Saturday, November 8
San Jose, CA
4:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
at
San Jose State
Game 9: Air Force (2-6, 1-4 MW) vs. San Jose State (3-5, 2-2 MW)
11/3/2025 9:45:00 AM | Football
09.Air Force at San Jose State ReleaseGAME 9 11 08 25 AF combined (1)2025 MWFB Weekly Release Week 11
Saturday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. PT, CEFCU Stadium (18,265), San Jose, CA
Game 9: Air Force (2-6, 1-4 MW) vs. San Jose State (3-5, 2-2 MW)
Saturday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. PT, CEFCU Stadium (18,265), San Jose, CA
THE GAME
• Air Force plays three of its last four regular season games on the road. This week begins back-to-back road games at San Jose State, Nov. 8, and at UConn, Nov. 15. The Falcons are 0-3 on the road this season.
• Air Force and San Jose State are meeting for the ninth time, all as conference foes. The Falcons are 5-3 overall, including a 3-1 mark at home and 2-2 mark in San Jose. The teams have split the last four games, each winning once on the road.
• Air Force extended the nation's longest active streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing games to 93 with 174 yards vs. Army. No other team in the country has a streak longer than 45 games.
• Air Force has won the time of possession battle in four straight games and seven of eight games this season. Air Force had it for 34:04 last week vs. Army, including 13:35 in the third quarter.
THE SERIES
• Air Force and San Jose State are meeting for the ninth time, all as conference foes.
• Air Force is 5-3 overall, including a 3-1 mark at home and 2-2 mark in San Jose.
• The teams have split the last four games, each winning once on the road.
• Air Force has the longest winning streak in the series, winning three straight from 2015-19.
• Air Force defeated San Jose State, 45-20, in 2023 in the last meeting in San Jose.
• San Jose State defeated Air Force, 17-7, last season in Falcon Stadium.
• The teams first played in 1996 at Air Force, resulting in a 45-0 victory by the Falcons.
LAST MEETING
(Sept. 7, 2024) 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 had 197 total yards. Harris led the way with 50 yards rushing and a score on eight carries.
LAST TIME IN SAN JOSE
(Sept. 22, 2023) Air Force defeated San Jose State, 45-20, in San Jose to improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Mountain West play. The Falcons overcame a 20-10 first-half deficit to increase its win streak to nine straight dating back to 2022. The Spartans opened the scoring with Chevan Cordeiro touchdown run, but a missed extra point made it 6-0. Reagan Tubbs hit a 30-yard field goal in his first-career attempt to cut the lead to 6-3. Emmanuel Michel scored the first of his career-best three touchdowns on a 17-yard run to make it 10-6. Kairee Robinson added two touchdown runs to put the Spartans up, 20-10. Michel closed the half with his second touchdown run to cut the lead to 20-17 at the half. The second half was all-Air Force. John Lee Eldridge III scored from five yards out on Air Force's opening drive to put the Falcons in front for good, 24-20. Following a three-and-out, Michel scored his third touchdown to make it 31-20 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The Falcons had the ball for 14:10 of the third quarter, running 24 plays to SJSU's three. Eldridge III added his second touchdown of the game while Jet Harris closed the scoring with a touchdown run to make up the final margin. Air Force finished with 428 total yards, including 400 rushing. Michel led the way with 33 carries for 148 yards while Eldridge III chipped in with 102 yards on 10 carries. The defense held San Jose State to 354 total yards, including just eight in the third quarter and 80 in the second half. Trey Taylor led the way with eight tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception. Alec Mock added six tackles and a forced fumble.
LOOKING AT SAN JOSE STATE
• San Jose State is 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain West. The Spartans defeated Hawaii, 45-38, last week in San Jose.
• San Jose State is coached by Ken Niumatalolo, who is in his second season. The coach is no stranger to Air Force, having served as Navy head coach from 2002-22. One of the most respected head coaches in the country, Niumatalolo has additional experience against Air Force, having served as an assistant coach at UNLV and his alma mater, Hawaii.
