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Air Force Vs.San Diego State
Sept.26, 2009
Team Notes
Team Notes
- Air Force uses game captains.The captains for the San Diego State game were seniors Ben Garland (DL) and Brandon Geyer (SPC) and juniors Jared Tew (RB) and Andre Morris (LB).
- Air Force improved to 3-1 to start the season for the third straight year under head coach Troy Calhoun.The Falcons improved to 2-0 in Mountain West Conference play for the second time in three years.
- Head Coach Troy Calhoun improved to 20-10 in two-plus years at Air Force.Calhoun improved to 13-5 in conference games, 11-3 at home and 3-0 vs.San Diego State.
- Air Force improved to 323-270-13 all-time in its 54th season of varsity football.The Falcons are 174-112-3 at home.
- Air Force improved to 39-37 as a member of the Mountain West Conference.The team is 23-15 at home.The Falcons are 69-55 overall since joining the MWC in 1999, including a 39-23 mark at home.
- Air Force improved to 19-9 all-time vs.San Diego State, including an 11-4 mark at home.The Falcons have won three straight and four of the last five in the series.
- Air Force extended its school-record consecutive games scoring streak to 198 games dating back to 1992.The streak is the fourth longest active streak in the country.The 198-game streak is the 15th longest in NCAA history.
- Air Force scored its third and fourth non-offensive touchdowns of the season vs.San Diego State.Reggie Rembert returned a fumble that was forced by Andre Morris, Jr., 47 yards for a touchdown.Anthony Wright returned an interception 47 yards for a touchdown.This is the first time the Falcons have posted two non-offensive scores since Army in 2006 when the team scored on a fumble return and a safety.The other scores this season have been by freshman linebacker Wale Lawal with a 10-yard fumble return for a score vs.Nicholls State and sophomore Jon Davis with a 38-yard interception return for a score vs.New Mexico.
- Air Force recorded four interceptions vs.San Diego State which ties as the fifth most in school history and is the most since intercepting four at Army in 2006.
- Air Force forced six turnovers (4 INT, 2 Fumbles) vs.San Diego State.The Falcons have forced two or more turnovers in 16 of its last 20 games.The Falcons are a +36 in turnover margin the last two-plus seasons.Air Force is +13 this season.
- Air Force has not allowed a point on the opponent's opening drive of the second half this season.The Falcons have forced a three-and-out on the drive in three of four games this season, including vs.San Diego State.
Individual Notes
- Sophomore QB Connor Dietz and junior TE Chaz Demerath each made the first start of their career.
- Junior DB Reggie Rembert scored the first touchdown of his career on a 47-yard fumble return in the first quarter.The fumble recovery is his first this season and third of his career.Rembert later added his first two interceptions of the season and now has five in his career.He also forced a fumble in the third quarter which is his first this season and third of his career.Rembert has 11 (5 INT, 3 FR, 3 FF) career turnovers and is the active career leader for the Falcons with his five interceptions.Rembert also finished the game with a team-high seven tackles.
- Junior LB Andre Morris, Jr., recorded his first-career forced fumble, which resulted in a touchdown in the first quarter.Morris, Jr.later recovered the first fumble of his career.The turnovers give him four (INT, 2 FF, FR) in his career.
- Sophomore WR Jonathan Warzeka recorded a career-long 44-yard reception in the first quarter.The reception led to a field goal to give Air Force a 10-0 lead.
- Sophomore SPC Erik Soderberg tied a school record with four field goals.Soderberg hit from 48, 41, 21 and 20 yards.He is the eighth player in school history to hit four field goals in a game and the first since Joey Ashcroft hit four vs.Army in 2002.Soderberg attempted a school-record six field goals.The previous record of five was set by five other players, most recently by Ashcroft vs.Army in 2003.Soderberg's 48-yard field goal is the longest of his career.He has hit at least one field goal in every game this season and has now kicked seven in the last two games.
- Senior DB Chris Thomas recorded his first interception of the season and fourth of his career.The turnover is his second this season and 13th (4 INT, 6 FR, 3 FF) of his career.
- Freshman LB Alex Means recorded the first quarterback sack of his career.He added his first-career pass breakup on the very next play in the second quarter.
- Senior DL Ben Garland recorded 1.5 tackles for loss this season.Garland has 14.0 tackles for loss for his career which is the most among active Falcons.
- Sophomore DB Anthony Wright recorded his first-career touchdown with a 47-yard interception return in the third quarter.The interception is his second this season and third of his career.
- Junior RB Savier Stephens rushed for a career-high 71 yards to lead the Falcons.Stephens also recorded a career-long run of 26 yards.His previous highs came vs.Southern Utah last season with 62 yards and a 23-yard run.
- Junior RB Jared Tew recorded season highs with 23 rushes and 68 yards.
POST GAME QUOTES
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun
"Because of penalties, we just left way too many points out there on the field.There were just so many more points to be had.But we didn't turn it over, and then what we did was created a bunch [of turnovers]."
"Everything we asked [Connor Dietz] to do, he did a quality job with.It's the guy's first start as a sophomore.He's gonna be a good player, too.He still made a few plays on his feet, and what was good, [our offense] could kind of piggyback off the turnovers we [caused], which we did today, significantly."
On not playing Tim Jefferson:
"The only guys we're going to play are guys that can go full-speed.If a guy has any kind of hold back at all, then he can't play for us on that particular day.We're a team where you just can't have any built-in explanations.If a guy's a little bit hesitant at all, then that's not what [we want].We're going to have 11 guys out there that can go full tilt.""This morning [we decided to start Dietz].Yet by and large, we felt throughout the week there was a very good chance that it was going to be Connor, and he was going to start and play, and he was going to be the one who was going to play quarterback for us this week."
" [Tim Jefferson] could have played, I just didn't think he was going to be full-throttle.And for us at the Academy, our guys have to have smoke blowing out of their ears and playing like their hair is on fire.That's every single position.If you can't, you're not going to play for us.If there's any reservation at all, you don't play."
"[Reggie Rembert] played really well.I think both those corners (Rembert and Anthony Wright, Jr.) are two pretty good corners we've got out there.When they came here, the thing we wanted to [emphasize is that] if you're good at corner, what flexibility that you have and the way you can do anything you want on defense and the dual role they also have on the return games.They're a threat, especially with punt returns.Those guys, it's been a couple weeks in a row.They're athletic, they're smart, they like contact, they're quick, they're winners."
"Those two guys (Rembert and Wright) bring sport to your entire team, because they're playmakers.Our first year we had guys that played their hearts out, and we had one guy that was a playmaker, and that was Chad Hall.If we'll get where we have more and more playmakers, you're going to be in every game.That's the way we want to build our program.That's no different than last week, when Jon Davis had two picks.Over the next eight games, every team we play could end up being a bowl contender.We're going to play well, we're going to play a lot better than we did today."
San Diego State head coach Brady Hoke
"Obviously the game wasn't what we wanted.Offensively we made way too many mistakes turning the ball over and you can't win when you do that, and then when you get the ball back for your offense, you're not playing team football.We've got to do a better job, we still can't run the ball at all and that's a disappointment.Anthony (Miller) had one or two good runs in there, but we've got to be more consistent and we've got to take care of the football.You have no rhythm as a team when you don't do those things."
On Ryan Lindley's performance
"I think it's one of his better performances.I think he stood in there a couple of times with the rush in his face and tried to throw the football."On Air Force's rushing game controlling the clock
"I think they always try to control the clock.Besides the drive at the end of the first half with the two quarterback draw plays, I thought our kids did a nice job against them.We couldn't get a first down so it was hard to control the clock."
