Air Force Football

While I'm not a big believer in moral victories, the Air Force Falcons came about as close as you can to achieving one in pushing Oklahoma to the brink in their 27-24 loss in Norman. 

I felt going into the game that Air Force needed to be the beneficiary of a couple breaks to pull off the upset on Oklahoma's home turf.  The closest they got to a break was a muffed snap that disrupted one potential Sooner drive.  That wasn't enough. 

But, the Falcons played very well on both sides of the ball throughout the game.  In fact, the difference in the game was on special teams, with Oklahoma gaining good field position due to several good returns and kicking errors, while Air Force consistently had to drive most of the length of the field.

While this loss will sting, the Falcons have to feel good about their ability to compete the rest of the way.  Texas Christian may be even better than Oklahoma and they also have tough draws against Utah and a Navy team that typically matches up well.

Here are my quick thoughts on the game:

Troy Calhoun has returned the Falcons to where they spent most of the 80s and 90s before they started to flounder.  They are a very good team who can play with just about anybody, especially early in the season.  They are disciplined, surprising fast, and resilient.

This is one of the most dangerous Air Force offenses that they've fielded.  The big three of the offense is quarterback Tim Jefferson, halfback Asher Clark, and fullback Jared Tew.

Tew was particularly impressive against Oklahoma in pounding out tough yards against the middle of their defense.

These guys are very hard to stop, as witnessed by the 351 yards they amassed on the ground against an elite and very fast defense. 

But, the offense also is much better in the passing game than most Air Force teams, as the Falcons converted first downs through the air on several third and long situations.

Unless I miscounted, the Air Force offense only had one three-and-out the entire game, consistently eating up yards against a very fast and talented Oklahoma defense, a defense that is consistently one of the stingiest in the nation against the run. 

Their ability to control time of possession enabled the defense to stay fresh throughout the game.

Oklahoma's superb linebacker Travis Lewis paid the ultimate tribute to the Air Force offense, saying after the game, "I never want to see this kind of offense again.  I love Coach Stoops and the way he schedules our nonconference, the tough ones.  But not this one." 

I suspect plenty of Oklahoma defenders, who frequently found themselves flat on their backs following open-field blocks, would agree.

The only other defense Air Force will see that is in the same caliber as Oklahoma's defense is Texas Christian, so expect these Falcons to put up a lot of yards, and points, throughout the rest of the season.

Air Force's defense did a stellar job of containing what I believe is a very good Oklahoma offense.  Except for one drive in the third quarter that started in excellent field position, the Falcons gave up very few big plays down the field and forced Oklahoma to earn every yard. 

The secondary did an excellent job of controlling the damage from Oklahoma's dangerous passing game.  Ryan Broyles certainly did his damage, but it could have been a lot worse. 

Broyles is one impressive receiver, quick as lightning with the ability to switch direction on a dime, and I expect he will one day star on Sundays.  

Sill, most of the Oklahoma passing damage was done by quick passes underneath and screens. 

The pass rush also did a decent job of keeping Landry Jones off rhythm.  While the Falcons' defenders only recorded two sacks, they got close enough to Jones throughout the game to prevent him from getting into a groove.

Considering the size they were giving up, the defense held in there well against the Oklahoma ground game.  Like Broyles, DeMarco Murray did his damage.  But, he was forced to earn every yard. 

I was a bit surprised that Oklahoma did not pound the ball a little more aggressively in the middle portion of the game considering their size advantage, especially considering how effective that strategy was on the opening drive.  

Even with the loss, Air Force likely gained national respect, and with a solid win over Wyoming, has the potential to climb into the rankings. 

At this point, they have to be considered a serious threat in the Mountain West Conference.   They are the Mountain West team with the greatest potential to upset TCU, who they also have the misfortune to draw on the road.

Wyoming is now a potential trap game for Air Force.  The Falcons are coming off a heartbreaking loss against a national title contender and will be heavy favorites against the marginal Cowboys. 

Calhoun will have his work cut out for him to ensure the Falcons don't dwell on the loss and bounce back in time for the conference match-up. 

Following the Wyoming game, the Falcons are facing a make-or-break October with four very good opponents on the docket. 

They play rival Navy, an improving San Diego State team that pushed Missouri to the brink, Utah, and TCU during what will be a very tough month of football.

During my freshman year at the Air Force Academy in 1991, the Air Force Falcons featured an outstanding All American cornerback, Carlton McDonald.   

We used to call him "Mr. 50-50" because he was so aggressive in going after the ball. It seemed like half the passes thrown at him resulted in interceptions, many returned for touchdowns, while the other half resulted in big plays for the offense since he had taken himself out of the play going for the interception.  But there was no denying that he was incredibly exciting to watch.