FALCONS FROM CALIFORNIA
California is the second-most populated state on the Air Force roster. The Falcons have 13 players from the state:
3-Matt Long, WR, Folsom
15-Brody Fortunati, QB, Vacaville
16-Jet Wiley, DB, Sacramento
19-Grant Wayne, WR, Murrieta
20-Owen Chambers, WR, Dana Point
22-Ehimen Oyamendan, DB, La Crescenta
43-Travis Wood, FB, Rancho Santa Margarita
49-Curt Chesney, LS, Aliso Viejo
58-JT Tarascio, OL, Riverside
62-Jack Burnett, OL, San Francisco
73-Brandon Nazworth, OL, Folsom
81-Jonah Dawson, WR, Rancho Cucamonga
96-Payton Zdroik, NG, Brentwood
AN AIR FORCE WIN WOULD...
• Air Force would improve the Falcons to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in MW play.
• Air Force would improve to 6-3 overall vs. San Jose State, including a 3-2 mark in San Jose.
• Air Force would win its second straight on the road in the series.
LAST WEEK
Dawson Jones kicked a 27-yard field as time expired to lift Army to a 20-17 win over Air Force in Falcon Stadium. The win is Army's third straight over the Falcons. Reagan Tubbs got the Falcons on the board with a career-long 52-yard field goal in the first quarter. Cale Hellums hit Noah Short for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give Army a 7-3 lead. Jones added a field goal in the second quarter to give Army a 10-3 halftime lead. Liam Szarka scored the first of his two touchdowns to tie the score at 10-10 as time expired in the third quarter. Szarka put the Falcons in front with a two-yard touchdown run with 1:26 remaining. Hellum hit Brady Anderson with a 42-yard pass to set up the game-winning field goal. Hellum rushed for 98 yards and a score and hit 5-9 passes for 102 yards and a score to lead Army. Szarka rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on a career-best 29 carries. He hit 13-17 passes for 161 yards. Army had 295 total yards while Air Force had 335. Blake Fletcher led the Air Force defense with nine tackles.
LAST WEEK'S GAME NOTES
Team Notes
• The attendance of 39,441 is a season high and a sellout. The sellout is the first since the Navy (39,441) game last season.
• Air Force has started the same offensive line in every game this season (LT Trevor Tate, LG Alec Falk, OC, Costen Cooley, RG Jack Burnett, RT Nathan Elwood). The Falcons are one of just 11 teams nationally to do so. The teams: Air Force, Duke, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Old Dominion, Oregon, San Diego State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UAB
• Air Force extended the nation's longest active streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing games to 93 with 174 yards vs. Army.
• Air Force has hit 66 straight extra points dating back to the Colorado State in 2023.
• Air Force won the time of possession battle for the seventh time this season, holding the ball for 34:04, including a 13:35 mark in the third quarter.
• Air Force game captains were Cade Harris (WR), Coston Cooley (OC), Bruin Fleischmann (TE) and Payton Zdroik (DL).
Individual Notes
• Sophomore QB Liam Szarka rushed for 91 yards on a career-high 29 carries. Szarka scored two rushing touchdowns, giving him 11 on the season. Szarka was 13-for-17 passing for 161 yards and two interceptions. His 13 completions tied a career-high, also done against Boise State.
• Senior WR Cade Harris rushed for 53 yards on 10 carries. He also had 44 yards on six catches. Harris finished with 98 all-purpose yards.
• Senior PK Reagan Tubbs kicked a career long 52-yard field goal in the first quarter to put the Falcons ahead, 3-0. The 52-yard field goal is the longest by a Falcon since Matthew Dapore's 54-yarder vs. Colorado in 2022. Tubbs' field goal ties as the 19th longest in program history.
• Senior TE Bruin Fleischmann recorded one catch for 21 yards. He has caught a pass in all eight games this season, the longest streak by a tight end in the Troy Calhoun era (2007).
• Sophomore WR Jonah Dawson recorded a career-high four catches for a game-high 67 yards. His previous high for catches was three against UNLV. He has at least one catch in all four games he's played in this season.
• Senior NG Payton Zdroik recorded five tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. He has had a tackle for loss/sack in four of the last five games. Zdroik also had one quarterback hurry.
• Junior LB Blake Fletcher led the team in tackles for the fifth time this season with nine.
• Junior ILB Dallas Daley tied a career-high with seven tackles for the third consecutive game. Daley also had 0.5 tackles for loss.
• Sophomore CB Korey Johnson had a career-high six tackles and four assisted tackles. His previous high was five tackles and three assisted against Boise State.
