Saturday, October 12
Albuquerque, NM - University Stadium
5:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
New Mexico
Game 7: Air Force (1-5, 0-3 MW) vs. Colorado State (3-3, 1-0 MW)
10/14/2024 9:07:00 AM | Football
07.Air Force vs. Colorado State07 24 Colorado State AFA Game NotesDigital Game Program2024 mwfb weekly release week 82024 NFFCC Week 7 101524
Saturday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (39,441), Colorado Springs, CO (USAFA)
Game 7: Air Force (1-5, 0-3 MW) vs. Colorado State (3-3, 1-0 MW)
Saturday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (39,441), Colorado Springs, CO (USAFA)
THE GAME
• Air Force leads the overall series vs. Colorado State, 39-21-1, including a 28-15 mark in conference games. The Falcons are 22-11-1 at home and 17-10 at Colorado State. Air Force has won seven straight and 15 of the last 17 in the series.
• Air Force and Colorado State compete each year for the Ram-Falcon Trophy. The 2024 season marks 44th year of the trophy competition with Air Force holding a 28-15 lead following a 30-13 win in Fort Collins last season. The Falcons have won seven straight trophy titles.
• Air Force is 77-27 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun.
THE MATCHUP
Category Air Force Colorado State
Current Streak: L 5 W 1
Rankings (Coaches/AP): --/-- --/--
Last week: L 52-37 at New Mexico W 31-24 vs. San Jose State
Next week: Open vs. New Mexico
THE COACHES
Category Air Force Colorado State
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun Jay Norvell
Alma Mater (Year): Air Force (1989) Iowa (1985)
School Record (Years): 131-87 (18th year) 11-19 (3rd year)
Career Record (Years): Same 44-45 (8th year)
Record vs. Opponent: 14-2 1-4
THE SERIES
• Air Force leads the overall series, 39-21-1, including a 28-15 mark in conference games.
• The Falcons are 22-11-1 at home and 17-10 at Colorado State.
• Air Force has won seven straight and 15 of the last 17 in the series.
• Air Force has won nine straight at Falcon Stadium dating back to 2002.
• Air Force and Colorado State did not play in 2020 due to COVID, snapping a streak of 42 consecutive years of games dating back to 1978.
• Air Force defeated Colorado State, 30-13, last season in Fort Collins.
• Air Force defeated Colorado State, 24-12, in 2022 in the last game in Falcon Stadium.
• The teams first played in 1957 in Colorado Springs, resulting in a 20-7 Colorado State win.
LAST SEASON
(Oct. 28, 2023) Air Force defeated Colorado State, 30-13, to record its seventh straight win in the series. Dane Kinamon and Zac Larrier connected on a nine-yard touchdown pass to give Air Force a 7-0 lead. The Rams answered with a Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Justus Ross-Simmons 61-yard TD pass to tie the game at 7-7. Colorado State took the lead on a 40-yard field goal. Bo Richter then responded with the defensive play of the game, recording a strip sack and fumble recovery that set up a John Lee Eldridge III 10-yard scoring run to put the Falcons in front 13-10. CSU added another field goal to tie the game at halftime. Larrier added a touchdown run and Matthew Depore a field goal to put the Falcons up 23-13 at the end of the third quarter. Emmanuel Michel iced it for the Falcons with a five-yard touchdown run with 8:51 remaining. Air Force had 293 total yards, including 261 rushing. Michel led the way with 130 yards and a score on 20 carries. The defense was led by Jalen Mergerson, who had a career-high 13 tackles. Trey Taylor added 10. The Falcons held Colorado State scoreless in the second half and to 339 total yards, including 42 rushing.
LAST TIME IN FALCON STADIUM
(Nov. 19, 2022) Air Force defeated Colorado State, 24-12, to win for the sixth straight time in the series and ninth straight time at home. The Falcons jumped to a 17-0 halftime lead behind touchdown runs from DeAndre Hughes and Brad Roberts and a 44-yard field goal by Matthew Dapore. John Lee Eldridge III added a touchdown run in the third quarter to make it 24-0, before Colorado State quarterback Clay Millen threw two touchdown passes to make up the final margin. Air Force rolled up 359 total yards, all rushing, and held the ball for 37:29. Roberts led the way, recording career highs of 37 carries for 184 yards and a score. Hughes added a season-high 72 yards and a score while Eldridge added 50 and a score. The Air Force defense was led by Vince Sanford, who had seven tackles and a career-high five tackles for loss, including four sacks. TD Blackmon added eight tackles. The Falcons held Colorado State to 244 total yards and just 22:31 in time of possession. Millen hit 19-of-24 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
THE RAM-FALCON TROPHY
Air Force and Colorado State compete each year for the Ram-Falcon Trophy. The 2024 season marks 44th year of the trophy competition with Air Force holding a 28-15 lead following a 30-13 win in Fort Collins last season. The Falcons have won seven straight trophy titles. The trophy's origin is tracked back to Shelly Godkin, a former ROTC commander at Colorado State. He watched the teams play in 1978 and sought to translate his impressions into a trophy symbolic of an annual game. The first Ram-Falcon trophy game was in 1980.
