
Game 3: Air Force (1-1, 0-1 MW) vs. Baylor (1-1, 0-0 Big 12)
9/9/2024 9:18:00 AM | Football
03.Air Force vs. BaylorBU FB Game Notes AF PRELIM RUNDigital Game Program2024 mwfb weekly release week 32024 NFFCC Week 2 091024
Saturday, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m. CT, McLane Stadium (45,140), Waco, TX
Game 3: Air Force (1-1, 0-1 MW) vs. Baylor (1-1, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m. CT, McLane Stadium (45,140), Waco, TX
FALCONS
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Website: GoAirForceFalcons.com
Conference: Mountain West
2023 Record: 9-4 (5-3/4th)
BEARS
Location: Waco, TX
Website: BaylorBears.com
Conference: Big 12
2023 Record: 3-9 (2-7/T11th)
THE GAME
• Air Force and Baylor will meet for the fifth time...Baylor leads the series, 3-1, including a 2-0 mark at home.
• The teams last played in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, resulting in the lone Air Force victory in the series, 30-15. The game marked the only neutral site meeting in the series and first in a bowl game.
• Air Force has won five straight games vs. teams from autonomy conferences...the Falcons have a 9-12 record vs. A-conference teams since 2003.
THE MATCHUP
Category Air Force Baylor
Current Streak: L 1 L 1
Rankings (Coaches/AP) : --/-- --/--
Last week: L 17-7 vs. San Jose St. L 23-12 at #12/13 Utah
Next week: Open at Colorado (9/21)
THE COACHES
Category Air Force Baylor
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun Dave Aranda
Alma Mater (Year): Air Force (1989) Cal Lutheran (1999)
School Record (Years): 131-79 (18th year) 24-25 (4th year)
Career Record (Years): Same Same
Record vs. Opponent: 1-0 0-1
THE SERIES
• Air Force and Baylor will meet for the fifth time.
• Baylor leads the series, 3-1, including a 2-0 mark at home.
• The teams last played in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, resulting in the lone Air Force victory in the series, 30-15. The game marked the only neutral site meeting in the series and first in a bowl game.
• The teams are meeting for the first time in the regular season since 1977 in Waco, Texas, which resulted in a 28-7 Baylor win.
• This week's game begins a two-game series with Baylor. The Bears visit Falcon Stadium Sept. 18, 2027.
Air Force-Baylor Series
11-18-61 - Baylor 31-7 (A)
11-17-62 - Baylor 10-3 (H)
10-22-77 - Baylor 28-7 (A)
12-22-22 - AF 30-15 (N)*
(Site) is for AF
* - Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, Texas
LAST MEETING
(Dec. 22, 2022) Air Force defeated Baylor, 30-15, in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. Air Force jumped to a 9-0 lead behind a touchdown from Brad Roberts and a 37-yard field goal from Matthew Dapore. Baylor closed the to 9-7 at the half with the first of two touchdown passes from Blake Sharpen. Air Force quarterback Haaziq Daniels rushed for a touchdown and hit Caleb Rillos with a touchdown pass in the third quarter to push the Falcons lead to 23-7. Roberts added his second touchdown to push the lead to 30-7 early in the fourth. Sharpen thew his second touchdown pass and a two-point conversion made up the final margin. Air Force finished with 379 total yards, including 276 rushing. Roberts led the way with 116 yards and two scores on a career-best 37 carries. Daniels added 81 yards rushing and hit 4-7 passes for 103 yards and a score. Air Force held a 40:03-19:57 mark in time of possession and was 8-16 on third down. The defense was outstanding, holding Baylor to just 11 first downs, 230 total yards and an 0-11 mark on third downs. Jayden Goodwin led the way with nine tackles while Payton Zdroik added four tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
AIR FORCE VS. POWER 5 TEAMS
• Air Force has won five straight games vs. teams from Power 5 conferences.
• Air Force has a 9-12 record vs. P-5 teams since 2003. The Falcons are 1-2 at home and 8-10 on the road/neutral.
• Air Force is 7-9 under head coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons are 1-1 at home and 6-8 on the road/neutral sites.
• Baylor is the first Power 5 team Air Force has played in the regular season since hosting Colorado, Sept. 10, 2022, in Falcon Stadium.
• Air Force's win at Colorado in 2019 was its first win over a Power 5 conference team since beating Georgia Tech, 14-7, in the 2010 Independence Bowl Dec. 27, 2010.
AIR FORCE VS. THE BIG 12
• Air Force is 7-16-1 all-time against teams in the Big 12 at the time of the game.
• Air Force won its last meeting vs. the conference, defeating Baylor, 30-15, in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. The win was the first against the conference since 1983 vs. Texas Tech, a 28-13 win in Falcon Stadium.
• The Baylor win snapped a two-game losing streak to the Big 12.
AIR FORCE VS. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
• Air Force is 53-28 against non-conference opponents under head coach Troy Calhoun.
o The Falcons are 32-4 at home, 11-17 on the road and 10-7 in neutral site games.