• Senior punter Luke Freer punted twice for a 41.0 yard average. Freer had a long punt of 48 yards and put one inside the 20.
Saturday, Nov. 8, 3 p.m. PT, CEFCU Stadium (18,265), San Jose, CA
THE GAME
• Air Force plays three of its last four regular season games on the road. This week begins back-to-back road games at San Jose State, Nov. 8, and at UConn, Nov. 15. The Falcons are 0-3 on the road this season.
• Air Force and San Jose State are meeting for the ninth time, all as conference foes. The Falcons are 5-3 overall, including a 3-1 mark at home and 2-2 mark in San Jose. The teams have split the last four games, each winning once on the road.
• Air Force extended the nation's longest active streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing games to 93 with 174 yards vs. Army. No other team in the country has a streak longer than 45 games.
• Air Force has won the time of possession battle in four straight games and seven of eight games this season. Air Force had it for 34:04 last week vs. Army, including 13:35 in the third quarter.
THE SERIES
• Air Force and San Jose State are meeting for the ninth time, all as conference foes.
• Air Force is 5-3 overall, including a 3-1 mark at home and 2-2 mark in San Jose.
• The teams have split the last four games, each winning once on the road.
• Air Force has the longest winning streak in the series, winning three straight from 2015-19.
• Air Force defeated San Jose State, 45-20, in 2023 in the last meeting in San Jose.
• San Jose State defeated Air Force, 17-7, last season in Falcon Stadium.
• The teams first played in 1996 at Air Force, resulting in a 45-0 victory by the Falcons.
LAST MEETING
(Sept. 7, 2024) 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 had 197 total yards. Harris led the way with 50 yards rushing and a score on eight carries.
LAST TIME IN SAN JOSE
(Sept. 22, 2023) Air Force defeated San Jose State, 45-20, in San Jose to improve to 4-0 overall and 2-0 in Mountain West play. The Falcons overcame a 20-10 first-half deficit to increase its win streak to nine straight dating back to 2022. The Spartans opened the scoring with Chevan Cordeiro touchdown run, but a missed extra point made it 6-0. Reagan Tubbs hit a 30-yard field goal in his first-career attempt to cut the lead to 6-3. Emmanuel Michel scored the first of his career-best three touchdowns on a 17-yard run to make it 10-6. Kairee Robinson added two touchdown runs to put the Spartans up, 20-10. Michel closed the half with his second touchdown run to cut the lead to 20-17 at the half. The second half was all-Air Force. John Lee Eldridge III scored from five yards out on Air Force's opening drive to put the Falcons in front for good, 24-20. Following a three-and-out, Michel scored his third touchdown to make it 31-20 in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter. The Falcons had the ball for 14:10 of the third quarter, running 24 plays to SJSU's three. Eldridge III added his second touchdown of the game while Jet Harris closed the scoring with a touchdown run to make up the final margin. Air Force finished with 428 total yards, including 400 rushing. Michel led the way with 33 carries for 148 yards while Eldridge III chipped in with 102 yards on 10 carries. The defense held San Jose State to 354 total yards, including just eight in the third quarter and 80 in the second half. Trey Taylor led the way with eight tackles, a tackle for loss and an interception. Alec Mock added six tackles and a forced fumble.
LOOKING AT SAN JOSE STATE
• San Jose State is 3-5 overall and 2-2 in the Mountain West. The Spartans defeated Hawaii, 45-38, last week in San Jose.
• San Jose State is coached by Ken Niumatalolo, who is in his second season. The coach is no stranger to Air Force, having served as Navy head coach from 2002-22. One of the most respected head coaches in the country, Niumatalolo has additional experience against Air Force, having served as an assistant coach at UNLV and his alma mater, Hawaii.
FALCONS FROM CALIFORNIA
California is the second-most populated state on the Air Force roster. The Falcons have 13 players from the state:
3-Matt Long, WR, Folsom
15-Brody Fortunati, QB, Vacaville
16-Jet Wiley, DB, Sacramento
19-Grant Wayne, WR, Murrieta
20-Owen Chambers, WR, Dana Point
22-Ehimen Oyamendan, DB, La Crescenta
43-Travis Wood, FB, Rancho Santa Margarita
49-Curt Chesney, LS, Aliso Viejo
58-JT Tarascio, OL, Riverside
62-Jack Burnett, OL, San Francisco
73-Brandon Nazworth, OL, Folsom
81-Jonah Dawson, WR, Rancho Cucamonga
96-Payton Zdroik, NG, Brentwood
AN AIR FORCE WIN WOULD...