AIR IS RARE
• Falcon Stadium has the second-highest elevation (6,621 ft) among FBS programs, trailing only Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, which is at 7,220 ft.
• Four of the top five elevations belong to Mountain West schools. The MW also has the largest gap among FBS programs, as Hawaii's T.C. Ching Complex sets at just 18 ft. San Diego State's Snapdragon Stadium is just 46 ft, and San Jose State's CEFCU Stadium is at 82 ft.
Highest FBS Stadiums by elevation
# Team, Stadium Feet Above Sea Level
1. Wyoming, War Memorial Stadium 7,220 ft.
2. Air Force, Falcon Stadium 6,621 ft.
3. Colorado, Folsom Field 5,360 ft.
4. Colorado State, Canvas Stadium 5,004 ft.
5. New Mexico, University Stadium 5,100 ft.
AIR FORCE AT HOME
• Air Force is 77-27 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun.
• Air Force had a school-record 15-game winning streak from 2014 to Oct. 22, 2016.
• Air Force went 20-4 at home from 2014-17, posting the most wins in a four-year span, breaking the record of 19 set from 1982-85 and 1998-2001 when the program went 19-4.
• 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 have finished undefeated at home six times overall in school history, four coming under Calhoun.
Year Rec. Notes
2024 1-2 Two losses to teams that are 9-2 combined
2023 4-1 Air Force was 10-2 in 2022-23
2022 6-1 Matched program record for wins with six, fifth time with six under Calhoun
2021 4-2 Air Force .500 or better for 14th time under Calhoun
2020 2-1 Loss came to No. 25 Boise State
2019 6-0 Sixth undefeated season in program history, fourth under Calhoun
2018 4-2 Air Force posts four or more wins for ninth time in 12 seasons
2017 3-3 20 wins over four years is best four-year run in school history
2016 5-1 Air Force went 17-1 in 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 Air Force goes 14-5 from 2009-11
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 77-27
LAST WEEK
New Mexico defeated Air Force, 52-37, to snap a five-game losing streak in the series. Air Force forced a three-and-out on New Mexico's first possession, then added a Matthew Dapore 43-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Lobos then scored on seven consecutive possessions to roll to the win. Devon Dampier opened the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Lobos the lead for good, 7-3, with 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Lobos added a 79-yard punt return by Luke Wysong, the first allowed by Air Force since 2017. New Mexico finished with 434 total yards, including 255 rushing and 179 passing. Dampier rushed for 50 yards and two scores and hit 14-19 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Air Force had its best day of the year offensively, recording season highs in every category with 474 total yards, 325 rushing and 149 passing. Sophomore quarterback Quentin Hayes rushed for a career-high 103 yards and a touchdown in his first-career start. He also hit 4-7 passes for 79 yards. Terrence Gist added 54 yards on 13 carries. Backup quarterback Josh Johnson rushed for 49 yards and hit 2-4 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.
LAST WEEK'S NOTES
Team Notes
• Air Force had season-high's in all offensive yardage categories with 474 yards of total offense, 325 yards rushing and 149 yards passing. The previous highs were 320 yards of total offense and 205 yards rushing vs. Wyoming. The previous high for passing was 115 yards against both Wyoming and Navy.
• Air Force scored a season-high 37 points. The previous high was 21 points vs. Merrimack in the season opener.
• Air Force scored 17 points in the first half which is a season high. The previous was 13 at Wyoming.
• Air Force had six more players make the first start of their career, bringing the season total to a nation-leading 36. The next closest is Troy with 20. First time starters in the game were sophomore OL Nathan Elwood, junior RB Tylor Latham, sophomore QB Quentin Hayes, sophomore DL Lukia Rawls, Jr., junior DL Daniel Grobe and sophomore ILB Dallas Daley.
