with 591 total yards on a then-school-record-tying 98 total plays. The team rushed for a season-best 550 yards on a school-record 91 carries. Air Force had three players rush for 100 or more yards for the first time since 2007, led by McVey's 139 yards and a touchdown. Ronald Cleveland added 118 yards and a score on eight carries while Taven Birdow added 100 yards and a TD on 20 carries. Nevada finished with 424 total yards, including 267 passing. Kelton Moore led the Wolf Pack with 101 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Ty Gangi hit 17 of 33 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns.

LAST TIME AT FALCON STADIUM
(Nov. 15, 2014) Air Force defeated Nevada, 45-38, in overtime in Falcon Stadium in one of the most entertaining games in school history. The game was as even as it could be, with the team's exchanging scores throughout the game. Air Force would score, then Nevada. The Falcons led throughout the game, kicking a field goal to take a 31-28 lead early in the fourth quarter. Nevada answered with a touchdown to take its only lead of the game, 35-31, with 7:03 remaining. Kale Pearson put the Falcons back on top for good with a 16-yard run to make it 38-35 with 4:13 left. Nevada added a 22-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining to force overtime. Shayne Davern scored from three yards in overtime to give the Falcons the 45-38 margin and Air Force held Nevada to secure the win. Air Force finished with 471 total yards on 80 plays while Nevada had 498 yards on 81 plays. The Falcons held a 44:03 to 30:57 edge in time of possession. Pearson led the way for Air Force with 109 yards rushing and a touchdown while hitting 11 of 15 passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Davern added 97 yards and two scores on 21 carries while Jacobi Owens topped the 1,000-yard mark on the season with 66 yards on 16 carries. Jalen Robinette had four catches for 36 yards and a pair of scores. Jordan Pierce led the defense with 13 tackles and a tackle for loss while Connor Healy chipped in with 10 stops. Dexter Walker added nine tackles and two tackles for loss while Western Steelhammer had eight tackles and his fourth interception of the season.

CALHOUN COULD BECOME SECOND COACH WITH 50 MW WINS
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun's next conference victory will make him just the second coach in Mountain West history with 50 conference wins. Calhoun has a 49-39 record in Mountain West games. He'll join San Diego State's Rocky Long, who has 85, in the 50-win club.

AIR FORCE AT HOME
Air Force is 51-18 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 has finished undefeated at home just five times overall in school history, three coming under Calhoun.

Year     Rec.   Notes
2018    1-0     Defeated Stony Brook, 38-0, in the home opener
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    51-18

AN AIR FORCE WIN.....
• Air Force would improve to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in Mountain West play
• Air Force would improve to 4-1 overall vs. Nevada, including a 3-0 mark at home
• Air Force would improve its win streak to three games vs. the Wolf Pack
• Air Force would improve to 2-0 at home this season and 52-18 at home under head coach Troy Calhoun.
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun would become just the second coach in Mountain West history to win 50 conference games. He would join San Diego State's Rocky Long in the 50-win club.

LAST WEEK
Utah State defeated Air Force, 42-32, in Logan, Utah, in the Mountain West opener for both schools. The Aggies scored late in the second quarter to take a 21-14 halftime lead and appeared to put the game away in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns to extend the lead to 35-14, with 8:15 remaining. Air Force got a field goal from Jake Koehnke, the first of his career, late in the quarter and Kadin Remsberg scored his first-career touchdown early in the fourth quarter and a two-point conversion cut the lead to 35-25. Christopher Musselman recovered a fumble on the kickoff and returned it 21 yards for a score to cut the lead to 35-32 with 13:00 minutes to play. Utah State put the game away with a Gerold Bright 70-yard scoring run with 6:52 remaining to make up the final margin. Air Force had 471 total yards on a school-record 107 plays. Remsberg led the Falcons with 94 yards rushing in his first-career start. Cole Fagan added 62 while Isaiah Sanders chipped in with 58. Sanders also hit 9-17 passes for 125 yards. The Aggies had 489 total yards, including 356 passing. Quarterback Jordan Love hit 26 of 38 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Bright added 101 yards rushing.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Taven Birdow

Ronald Cleveland

Jake Koehnke

Tim McVey

Christopher Musselman

Kadin Remsberg

Isaiah Sanders

Luke Strebel

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