Carlton McDonald aside, cornerback has traditionally been one of the weakest positions for the Falcons because of the elite athleticism required to play the position.  On some very good Falcons teams, cornerback was their Achilles' heel. 

This challenge is compounded in an often pass-happy conference that typically features several elite wide receivers.

But, for this year's team, that traditional weakness is one of its biggest strengths. 

The Falcons defense features two outstanding cornerbacks, the best pair of corners in a conference that is home to a legitimate national championship contender.

Reggie Rembert and Anthony Wright are the best cornerback duo to play at Air Force in recent memory and one of the best duos in the country.

They were first-team preseason All-Mountain West picks and they were the leaders of a secondary that sparked their defense to pick off Heisman trophy candidate Case Keenum six times in their final game of last season against Houston.

They are also one of the main reasons that Air Force has been so good at winning the turnover battle and stand a legitimate shot of knocking off Oklahoma on Saturday.

The two cornerbacks, who are also friends, have a healthy competition going between themselves. Last year, Wright led the conference with seven interceptions, including two that were returned for touchdowns.  Rembert picked off three passes but one-upped Wright when he was named First-Team All-MWC to Wright's second team honor. 

Air Force feared it had lost Rembert for the season when he was knocked unconscious in the opener, suffering a mild concussion. When he woke up and found himself in the ambulance, his biggest concern was getting back on the football field.

Luckily for the Falcons, he was back by the next game, helping the defense to smother BYU’s vaunted offense, holding them to 88 yards passing.

In the past, Air Force has relied on schemes to try to cover up deficiencies in their secondary when playing elite passing schemes.

Their first priority has been keeping the other offense off the field with their ball control offense that eats up the clock. Against BYU last week, two offensive drives essentially eliminated a quarter from the game, significantly reducing the time the Falcons' defenders had to match up against BYU and keeping them fresh.

BYU was never able to get in sync as an offense after the first quarter and finished with one of their worst passing days in the school’s history.

Air Force’s second priority has always been to bring a lot of pressure with their linebackers, relying on disguised blitzes coming from all angles.  While the secondary has traditionally been weak, the team has almost always featured an excellent linebacker corps with undersized linebackers who can get after the quarterback in a hurry.

This has typically set up a race against time to see if their pressure can get to the quarterback before receivers run wide open all over the field.

Even the best cornerbacks cannot cover an elite receiver forever, but in Air Force’s case, this has been even more pronounced, setting up mismatches that were easy to exploit if the pass rush wavered at all.

In games against better teams, where the pass rush was not able to almost immediately disrupt the passing game, the defense has floundered. But, their current secondary is superb in coverage, allowing much more room for error in their pass rush.

Rembert and Wright would be the starting corners on many of the nation’s best teams and they are joined by a solid pair of safeties in Jon Davis and Brian Lindsay.

Oklahoma threw at will on Florida State, relying heavily on screen passes that completely bewildered the Seminoles. By the time the game was over, they had racked on nearly 400 yards through the air while finding the end zone four times in the 47-17 demolition.

This sets up the key defensive match-up for Saturday’s game if Air Force is to pull off the upset. That matchup is the Air Force secondary against Oklahoma’s receivers and quarterback Landry Jones.

Will they be able to stop speedster, Ryan Broyles, and a deep Oklahoma receiving corps? Can they record a couple interceptions that give Air Force the nod in the turnover battle?

Can they, along with the rest of the defense, find a way to blow up the screens that so tormented the Seminoles?

If they can win that matchup and answer these questions positively, the Falcons have a legitimate chance of shocking the college football universe on Saturday.

And while Rembert and Wright are mostly unknown outside the Mountain West Conference, that may change on Saturday.

The Air Force Falcons manhandled one of their most bitter rivals, the BYU Cougars, on Saturday to send them packing from the Mountain West Conference and set the stage for an even bigger game this Saturday at Oklahoma.

While the inter-service academy rivalry to win the Commander-in-Chief’s trophy is certainly very important, no team has had as much consistent success against Air Force as Brigham Young, and the schools and the players relish the rivalry.

While Navy has emerged as a top rival in recent years, BYU has been a key rival for decades.

I hope the rivalry survives Brigham Young’s move to independence, even though I suspect it won’t, as both programs are classy and there is plenty of respect between the players and coaches.

The big win by Air Force sets up a huge showdown in Norman with the Oklahoma Sooners, who are coming off a 47-17 shellacking of the Florida State Seminoles in a game that was actually even more one-sided than that lopsided score. This is a game that will likely sail under the radar, but it has the potential to result in a monumental upset.

Here are 10 reasons why.

10. Oklahoma looked like a national title contender on Saturday. But the week before, they barely survived against the Aggies, and we are not talking Texas A&M.