• Air Force held time of possession for a season-high 35:59 minutes. Its previous high was 31:28 against Wyoming.
• Air Force game captains for the New Mexico game were seniors Camby Goff (DB) and Alex Moore (OL).
Individual Notes
• Sophomore QB Quentin Hayes made the first start of his career. He finished with career highs in every rushing category with 103 yards and his first-career touchdown on 18 carries. Hayes finished 4-of-7 passing for 79 yards and recorded a 40-plus yard completion for the second straight game. He is the first Falcon to surpass 100 yards rushing this season. The previous high was 71 yards by Cade Harris vs. Baylor. Hayes is the first Air Force quarterback to surpass 100 yards rushing since Zac Larrier ran for 111 yards against Wyoming last season.
• Sophomore QB Josh Johnson set a career high with 49 yards rushing on four carries. His previous high was 19 against Navy. Johnson had a career-long 42-yard rush, which is the longest run by a Falcon this season. Johnson was 2-for-4 passing for 70 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career. His 70 yards passing was a new career-high, surpassing his previous high of one completion for 18 yards against Navy.
• Junior WR Quinn Smith had three receptions for a career-high 82 yards. His previous high was 36 yards against San Jose State. Smith had a career-long 39-yard reception for his first-career touchdown.
• Junior FB Terrence Gist set career high with 54 yards rushing on 13 carries. His previous highs were 10 carries for 29 yards against Merrimack.
• Sophomore FB Kemper Hodges notched his first-career rushing touchdown.
• Junior TE Bruin Fleischmann recorded a career-long catch of 43 yards. His previous high was seven yards vs. Baylor earlier this season.
• Junior RB Tylor Latham recorded career highs in every rushing category with 36 yards rushing on eight carries and his first-career touchdown. His previous rushing high came vs. Baylor with three carries for six yards with a long of three.
• Sophomore DB Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner had a career-high eight tackles. His previous high was five tackles last year against San Jose State.
• Senior PK Matthew Dapore scored Air Force's first points with a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter. It was his 43rd career field goal, moving him into a tie for second-place all time at Air Force. He tallied seven total points in the game to move into fourth place all-time in scoring at Air Force with 241 career points. His four PAT's gave him 112 for his career, moving him into second place all-time.
Saturday, Oct. 19, 6 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium (39,441), Colorado Springs, CO (USAFA)
THE GAME
• Air Force leads the overall series vs. Colorado State, 39-21-1, including a 28-15 mark in conference games. The Falcons are 22-11-1 at home and 17-10 at Colorado State. Air Force has won seven straight and 15 of the last 17 in the series.
• Air Force and Colorado State compete each year for the Ram-Falcon Trophy. The 2024 season marks 44th year of the trophy competition with Air Force holding a 28-15 lead following a 30-13 win in Fort Collins last season. The Falcons have won seven straight trophy titles.
• Air Force is 77-27 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun.
THE MATCHUP
Category Air Force Colorado State
Current Streak: L 5 W 1
Rankings (Coaches/AP): --/-- --/--
Last week: L 52-37 at New Mexico W 31-24 vs. San Jose State
Next week: Open vs. New Mexico
THE COACHES
Category Air Force Colorado State
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun Jay Norvell
Alma Mater (Year): Air Force (1989) Iowa (1985)
School Record (Years): 131-87 (18th year) 11-19 (3rd year)
Career Record (Years): Same 44-45 (8th year)
Record vs. Opponent: 14-2 1-4
THE SERIES
• Air Force leads the overall series, 39-21-1, including a 28-15 mark in conference games.
• The Falcons are 22-11-1 at home and 17-10 at Colorado State.
• Air Force has won seven straight and 15 of the last 17 in the series.
• Air Force has won nine straight at Falcon Stadium dating back to 2002.
• Air Force and Colorado State did not play in 2020 due to COVID, snapping a streak of 42 consecutive years of games dating back to 1978.
• Air Force defeated Colorado State, 30-13, last season in Fort Collins.
• Air Force defeated Colorado State, 24-12, in 2022 in the last game in Falcon Stadium.
• The teams first played in 1957 in Colorado Springs, resulting in a 20-7 Colorado State win.
