It’s been a tough go of it for Troy Calhoun and Air Force. After an unprecedented run of success the wheels finally have come off this season, with Air Force entering Saturday’s game against Notre Dame a hard luck 1-6.
It’s been a mixed bag of mostly bad for Air Force, a toxic mix of injuries, lack of depth, a tough schedule and some really heartbreaking losses. One of those came last week against San Diego State, when the Aztecs scored a touchdown in the game’s final 100 seconds to complete a fourth quarter rally. The Falcons managed to lose to Nevada in a similar manner, with former Irish assistant Brian Polian’s squad finally taking the lead with under two minutes to go as well.
Covering it all for the Colorado Springs Gazette has been Brent Briggeman. Brent was kind enough to get some really thoughtful answers to my questions, helping to get all of us prepared for Saturday afternoon’s game at the Air Force Academy.
Enjoy.
1. This Air Force team has already lost as many regular season games as they did last year. What gives? Difficult schedule? Tough luck? 14 graduated starters?
As you would probably expect, it’s been a combination of all of these things. Injuries and a suspension have decimated the team at the quarterback position, but the more serious problems have come on the defensive side. Speedy quarterbacks from Utah State and Wyoming were able to pick apart the inexperienced secondary by running into open spaces if the defensive backs stayed in coverage or hitting open receivers if the d-backs broke coverage to step forward in run support.
In between those games was a trip to Boise State, where the Broncos took all the underneath routes that Air Force was giving them by playing off the line of scrimmage and then the Broncos used their superior athletes to provide yards after the catch. Those three games put a cloud over everything and have clearly damaged the confidence of the defense and it has subsequently folded down the stretch in the past three games in allowing second-half leads to slip away. Luck hasn’t helped, as typically sure-handed receivers have dropped passes at key times and injuries have particularly hurt and already thin defensive line. Still, change two plays and the team is 3-4 despite all its woes, which isn’t all that bad for a service academy in a down year.
2. We’ll get to the prolific rushing offense in a second, but what exactly is going on at the quarterback position? Four quarterbacks have gotten opportunities to win the job. Where do things stand heading into the weekend?
Two quarterbacks battled for the job in spring with the fleet-footed Kale Pearson winning the job over Jaleel Awini, a strong-armed replica of Duante Culpepper. Pearson was then lost for the season in the first half of the opener and Awini committed an unspecified violation that dropped him from good standing as a cadet and left him unable to represent the academy in intercollegiate athletics. That left it to third-stringer Karson Roberts, a sophomore who ran for 160 yards at Nevada in his first start but has struggled since then. Roberts left the most recent game with a first-quarter concussion and freshman Nate Romine -- who watched the opener from the stands -- was thrust into action. Romine seems to have a more diversified skill set, but he’s new to the triple-option and just two months removed from basic training. Roberts returned to practice on Monday and figures to stay in the starting role, but any hint of a return of his symptoms would put Romine back under center.
3. The defense on the other hand has given up over 37 points a game, good for 112th in the country. They’ve coughed up a couple late leads, too. There is young, but inexperienced talent on this defense. Are they up for the challenge or a Tommy Rees led passing attack or an Andrew Hendrix ground-and-pound game?
Air Force’s players are just happy that their choices consist of a passer OR a runner and not a combination of the two, as dual-threat types have shredded this defense. Rees and a passing game could open the door for big plays either in the form of sacks or interceptions, and the Falcons will clearly need some big plays. A Hendrix-led offense would be more likely to take care of the ball and force Air Force to go toe-to-toe and win a traditional scrum. Notre Dame would have to like the odds if that were the case.
4. The ground game seems like a constant. What kind of challenge will they be for a Notre Dame defense that is finally hitting its stride.
If Karson Roberts plays, Notre Dame will have to defend the traditional triple option. The first option is speedy, large fullback Broam Hart, who has shown he can have impact with the ball in his hands. Roberts would be the second option, and he’s shown a slippery ability to find a few more yards than most plays seem to present for him. The tailbacks, Jon Lee and Anthony LaCoste, both have breakaway speed. The whole of the attack is greater than the sum of its parts when it’s working because the speed at which it is executed is faster than most teams can simulate in practice.
5. Troy Calhoun has done a great job at Air Force, but the Falcons do seem to be on a downward trend. He’s seven years into his tenure in Colorado Springs. Where does Calhoun stand right now?
Calhoun remains as secure as any coach in the nation after taking the team to six consecutive bowl games - an almost unheard of feat at a service academy that plays in a competitive conference - and there’s a strong chance that even with a loss on Saturday the Falcons could close on a four-game winning streak because of the layout of the schedule and cruise in with four or five wins in a down season. That’s not going to set off any alarms. However, there’s certainly some unrest with the defensive schemes after the past few seasons. If change isn’t seen in that regard in a hurry, there may be a strong call for new personnel on his staff. Part of the issues with the program stem from some thin numbers in the upper classes that have resulted from some players who either couldn’t make it at the academy or decided it wasn’t for them. There’s always going to be some attrition, but those classes seem to have been decimated more than most and the lack of veterans has been a major hindrance for the team - even if the talent of the younger guys does provide hope for the future.
***
You can read more of Brent’s stuff at the Colorado Springs Gazette. You can also follow him on Twitter @BrentBriggeman.