That would be the Utah State Aggies, the team that most people don’t even realize is a Division I school. It was a game in which they appeared to be sleepwalking at times.

The vaunted Aggies dropped 24 points on the Sooners and came away with a one-touchdown loss.

So, which is the true Oklahoma? I’m guessing the powerhouse that schooled the Seminoles is much closer to reality, and I doubt they will overlook Air Force after the BYU thrashing.

At the very least, though, they have shown that they have a C-game in them, and if they bring anywhere close to the kind of effort and lack of execution they displayed against Utah State against the Falcons, they will not survive it.

9. Oklahoma sees the type of offense Air Force runs once every blue moon and never to the same level of execution. Gone are the days of old when Nebraska ran a similar option attack to perfection. Big 12 schools rely much more on precision passing games and brute force.

If you don’t get a chance to practice against a multidimensional option attack, there will be an adjustment period. No practice squad can simulate the kind of speed, blocking schemes, and precision that the Sooners will see on Saturday.

8. Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson. This kid is special and comes with a ton of experience. He brings back memories of other dangerous Air Force quarterbacks such as Dee Dowis, Beau Morgan, and Chance Harridge, all of whom engineered major upsets for the Falcons.

At this point in his career, he may be even better than Morgan and Harridge, and he is surrounded by weapons.

Oklahoma has the elite athleticism to shut down the option, but if they fail to play assignment football, it may not matter.

7. It is still early in the season. Air Force is a very tough early season draw. All things being equal, teams are much better off playing them later in the season. As a relative measure, Air Force is best positioned for a monumental upset in the first few games of the season.

Why? Because they are a very disciplined and smart bunch of kids. They don’t tend to struggle with the same level of sloppy play and poor execution that plague most teams during the early going.

I watched plenty of marquee teams over the first couple weeks, and almost none of them were hitting on all cylinders, as sloppy turnovers and stupid penalties ruled most of the games.

Air Force would have been better off catching the Sooners in their opener, but all things being equal, catching them in Week 3 is better than catching them in Week 8, when they would stand little chance.

6. There is a second reason that Air Force is tough in the early season. Simply put: They are not worn down yet. The players are smaller, by far, than most of their opponents. Judging on size alone in the BYU matchup, it looked like a high school team playing a college team.

For a few reasons, they simply don’t recruit the behemoths that make up the core of most teams. Nobody comes to Air Force dreaming of one day playing in the pros, although a few players do make it to that level. They tend to recruit the tweeners, players that slip through the cracks.

By the end of the season, this disparity in size has started taking its toll. Add to that the brutal academic pressure that is kicking in for the players as the first semester starts winding down, and they are more likely to be the victims of an upset late in the season than the team inflicting one.

Air Force is fortunate this year to be catching all of their toughest opponents before the end of October, finishing with three relative lightweights during the toughest academic period.

5. Oklahoma is coming off a week where they were entirely focused on Florida State, meaning they were game-planning to stop a pass-heavy offense. This does not leave them much time to switch their focus entirely over to solving Air Force’s almost exclusively run-based offense, one of the best run-based offenses in the country.

Can they do it? Absolutely. Their defense is loaded with elite talent, players that will one day ply their wares in the NFL. But I have a hunch they will struggle in the first half while they adjust.

If Air Force can get off to a fast start, they’ll have a shot at holding on late.

4. This Air Force defense is playing very well, better than your average Falcons defense. They stymied BYU’s precision pass offense, essentially shutting them out for three quarters. While Oklahoma is probably a much better team than the inexperienced Cougars, the Falcons’ defense has at least shown the kind of discipline and ability to keep things interesting.

When the Falcons defenses of the past have struggled, it has typically been against strong passing teams, hence their relatively poor record against BYU.

This group appears much stronger in that area with some real talent throughout the secondary. They will have trouble with Oklahoma’s size and will be worn down by game’s end. But if they can hold strong early, they may give their offense the cushion they need to build a sustainable lead.

3. Oklahoma may be primed for a letdown after completely dismantling Florida State. No doubt Bob Stoops will spend the week trying to convince his squad that Air Force is the second coming of Tommy Frazier and his merry band of Cornhuskers.

However, he’ll have a hard time convincing his players that Air Force is a threat, especially after they hear how great they are all week leading up to the game. They’ll also already be looking forward to the Texas showdown, which is a couple weeks away following a road trip to Cincinnati.

2. Air Force coach Troy Calhoun will have no problem focusing his Falcons on this game. This is their big shot to really make a statement.

While they play TCU, who may potentially be an even better team, later in the year and also have a date with Utah, neither of these teams commands anywhere close to the national recognition of Oklahoma.

Calhoun will have the Falcons convinced they can win this one, and they will treat this like their Super Bowl.