LAST SEASON
(Oct. 28, 2023) Air Force defeated Colorado State, 30-13, to record its seventh straight win in the series. Dane Kinamon and Zac Larrier connected on a nine-yard touchdown pass to give Air Force a 7-0 lead. The Rams answered with a Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Justus Ross-Simmons 61-yard TD pass to tie the game at 7-7. Colorado State took the lead on a 40-yard field goal. Bo Richter then responded with the defensive play of the game, recording a strip sack and fumble recovery that set up a John Lee Eldridge III 10-yard scoring run to put the Falcons in front 13-10. CSU added another field goal to tie the game at halftime. Larrier added a touchdown run and Matthew Depore a field goal to put the Falcons up 23-13 at the end of the third quarter. Emmanuel Michel iced it for the Falcons with a five-yard touchdown run with 8:51 remaining. Air Force had 293 total yards, including 261 rushing. Michel led the way with 130 yards and a score on 20 carries. The defense was led by Jalen Mergerson, who had a career-high 13 tackles. Trey Taylor added 10. The Falcons held Colorado State scoreless in the second half and to 339 total yards, including 42 rushing.
LAST TIME IN FALCON STADIUM
(Nov. 19, 2022) Air Force defeated Colorado State, 24-12, to win for the sixth straight time in the series and ninth straight time at home. The Falcons jumped to a 17-0 halftime lead behind touchdown runs from DeAndre Hughes and Brad Roberts and a 44-yard field goal by Matthew Dapore. John Lee Eldridge III added a touchdown run in the third quarter to make it 24-0, before Colorado State quarterback Clay Millen threw two touchdown passes to make up the final margin. Air Force rolled up 359 total yards, all rushing, and held the ball for 37:29. Roberts led the way, recording career highs of 37 carries for 184 yards and a score. Hughes added a season-high 72 yards and a score while Eldridge added 50 and a score. The Air Force defense was led by Vince Sanford, who had seven tackles and a career-high five tackles for loss, including four sacks. TD Blackmon added eight tackles. The Falcons held Colorado State to 244 total yards and just 22:31 in time of possession. Millen hit 19-of-24 passes for 179 yards and two touchdowns.
THE RAM-FALCON TROPHY
Air Force and Colorado State compete each year for the Ram-Falcon Trophy. The 2024 season marks 44th year of the trophy competition with Air Force holding a 28-15 lead following a 30-13 win in Fort Collins last season. The Falcons have won seven straight trophy titles. The trophy's origin is tracked back to Shelly Godkin, a former ROTC commander at Colorado State. He watched the teams play in 1978 and sought to translate his impressions into a trophy symbolic of an annual game. The first Ram-Falcon trophy game was in 1980.
AIR IS RARE
• Falcon Stadium has the second-highest elevation (6,621 ft) among FBS programs, trailing only Wyoming's War Memorial Stadium, which is at 7,220 ft.
• Four of the top five elevations belong to Mountain West schools. The MW also has the largest gap among FBS programs, as Hawaii's T.C. Ching Complex sets at just 18 ft. San Diego State's Snapdragon Stadium is just 46 ft, and San Jose State's CEFCU Stadium is at 82 ft.
Highest FBS Stadiums by elevation
# Team, Stadium Feet Above Sea Level
1. Wyoming, War Memorial Stadium 7,220 ft.
2. Air Force, Falcon Stadium 6,621 ft.
3. Colorado, Folsom Field 5,360 ft.
4. Colorado State, Canvas Stadium 5,004 ft.
5. New Mexico, University Stadium 5,100 ft.
AIR FORCE AT HOME
• Air Force is 77-27 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun.
• Air Force had a school-record 15-game winning streak from 2014 to Oct. 22, 2016.
• Air Force went 20-4 at home from 2014-17, posting the most wins in a four-year span, breaking the record of 19 set from 1982-85 and 1998-2001 when the program went 19-4.
• 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 have finished undefeated at home six times overall in school history, four coming under Calhoun.