• Air Force is 1-0 this season and is 14-2 over the last four seasons vs. non-conferences foes.
LAST WEEK
San Jose State defeated Air Force, 17-7, in Falcon Stadium in the Mountain West opener for both schools. The Spartans opened the scoring on their first drive when Emmett Brown hit Nick Nash with an 18-yard scoring toss to make it 7-0. Air Force answered later in the first quarter. Following an interception by Jerome Gaillard, Jr., Cade Harris scored on a six yard run to make it 7-7. San Jose State answered with Brown's second touchdown pass, a 58-yard strike to Jackson Canaan to make it 14-7. The defenses took over from there and the only other score was a 34 yard field goal from Kyler Halvorsen with 8:25 remaining to make up the final margin. San Jose State finished with 312 total yards. Brown hit 17-32 passes for 262 yards and two scores. Air Force 197 total yards. Harris led the way with 50 yards rushing and a score on eight carries.
LAST WEEK'S GAME NOTES
Team Notes
• Three Falcons made their first career starts: DB Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner, TB Kaden Cloud and TB Aiden Calvert
• Air Force game captains were Jamari Bellami, Camby Goff, Alex Moore and James Tomasi.
Individual Notes
• Senior DB Jerome Gaillard, Jr., recorded the first interception of his career. The INT is the first by this season by the Falcons.
• Junior WR Cade Harris scored his third touchdown of the season. Harris recorded career highs with eight carries for 50 yards. He also matched his career high with two receptions.
• Junior P Luke Freer's 72-yard punt is a career long and is tied as the 12th longest in school history. It is the longest since Charlie Scott also had a 72-yarder vs. Utah State in 2017. Freer's previous career long was 54 yards vs. Merrimack.
• Sophomore DB Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner recorded the first sack of his career.
• Junior DB Levi Brown had a career-high five tackles. His previous high was three vs. Merrimack.
• Senior LB Osaro Aihie had a career-high seven tackles. His previous high was five vs. Merrimack.
• Senior DL James Tomasi had a career-high four tackles.
• Senior LB Grant Uyl had a career-high seven tackles. His previous high was six vs. Merrimack.
• Senior DB Trey Williams had a career-high seven tackles. His previous high was six vs. UNLV last season.
• Sophomore FB Roman Bradley, in his first collegiate game, had career highs of 13 carries and 39 yards.
• Sophomore RB Rocco Conti, in his first collegiate game, had career highs of three carries and 12 yards.
• Junior Payton Zdroik has had a sack in back-to-back games. He has a tackle for loss in five straight games and in 16 of the 22 games he has played.
Saturday, Sept. 14, 6:30 p.m. CT, McLane Stadium (45,140), Waco, TX
FALCONS
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
Website: GoAirForceFalcons.com
Conference: Mountain West
2023 Record: 9-4 (5-3/4th)
BEARS
Location: Waco, TX
Website: BaylorBears.com
Conference: Big 12
2023 Record: 3-9 (2-7/T11th)
THE GAME
• Air Force and Baylor will meet for the fifth time...Baylor leads the series, 3-1, including a 2-0 mark at home.
• The teams last played in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, resulting in the lone Air Force victory in the series, 30-15. The game marked the only neutral site meeting in the series and first in a bowl game.
• Air Force has won five straight games vs. teams from autonomy conferences...the Falcons have a 9-12 record vs. A-conference teams since 2003.
THE MATCHUP
Category Air Force Baylor
Current Streak: L 1 L 1
Rankings (Coaches/AP) : --/-- --/--
Last week: L 17-7 vs. San Jose St. L 23-12 at #12/13 Utah
Next week: Open at Colorado (9/21)
THE COACHES
Category Air Force Baylor
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun Dave Aranda
Alma Mater (Year): Air Force (1989) Cal Lutheran (1999)
School Record (Years): 131-79 (18th year) 24-25 (4th year)
Career Record (Years): Same Same
Record vs. Opponent: 1-0 0-1
THE SERIES
• Air Force and Baylor will meet for the fifth time.
• Baylor leads the series, 3-1, including a 2-0 mark at home.
• The teams last played in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, resulting in the lone Air Force victory in the series, 30-15. The game marked the only neutral site meeting in the series and first in a bowl game.
• The teams are meeting for the first time in the regular season since 1977 in Waco, Texas, which resulted in a 28-7 Baylor win.
• This week's game begins a two-game series with Baylor. The Bears visit Falcon Stadium Sept. 18, 2027.