Whenever anyone talks about the Mountain West, they usually mention the big three at the top of the division: TCU, Utah, and BYU. Air Force wins this one and they’ll be added to that group, which is a powerful motivator.

1. Possession time. Air Force is a ball control offense. If they can execute to perfection, Oklahoma will have far fewer opportunities to score. More importantly, they will have trouble getting in sync as an offense. This is one reason why BYU struggled so mightily on offense. When you are stuck on the sideline watching much of the game, it is hard to get back in rhythm when you finally get on the field.

The history of this early season has been one of mind-numbing upsets, as the level of separation between the elite teams and those from smaller conferences is closing at least a little bit. While those upsets will become less frequent as the season progresses and teams have worked out the kinks, I suspect we’ll see at least one more major upset this week.

Looking at the games, this one has as much potential to be that upset as any other.

My prediction: Air Force surprises Oklahoma early and takes a 14-point lead into the half and holds on late to shock the Sooners faithful with a one-point win. Air Force 28, Oklahoma 27.

The Air Force Falcons have never beaten Bronco Mendenhall as a head coach. Mendenhall and the Cougars are a perfect 5-0 against the Academy since Mendenhall took over the reigns in Provo in 2005.

The all-time series has been dominated by BYU with the Cougars holding a 24-6 edge.

In fact, the Falcons haven’t beaten the Cougars since 2003, a 24-10 victory over a lackluster 4-8 Gary Crowton-led team.

To put it another way, if the Cougars get the win in Colorado Springs this Saturday, it will mark the fourth consecutive Air Force senior class to go winless against BYU.

A large part of the Cougars’ success over the years has to do with their ability to contain the triple-option veer offense deployed by the Falcons.

Perhaps no team in the country has had more success against the option attack over the last three decades than BYU.

The key to the Cougars success lies in their many years of experience seeing the offense, their disciplined approach, their preparation during the week leading up to the game, and the execution of their assignments on the field.

When defending the Falcons there are five things a defense must handle well.

1) Cut Blocks

The first thing defenders must do is to keep the Falcon blockers off their legs. The undersized players at Air Force are notorious for going for the legs of their opponents in an effort to chop bigger, more athletic defenders down to the turf.

The block is legal and the the Falcons take full advantage of the rules. Their use of the cut block is the main reason that Air Force opponents hate playing the Falcons.

BYU coaches do a great job of preparing their players for the tactic and few teams are better at dealing with it. The key is in anticipating the block and using one’s hand as leverage against a blocker trying to get into your legs, pushing a diving blocker into the ground.

2) Stop the Fullback

On running plays the Falcon quarterback makes two reads. First he will read the defensive tackle and middle linebacker as the fullback goes through the line.

If the play is open he will give the ball to the fullback on a dive up the middle, if not he will keep the ball and continue down the line of scrimmage to his second read.

It is imperative to stop the fullback dive in the triple-option or its becomes a very long day for a defense. Anytime the Air Force fullback gets 100 or more yards rushing, the Falcons are virtually unstoppable.

BYU has consistently shut down the fullback over the years, forcing the quarterback to make reads and plays on the outside.

During the Mendenhall era, the Cougars have gotten great efforts from their nose tackle, who has the main responsibility to stuff the fullback in BYU’s 3-4 defensive alignment.

3) Tackle the Quarterback

The quarterback’s second read in the triple-option offense is the defensive end or, in some instances against BYU, the outside linebacker in the 3-4. The quarterback will read to see if that player pinches down or stays to the outside.

If there is a seam available the quarterback will keep the ball and cut it up field. If there is no opening, then he will pitch the ball to his running back on the outside.

Again the defensive end or linebacker must tackle the quarterback and force the pitch, otherwise a big play can result from the defense being stretched horizontally.

As a defense you also want to make the quarterback pay in this offense. Anytime you can get a hit on the quarterback you want to make good on it, as BYU did last year, knocking starting Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson out of the game.

4) Cover the Pitch Man

The final assignment to stopping the the triple-option lies with the BYU safeties. The safety to the side that the Falcons are running to is responsible to anticipate, just after the snap of the ball, where the pitch man will be and get there to stop him.

The responsibility falls to the safeties because the Falcons typically try to engage the corners with their receivers as blockers, or run them off in pass patterns.

BYU’s safety play against the option has been stellar over the years, and with a big hitter like Andrew Rich in the defensive backfield, the pitch man can tend to start looking up field to see where Rich is, rather than keeping his eye on the ball.

5) Be Aware Of the Play Action Pass

The Air Force offense is essentially the same play run from various sets and with different men in motion. It can look confusing, but in the end its the same fullback, quarterback or pitch option.