Year Rec. Notes
2024 1-2 Two losses to teams that are 9-2 combined
2023 4-1 Air Force was 10-2 in 2022-23
2022 6-1 Matched program record for wins with six, fifth time with six under Calhoun
2021 4-2 Air Force .500 or better for 14th time under Calhoun
2020 2-1 Loss came to No. 25 Boise State
2019 6-0 Sixth undefeated season in program history, fourth under Calhoun
2018 4-2 Air Force posts four or more wins for ninth time in 12 seasons
2017 3-3 20 wins over four years is best four-year run in school history
2016 5-1 Air Force went 17-1 in 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 Air Force goes 14-5 from 2009-11
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 77-27
LAST WEEK
New Mexico defeated Air Force, 52-37, to snap a five-game losing streak in the series. Air Force forced a three-and-out on New Mexico's first possession, then added a Matthew Dapore 43-yard field goal to take a 3-0 lead. The Lobos then scored on seven consecutive possessions to roll to the win. Devon Dampier opened the scoring with a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Lobos the lead for good, 7-3, with 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter. The Lobos added a 79-yard punt return by Luke Wysong, the first allowed by Air Force since 2017. New Mexico finished with 434 total yards, including 255 rushing and 179 passing. Dampier rushed for 50 yards and two scores and hit 14-19 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Air Force had its best day of the year offensively, recording season highs in every category with 474 total yards, 325 rushing and 149 passing. Sophomore quarterback Quentin Hayes rushed for a career-high 103 yards and a touchdown in his first-career start. He also hit 4-7 passes for 79 yards. Terrence Gist added 54 yards on 13 carries. Backup quarterback Josh Johnson rushed for 49 yards and hit 2-4 passes for 70 yards and a touchdown.
LAST WEEK'S NOTES
Team Notes
• Air Force had season-high's in all offensive yardage categories with 474 yards of total offense, 325 yards rushing and 149 yards passing. The previous highs were 320 yards of total offense and 205 yards rushing vs. Wyoming. The previous high for passing was 115 yards against both Wyoming and Navy.
• Air Force scored a season-high 37 points. The previous high was 21 points vs. Merrimack in the season opener.
• Air Force scored 17 points in the first half which is a season high. The previous was 13 at Wyoming.
• Air Force had six more players make the first start of their career, bringing the season total to a nation-leading 36. The next closest is Troy with 20. First time starters in the game were sophomore OL Nathan Elwood, junior RB Tylor Latham, sophomore QB Quentin Hayes, sophomore DL Lukia Rawls, Jr., junior DL Daniel Grobe and sophomore ILB Dallas Daley.
• Air Force held time of possession for a season-high 35:59 minutes. Its previous high was 31:28 against Wyoming.
• Air Force game captains for the New Mexico game were seniors Camby Goff (DB) and Alex Moore (OL).
Individual Notes
• Sophomore QB Quentin Hayes made the first start of his career. He finished with career highs in every rushing category with 103 yards and his first-career touchdown on 18 carries. Hayes finished 4-of-7 passing for 79 yards and recorded a 40-plus yard completion for the second straight game. He is the first Falcon to surpass 100 yards rushing this season. The previous high was 71 yards by Cade Harris vs. Baylor. Hayes is the first Air Force quarterback to surpass 100 yards rushing since Zac Larrier ran for 111 yards against Wyoming last season.
• Sophomore QB Josh Johnson set a career high with 49 yards rushing on four carries. His previous high was 19 against Navy. Johnson had a career-long 42-yard rush, which is the longest run by a Falcon this season. Johnson was 2-for-4 passing for 70 yards and a touchdown, the first of his career. His 70 yards passing was a new career-high, surpassing his previous high of one completion for 18 yards against Navy.
• Junior WR Quinn Smith had three receptions for a career-high 82 yards. His previous high was 36 yards against San Jose State. Smith had a career-long 39-yard reception for his first-career touchdown.
• Junior FB Terrence Gist set career high with 54 yards rushing on 13 carries. His previous highs were 10 carries for 29 yards against Merrimack.
• Sophomore FB Kemper Hodges notched his first-career rushing touchdown.
• Junior TE Bruin Fleischmann recorded a career-long catch of 43 yards. His previous high was seven yards vs. Baylor earlier this season.
• Junior RB Tylor Latham recorded career highs in every rushing category with 36 yards rushing on eight carries and his first-career touchdown. His previous rushing high came vs. Baylor with three carries for six yards with a long of three.
• Sophomore DB Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner had a career-high eight tackles. His previous high was five tackles last year against San Jose State.
• Senior PK Matthew Dapore scored Air Force's first points with a 43-yard field goal in the first quarter. It was his 43rd career field goal, moving him into a tie for second-place all time at Air Force. He tallied seven total points in the game to move into fourth place all-time in scoring at Air Force with 241 career points. His four PAT's gave him 112 for his career, moving him into second place all-time.
Players Mentioned
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DB
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DE
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WR
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DB
/ FootballFootball Press Conference September 16, 2025
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Sunday, September 14