Air Force-Baylor Series
11-18-61 - Baylor 31-7 (A)
11-17-62 - Baylor 10-3 (H)
10-22-77 - Baylor 28-7 (A)
12-22-22 - AF 30-15 (N)*
(Site) is for AF
* - Armed Forces Bowl, Fort Worth, Texas
LAST MEETING
(Dec. 22, 2022) Air Force defeated Baylor, 30-15, in the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. Air Force jumped to a 9-0 lead behind a touchdown from Brad Roberts and a 37-yard field goal from Matthew Dapore. Baylor closed the to 9-7 at the half with the first of two touchdown passes from Blake Sharpen. Air Force quarterback Haaziq Daniels rushed for a touchdown and hit Caleb Rillos with a touchdown pass in the third quarter to push the Falcons lead to 23-7. Roberts added his second touchdown to push the lead to 30-7 early in the fourth. Sharpen thew his second touchdown pass and a two-point conversion made up the final margin. Air Force finished with 379 total yards, including 276 rushing. Roberts led the way with 116 yards and two scores on a career-best 37 carries. Daniels added 81 yards rushing and hit 4-7 passes for 103 yards and a score. Air Force held a 40:03-19:57 mark in time of possession and was 8-16 on third down. The defense was outstanding, holding Baylor to just 11 first downs, 230 total yards and an 0-11 mark on third downs. Jayden Goodwin led the way with nine tackles while Payton Zdroik added four tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
AIR FORCE VS. POWER 5 TEAMS
• Air Force has won five straight games vs. teams from Power 5 conferences.
• Air Force has a 9-12 record vs. P-5 teams since 2003. The Falcons are 1-2 at home and 8-10 on the road/neutral.
• Air Force is 7-9 under head coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons are 1-1 at home and 6-8 on the road/neutral sites.
• Baylor is the first Power 5 team Air Force has played in the regular season since hosting Colorado, Sept. 10, 2022, in Falcon Stadium.
• Air Force's win at Colorado in 2019 was its first win over a Power 5 conference team since beating Georgia Tech, 14-7, in the 2010 Independence Bowl Dec. 27, 2010.
AIR FORCE VS. THE BIG 12
• Air Force is 7-16-1 all-time against teams in the Big 12 at the time of the game.
• Air Force won its last meeting vs. the conference, defeating Baylor, 30-15, in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas. The win was the first against the conference since 1983 vs. Texas Tech, a 28-13 win in Falcon Stadium.
• The Baylor win snapped a two-game losing streak to the Big 12.
AIR FORCE VS. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
• Air Force is 53-28 against non-conference opponents under head coach Troy Calhoun.
o The Falcons are 32-4 at home, 11-17 on the road and 10-7 in neutral site games.
• Air Force is 1-0 this season and is 14-2 over the last four seasons vs. non-conferences foes.
LAST WEEK
San Jose State defeated Air Force, 17-7, in Falcon Stadium in the Mountain West opener for both schools. The Spartans opened the scoring on their first drive when Emmett Brown hit Nick Nash with an 18-yard scoring toss to make it 7-0. Air Force answered later in the first quarter. Following an interception by Jerome Gaillard, Jr., Cade Harris scored on a six yard run to make it 7-7. San Jose State answered with Brown's second touchdown pass, a 58-yard strike to Jackson Canaan to make it 14-7. The defenses took over from there and the only other score was a 34 yard field goal from Kyler Halvorsen with 8:25 remaining to make up the final margin. San Jose State finished with 312 total yards. Brown hit 17-32 passes for 262 yards and two scores. Air Force 197 total yards. Harris led the way with 50 yards rushing and a score on eight carries.
LAST WEEK'S GAME NOTES
Team Notes
• Three Falcons made their first career starts: DB Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner, TB Kaden Cloud and TB Aiden Calvert
• Air Force game captains were Jamari Bellami, Camby Goff, Alex Moore and James Tomasi.
Individual Notes
• Senior DB Jerome Gaillard, Jr., recorded the first interception of his career. The INT is the first by this season by the Falcons.
• Junior WR Cade Harris scored his third touchdown of the season. Harris recorded career highs with eight carries for 50 yards. He also matched his career high with two receptions.
• Junior P Luke Freer's 72-yard punt is a career long and is tied as the 12th longest in school history. It is the longest since Charlie Scott also had a 72-yarder vs. Utah State in 2017. Freer's previous career long was 54 yards vs. Merrimack.
• Sophomore DB Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner recorded the first sack of his career.
• Junior DB Levi Brown had a career-high five tackles. His previous high was three vs. Merrimack.
• Senior LB Osaro Aihie had a career-high seven tackles. His previous high was five vs. Merrimack.
• Senior DL James Tomasi had a career-high four tackles.
• Senior LB Grant Uyl had a career-high seven tackles. His previous high was six vs. Merrimack.
• Senior DB Trey Williams had a career-high seven tackles. His previous high was six vs. UNLV last season.
• Sophomore FB Roman Bradley, in his first collegiate game, had career highs of 13 carries and 39 yards.
• Sophomore RB Rocco Conti, in his first collegiate game, had career highs of three carries and 12 yards.
• Junior Payton Zdroik has had a sack in back-to-back games. He has a tackle for loss in five straight games and in 16 of the 22 games he has played.
Players Mentioned
Air Force vs. Bucknell - All Falcon Touchdowns
Monday, December 29
Falcons take care of Colorado State in Fort Collins
Monday, December 01
Troy Calhoun and Players Interview post Colorado State
Friday, November 28
Football Press Conference - November 25th, 2025
Tuesday, November 25


