The only real wrinkle in the Air Force offense is the play action pass, which can be a dangerous weapon, especially when the Falcons have a quarterback that can throw the ball with some accuracy, as they currently have in junior Tim Jefferson.

Jefferson has completed 56 percent of his passes in his career for 1,682 yards and 12 touchdowns. Many of the scores have come on big pass plays over the top of a defensive secondary that has been lulled asleep by constantly pressing the line of scrimmage against the run.

The Falcons run their play action off the option. Jefferson will typically fake to the fullback then slide down the line of scrimmage as usual, only to then fade back and try to hit a receiver, usually deep over the middle.

The Falcons will typically run this play to the side of the free safety, forcing the strong safety to cover the deep middle of the field.

The statistics show what a good job the Cougars have done over the past six years, holding Air Force to just 211 yards rushing per game, well below their average, and just 337 total yards per contest.

BYU has defeated the the Falcons during that span by an average score of 40.5 to 21.7.

This season the Cougars bring a talented but less experienced defensive front seven into Colorado Springs. How disciplined and assignment sound these less experienced players are will determine to a large degree if the Cougars can push their winning streak against the Falcons to seven games.

For more insight on stopping the Falcons’ offense, check out articles from years past from Quinn and Markell under the “Air Force Week” category.

The Mountain West Conference released its 2010 football schedule last week, completing Air Force’s slate.

Here it is:

Date      Opponent, time
Sept. 4   vs. Northwestern State, noon
Sept. 11  vs. BYU, 2 p.m.
Sept. 18  at Oklahoma, TBD
Sept. 25  at Wyoming, noon
Oct. 2    vs. Navy, 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 9    vs. Colorado State, noon
Oct. 16   at San Diego State, 6 p.m.
Oct. 23   at TCU, 6 p.m.
Oct. 30   vs. Utah, 5:30 p.m.
Nov. 6    at Army, 10 a.m.
Nov. 13   vs. New Mexico, 4 p.m.
Nov. 18   at UNLV, 8 p.m. (Thursday night)
Note: All times Mountain

Five thoughts on the schedule:

1) For the second year in a row (and third time in four seasons) Air Force will not have a bye week.

That's not ideal, but the Falcons have handled it well in recent years. With no byes, Air Force went 9-3 in 2007 and 7-5 in 2009. And the Falcons did better in the second halves of both those seasons (5-1 in ’07 and 4-2 in ’09).

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun actually doesn’t mind playing 12 straight because it gives his team a chance to finish before Thanksgiving and get home for a break that week.

Also, I’ve always thought that at a place like the academy—where routine and schedule are such a part of the culture—a bye that interrupts the season could do more harm than good. The only time Air Force has had a bye since Troy Calhoun has been here was in 2008. The Falcons lost their first game after the week off.

2) Lots of people don’t like Calhoun’s annual warm-up game against a Division I-AA patsy.

But I’m not sure I can object to it this season, considering what the Falcons get the next four weeks:

-Home against BYU, a team that has beaten Air Force six times in a row (Cougars’ average margin of victory in that stretch: 18.8 points)
-At Oklahoma, only one of the nation’s perennial powers.
-At Wyoming, a team that is rapidly improving under Dave Christensen and always gives Air Force a tough, physical challenge.
-Home against arch rival Navy, a team that has beaten the Falcons seven times in a row.

There are high hopes for this Air Force team, and we’ll know pretty quickly if the Falcons will live up to those hopes.

3) Another tough stretch in late October when the Falcons play TCU in Fort Worth, where they’ve never beaten the Horned Frogs, and then return home to face Utah. The following week, it should be noted, the Falcons have to travel to the East Coast, where they’ll face Army in what’s always a physical game.

4) Last season the Falcons got some teams with new coaches early—facing New Mexico and San Diego State in weeks three and four. And it always helps to play teams with new coaches early in the season before they've gotten their systems and schemes completely entrenched.

This season the lone team the Falcons play with a new coach is UNLV. And they don’t get the Rebels until the last week of the season.

5) Speaking of, it’s less than ideal to play a Thursday night game on the road—especially late. But at least Air Force plays at home the week before (cutting down on travel) and UNLV plays the week before too, so the Rebels won’t get extra time to prepare.

1. Falcons Begin Rebuilding Offensive Line

And it’s a big rebuilding job.

Air Force lost all five of its 2009 starters to graduation.

Clay Hendrix, the Falcons’ offensive line coach, is heading into his 23rd season as a college coach, but said, “I don’t know if I’ve ever had all five gone.”

Still, Hendrix is optimistic about his neophyte offensive line, and was encouraged by the progress it made during the Falcons’ spring practices, which concluded on Tuesday.

“I felt good about it,” Hendrix said. “We stayed relatively healthy, and we made a little progress each and every day.”