• Air Force would improve the Falcons to 3-6 overall and 2-4 in MW play.
• Air Force would improve to 6-3 overall vs. San Jose State, including a 3-2 mark in San Jose.
• Air Force would win its second straight on the road in the series.
LAST WEEK
Dawson Jones kicked a 27-yard field as time expired to lift Army to a 20-17 win over Air Force in Falcon Stadium. The win is Army's third straight over the Falcons. Reagan Tubbs got the Falcons on the board with a career-long 52-yard field goal in the first quarter. Cale Hellums hit Noah Short for a 40-yard touchdown pass to give Army a 7-3 lead. Jones added a field goal in the second quarter to give Army a 10-3 halftime lead. Liam Szarka scored the first of his two touchdowns to tie the score at 10-10 as time expired in the third quarter. Szarka put the Falcons in front with a two-yard touchdown run with 1:26 remaining. Hellum hit Brady Anderson with a 42-yard pass to set up the game-winning field goal. Hellum rushed for 98 yards and a score and hit 5-9 passes for 102 yards and a score to lead Army. Szarka rushed for 91 yards and two touchdowns on a career-best 29 carries. He hit 13-17 passes for 161 yards. Army had 295 total yards while Air Force had 335. Blake Fletcher led the Air Force defense with nine tackles.
LAST WEEK'S GAME NOTES
Team Notes
• The attendance of 39,441 is a season high and a sellout. The sellout is the first since the Navy (39,441) game last season.
• Air Force has started the same offensive line in every game this season (LT Trevor Tate, LG Alec Falk, OC, Costen Cooley, RG Jack Burnett, RT Nathan Elwood). The Falcons are one of just 11 teams nationally to do so. The teams: Air Force, Duke, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Old Dominion, Oregon, San Diego State, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, UAB
• Air Force extended the nation's longest active streak of consecutive 100-yard rushing games to 93 with 174 yards vs. Army.
• Air Force has hit 66 straight extra points dating back to the Colorado State in 2023.
• Air Force won the time of possession battle for the seventh time this season, holding the ball for 34:04, including a 13:35 mark in the third quarter.
• Air Force game captains were Cade Harris (WR), Coston Cooley (OC), Bruin Fleischmann (TE) and Payton Zdroik (DL).
Individual Notes
• Sophomore QB Liam Szarka rushed for 91 yards on a career-high 29 carries. Szarka scored two rushing touchdowns, giving him 11 on the season. Szarka was 13-for-17 passing for 161 yards and two interceptions. His 13 completions tied a career-high, also done against Boise State.
• Senior WR Cade Harris rushed for 53 yards on 10 carries. He also had 44 yards on six catches. Harris finished with 98 all-purpose yards.
• Senior PK Reagan Tubbs kicked a career long 52-yard field goal in the first quarter to put the Falcons ahead, 3-0. The 52-yard field goal is the longest by a Falcon since Matthew Dapore's 54-yarder vs. Colorado in 2022. Tubbs' field goal ties as the 19th longest in program history.
• Senior TE Bruin Fleischmann recorded one catch for 21 yards. He has caught a pass in all eight games this season, the longest streak by a tight end in the Troy Calhoun era (2007).
• Sophomore WR Jonah Dawson recorded a career-high four catches for a game-high 67 yards. His previous high for catches was three against UNLV. He has at least one catch in all four games he's played in this season.
• Senior NG Payton Zdroik recorded five tackles and 0.5 tackles for loss. He has had a tackle for loss/sack in four of the last five games. Zdroik also had one quarterback hurry.
• Junior LB Blake Fletcher led the team in tackles for the fifth time this season with nine.
• Junior ILB Dallas Daley tied a career-high with seven tackles for the third consecutive game. Daley also had 0.5 tackles for loss.
• Sophomore CB Korey Johnson had a career-high six tackles and four assisted tackles. His previous high was five tackles and three assisted against Boise State.
• Senior punter Luke Freer punted twice for a 41.0 yard average. Freer had a long punt of 48 yards and put one inside the 20.
Players Mentioned
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DL
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