Hendrix said junior right tackle Chase Darden (6'3", 255 pounds), sophomore right guard A.J. Wallerstein (6'4", 285 pounds), sophomore center Michael Hester (6'3", 240 pounds), and freshman left tackle Jason Kons (6'4", 250 pounds) established themselves as starters heading into the fall, while junior Tyler Schonsheck (6'1", 265 pounds) holds a slight lead over freshman Nick Jackson (6'4", 270 pounds) at left guard.

Among those who saw the most time with the backups were junior tackle Alex Arndt (6'4", 255 pounds), freshman guard Jordan Eason (6'3", 275 pounds), sophomore center Jeffrey Benson (6'0", 265 pounds), and freshman tackle Chase Douglass (6'6", 265 pounds).

The linemen clearly lack game experience, as only Wallerstein has logged substantial snaps. But Hendrix notes that most of the projected starters played last season with the second-team offense, which gets about as many snaps in practice as the Falcons’ starting unit.

In addition, Hendrix said he has more depth this year, something that can only lead to increased competition. Additionally, he stated that these linemen have “longer bodies and move around a little better...We’re getting a little more talented.”

Also helping, Hendrix said, will be the talent in the backfield. Starting tailback Asher Clark and starting fullback Jared Tew are proven vets, and freshmen tailbacks Cody Getz and Darius Jones both turned heads in the spring.

“I’ve had offensive lines over the years where we blocked the heck out of people and still gained three yards,” Hendrix said. “Now we have some playmakers. We still want to block people, but now we feel like we don’t have to knock everybody down.”

2. Gardner Emerges

Other than rebuilding its offensive line, Air Force’s most pressing concern heading into spring practices was replacing standout nose tackle Ben Garland, who in 2009 made a team-high 10.5 tackles for losses. He also consistently freed up linebackers by gobbling up space and blockers.

Despite the loss of Garland, the Falcons seem to have found a replacement in sophomore Ryan Gardner.

“Ryan Gardner had a very good spring,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “He’s not near the size that Ben Garland was, but he’s got good quickness, and he’s got very good flexibility in his knees and his hips. He uses his hands exceptionally well, and he’s going to be a good player these next two years.”

3. LBs on the IR

Air Force appeared precariously thin at linebacker during the spring. Inside linebacker Ken Lamendola, who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the fifth game of the 2009 season, had another knee surgery and missed all the spring sessions—he was watching from a wheel chair at one of the practices.

Inside linebacker Brady Amack missed time after spraining an MCL. And outside linebackers Patrick Hennessey (shoulder) and Alex Means (foot), both of whom started games in 2009, missed all of spring while recovering from injuries.

“We had some guys that missed some reps that really probably could have benefited by going through more spring ball,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to find guys that are dependable and durable.”

4. No Verdict at Punter

The competition to replace outgoing punter Brandon Geyer remains wide open. The top candidates appear to be junior Keil Bartholomew, sophomore Air Academy graduate Andrew Heard, and freshman kicker Danny Compton, who added punting to his duties in the spring.

“There are times where one day one guy punts real well and then he might disappear for a day,” Calhoun said. “So we still have a few guys that are going to battle for the punt spot, and that’ll go for a while.”

5. Dietz Improves Passing

Sophomore quarterback Connor Dietz took snaps with the first team offense as sophomore Tim Jefferson, who was recovering from knee surgery, was mostly held out of practices. Dietz showed off an improved passing ability during the spring.

Calhoun said the quarterback’s release was quicker, and his accuracy was. slightly better. “It’s got to be much better,” Calhoun said. Calhoun also said Dietz’s passes had more velocity.

6. Backups Continue to Improve

Several players who spent 2009 in backup roles made strides in the spring. Among them: junior tight end Chaz Demerath, sophomore cornerback Josh Hall, freshman strong safety Brian Lindsay, and a trio of defensive ends—junior Wylie Wikstrom, sophomore Ben Kopacka, and sophomore Zach Payne.

Air Force opens its Spring Practice sessions this Thursday.

So, technically, I guess they’re “Winter Practice” sessions.

Regardless, here are the top five questions facing the Falcons as they get started:

1) Who will start on the offensive line?

Air Force returns both quarterbacks who started games in 2009, six of its top seven receivers and every player who gained yards for the nation’s third-ranked rushing attack (283.5 yards per game).

But who’s going to block for them?

The offensive line that paved the way for the Falcons in 2009 was comprised of five seniors (and starting tight end Sean Quintana was a senior, too). Sophomore A.J. Wallerstein is the only returning linemen who saw much time last season (he played about 30-40 snaps a game), so competition for starting spots will be “pretty wide open,” coach Troy Calhoun said.

Competing for time at center will be sophomores Michael Hester and Jeffrey Benson; at guard, in addition to Wallerstein, will be sophomore Kevin Whitt and juniors Tyler Schonsheck and Bradley Connor (moved from the defensive line); and at tackle, juniors Chase Darden and Alex Arndt will get chances along with sophomore Blake Dowd and freshman Jason Kons.

“We’ve got good bodies there, and they’re guys that like football, too,” Calhoun said. “They’re guys that love to lift, that like to practice and that’s why spring ball’s going to be key for them.”

2) Can the defense fill some big shoes?

On and off the field.

Air Force’s 2009 defense was one of the best in academy history. But the Falcons will have to replace several key players who are set to graduate, including nose guard Ben Garland (team-high 10.5 tackles for losses), three-year starting safety Chris Thomas and inside linebackers John Falgout and Justin Moore, the 2009 team’s top two tacklers.

The Falcons also lost defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. Matt Wallerstedt has been promoted to defensive coordinator. Calhoun said he thought the transition would be fairly seamless.

3) Who replaces Brandon Geyer?

One of the more unsung yet key players for the Falcons in recent seasons was Geyer.

He was near-perfect for three seasons as Air Force’s holder and in 2009 was a field position-altering weapon as a punter, averaging 43.0 yards per boot with the kind of hang time that allowed Air Force’s coverage unit to swarm returners. Of his 48 punts, 17 pinned opponents inside their 20-yard lines.

Now the Falcons have to find someone else to handle those thankless jobs. Junior Keil Bartholomew will be one of the candidates to take over as the Falcons’ punter after serving as Geyer’s backup in 2009. But Calhoun said the punting competition is “wide, wide open.”

One player who could get a shot at punting is Ben Cochran, a reserve quarterback in 2009 who will be playing safety in the spring. Cochran might be Air Force’s holder, too. He was the backup holder in 2009.

4) How much will Jefferson participate?

Sophomore quarterback Tim Jefferson had surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee on Jan. 27 after playing with the injury for almost the entire 2009 season. Jefferson said his rehabilitation is going well and he has close to full range-of-motion. But he could be “a little bit limited,” Calhoun said, in the spring.

If Jefferson cannot play, look for sophomore quarterback Connor Dietz to take snaps with the starters and freshmen Justin Smith and Tucker Tipton to play with the reserves.

5) Which freshmen will emerge?

In the spring of 2008, then-freshman Kevin Fogler went from unknown junior varsity player to the surprise of spring drills. And there are several freshmen who could emerge and make that kind of leap this spring. Among them: Diminutive tailbacks Cody Getz and Darius Jones; safety Brian Lindsay; inside linebackers James Chambers and Brian Corcoran.

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun continues to value quality over quantity in his recruiting.

The Falcons in the past had brought in large numbers of players because they were not bound by scholarship limits and figured they’d lose players who decided they didn’t like the military lifestyle or couldn’t handle the rigors of academy life.

But when Calhoun took over he noticed that the Falcons’ retention of its official-visit recruits was extremely poor. So he changed the recruiting philosophy. Air Force would do far more research up front and take fewer players – but ones who were more likely to stay.

“We’re a lot more selective,” Calhoun said. “We’re building a better rapport with kids and evaluating them a little earlier in the process.”

His fourth recruiting class is his smallest since he’s been the head coach at his alma mater.

“Every year it’s smaller and smaller,” he said. “But I think the quality has increased.”

Air Force recruits do not sign binding letters of intent like players heading to other schools because of the on-going academy admissions process. Because of that process, the academy does not release a list of recruits until they arrive on campus in the fall, and coaches cannot comment on rheir recruits.

But based on those players who have verbally committed to play at Air Force—or signed non-binding Certificates of Intent, the Falcons have put together another solid group.

This season’s class contains the typical bumper crop of players from Texas, where Air Force deploys three assistant coaches (Jemal Singleton, Ron Burton and Blane Morgan) to recruit. About a third of the Falcons’ approximately 40-player class (Air Force recruits for both the varsity team and its prep school squad) hails from the Lone Star State.

While Air Force also did well in traditionally fertile states Georgia and Ohio, it picked up some high-quality prospects from both Arizona and Washington.

From Arizona, Air Force landed linebacker Austin Arias (Peoria/Centennial High) and offensive tackle Jacob Ehm (Scottsdale/Chaparral High), both of whom are listed as three-star recruits by Scout.com, and tight end Sean Craig (Tucson/Salpointe Catholic) who is listed as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com.

Nearly all the remaining players in Air Force’s class are listed as one— or two—star recruits.

From Washington, the Falcons picked up a pair of linebackers—Riley Carr (Mill Creek/Jackson High), a four-year starter, and Seth Kline (Yakima/Eisenhower High), a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.com—all-state running back Anthony Meray (Spanway/Bethel High), who rushed for 2,003 yards as a senior, and guard Jake Welch, another four-year starter and all-state selection.

Air Force also will bring in a pair of top players from Colorado—Heritage quarterback Mitch Griebel, the 4A Player of the Year, who led Littleton to a state title, and Greeley West defensive tackle A.J. Frieler, a Denver Post All-Colorado selection.

Calhoun said the academy did not lose any commitments after defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter left to take the same job at Texas A&M. Assistant Tony Sampson took over recruiting DeRuyter’s territory in California.

A common thread among the Falcon recruits is they were team leaders and often team captains for their high school teams. That’s not by accident.

“We’re very, very thorough when it comes to the character part of it,” Calhoun said. “We will talk to trainers, counselors, principles, teachers in addition to the coach. Every single person with whom we interact has got to tell us, 'This is as good a kid as we’ve ever had at this school.' And be pretty emphatic."

The Mountain West continues to dominate this bowl season, with the Air Force Falcons crushing the Houston Cougars of Conference USA 47-20.

Houston came into the game on the heels of one of their most successful seasons in recent years, sporting a 10-3 record.  The Cougars, who spent a fair portion of the year ranked in the top twenty five, boasted wins against Big 12 Oklahoma State and Texas Tech , and a vaunted offensive attack led by quarterback Casey Keenum .

Air Force, however, exploited the achilles heal of the Cougar team...poor defense.  The Falcon ground orientated attack accumulated a whopping 563 yards, 402 of them on the ground.  Starting with their first drive, which ended in a touchdown, Air Force basically moved the ball at will. 

On defense, Air Force also shut down the Cougars, holding their high scoring attack to only two field goals on their way to a 24-6 half time lead, and accumulating 6 interceptions during the game.

The second half began with an exchange of touchdown kick off returns; Houston's Tyron Carrier took back the opening kick back 79 yards.  Any momentum gained from this was extinguished a few moments later, however, as Air Forces Jonathan Warzeka took back the ensuing kick 100 yards to score for the Falcons. 

Houston did manage to move the ball a bit better in the second half, responding with their only touchdown drive of the game to cut the lead to 31-20. 

The Air Forces offense then responded and took control, scoring the last 17 points of the game and keeping the Cougars off the field for long stretches at a time.

The Mountain West now improves to 4-0 in bowl games, with previous victories of Wyoming over Fresno State , Utah over California , and BYU over Oregon State . 

This also improves the bowl record of the regular season opponents of the Mountain West's remaining bowl team, TCU , to an amazing 6-0 (TCU's out of conference foes SMU and Clemson also won their respective bowl games). 

This should be some fat to chew on for those who claim that the Mountain West is a weak conference, and that TCU's schedule was lacking in challenge this year. 

With Air Force's Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl victory over Houston on New Years Eve, the Mountain West Conference moves to 4-0 in bowl play this year, also thanks to wins by Wyoming, Utah and BYU.

With one bowl game left to play this season, the Mountain West Conference has a chance to truly show the BCS how legitimate the league of nine is, as long as TCU can take care of business against Boise State in the Fiesta Bowl. And TCU must get the job done in order help the MWC's case.

What makes the 2009 bowl season so much more important than last year? The Mountain West, along with the other non-BCS conferences, are more or less all trying out for their shot at an automatic BCS bid. This evaluation process started in 2008 and last through the 2011 season.

While the evaluation process is the same this season as it was last, what has changed is the spotlight, mainly because Utah's Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama in 2008 and the fact the MWC has hired a lobbyist in Washington DC to help the league's case.

But things got even more interesting on New Years Eve when Air Force embarrassed the Houston Cougars 47-20.

This is the second straight season the Mountain West has sent five teams to bowl games, but with the exception of Utah's upset over Alabama, the MWC had a mediocre showing going 3-2 overall with TCU playing craps with poor clock management against Boise State in the SDCCU Poinsettia Bowl, but were lucky to come up "winner seven."

Air Forces victory guaranteed that the Mountain West will at least go 4-1 in bowl games this season and opening the door for TCU to take the conference to a perfect 5-0, helping to strengthen the case that the BCS can't leave out one of the nation's best football conferences any longer.

Mountain West Conference in 2009 Bowl Games:

New Mexico Bowl (MWC vs. WAC):

Wyoming (7-6): 35
Fresno State (8-5): 28

Las Vegas Bowl (MWC vs. Pac-10):

BYU (11-2): 44
Oregon State (8-5): 20

Poinsettia Bowl (MWC vs. Pac-10):

Utah (10-3): 37
Cal (8-5): 27

Armed Forces Bowl (MWC vs. C-USA):

Air Force (7-5): 47
Houston (10-3): 20