Air Force 2012 Recruiting

2011 Air Force Falcons ... Head Coach: Troy Calhoun

Air Force Falcons

2011 Record: 7-6

Sep. 3 South Dakota W 37-20
Sep. 10 TCU L 35-19
Sep. 17 OPEN DATE
Sep. 24 Tennessee St W 63-24
Oct. 1 at Navy W 35-34 OT
Oct. 8 at Notre Dame L 59-33
Oct. 15 SDSU L 41-27
Oct. 22 at Boise State L 37-26
Oct. 29 at New Mexico W 42-0
Nov. 5 Army W 24-14
Nov. 12 Wyoming L 25-17
Nov. 19 UNLV W 45-17
Nov. 26 at Colorado St W 45-21
Military Bowl
Dec. 28 Toledo L 42-41

2010 CFN Prediction: 8-4
2010 Record: 9-4

Sept. 4 Nwestern St W 65-21
Sept. 11 BYU W 35-14
Sept. 18 at Oklahoma L 27-24
Sept. 25 at Wyoming W 20-14
Oct. 2 Navy W 14-6
Oct. 9 Colorado St W 49-27
Oct. 16 at San Diego St L 27-25
Oct. 23 at TCU L 38-7
Oct. 30 Utah L 28-23
Nov. 6 at Army W 42-22
Nov. 13 New Mexico W 48-23
Nov. 18 at UNLV W 35-20
INDEPENDENCE BOWL
Dec. 27 Georgia Tech W 14-7
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Air Force Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. CB Desmond Lewis
6-0, 165, Scout.com 99th ranked, three-star corner. Had 40 tackles, five interceptions and four pass deflections, and added six touchdowns as a 2010 junior at Elk Grove (Calif.) Pleasant Grove, helping them win a CIF-SacJoaquin Section title.

2. RB Jonathan Johnson
5-9, 170, Scout.com 109th ranked, three-star running back.

3. CB Jalen Boyd
6-1, 185, Scout.com 105th ranked, three-star corner.

4. DE Will Hopkins
6-7, 230, Scout.com 121st ranked, three-star end.

5. FB Christian Hauber
6-1, 215, Scout.com 18th ranked, two-star fullback.

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... The Falcons have to try to improve a defense that struggled way too often, and it’s time for the 2009 recruiting class of good defensive players to come up big. This year’s class is full of athletic lineman who’ll move around between linebacker and the front line starting in 2014. As always, the players are coming in who can run the attack with some talented, speedy running backs who can contribute early on.

Team Concerns For 2012: Tim Jefferson. The school’s all-time winningest quarterback might not have been a typical option runner, but he was a smart, tough leader who ran the offense extremely well. Also gone is backup Connor Dietz, leaving the door open for one of last year’s top recruits, Kent Rollins, among several other options, to battle with Tucker Tipton.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: There’s always massive turnover at Air Force and there are always a slew of big needs to be filled, but unlike the last few years, quarterback will be the biggest concern with Tim Jefferson finally done along with backup Connor Dietz. Eight starters are gone off the nation’s third-ranked rushing offense, while the defense that struggled so much loses Jordan Waiwaiole and three starting linebackers. In all, eight starters are gone off the defense. On the plus side, several young defenders saw time throughout last year.

The 2011 Class Was Heavy On … Quarterbacks. The Falcons got plenty of help for the defensive line with fantastic ends coming in to provide a tremendous pass rush for the next several years. The secondary also got bodies with Cedric Parker leading a good group of corners. The focus will be at quarterback with Kent Rollins a ready-made option playmaker and Colton Huntsman and Teddy Ruben two runners who’ll get their shot. 6-4, 205-pound Christian Gann will be a No. 1 receiving target soon.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 83. That Class Was Heavy On ... Linebacker. This is a diverse class with a little something for all spots, but for the second straight season the top players are on the defensive side. Linebacker got the biggest influx of talent with three interesting prospects including Austin Arias, a safety-sized tackling machine who got a little interest from the Arizona schools but was too small for a big-time program. He, along with Joey Nichol and Seth Kline, will be the keys to the defense in a few years.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 117. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defense. As always, Air Force had to get a specific type of player, and as always, it went with smallish, quick defenders for the line and the secondary. Dan Zotto leads the way up front, while head coach Troy Calhoun brought in a few short, athletic corners. James Chambers could be a fixture at inside linebacker sooner than later.

Military Bowl
Toledo 42 ... Air Force 41
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

Toledo: Rocket quarterbacks combined to complete 21-of-27 passes. … QB Terrance Owens completed 19-of-24 passes for 210 yards and three scores. … Adonis Thomas led the team with 108 yards and a score on 22 carries. … Eric Page caught 13 passes for 59 yards, and Bernard Reedy caught four passes for 126 yards and three score. … Page returned four kickoffs for 153 yards with an 87-yard score. … LB Dan Molls led the way with 12 tackles and a half a tackle for loss.

Air Force: The Falcons converted 5-of-6 fourth down plays. … Tim Jefferson completed 13-of-22 passes for 159 yards and two scores with a pick and ran 14 times for 61 yards and a touchdowns. … Jonathan Warzeka ran six times for 95 yards and caught three passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. … WR Zack Kauth made four catches for 77 yards and a score. … LB Brady Amack made 11 tackles.

(AP) WASHINGTON -- Back and forth they went. A kickoff return for 87 yards. A pitch around the left end for 60. Touchdown passes for 49 and 37 yards. Two touchdowns scored on fourth downs. A pair of botched onside kicks.

And that was just the first half.

Toledo and Air Force ran up the score early and often Wednesday at the Military Bowl and played to a wild finish, decided only when Air Force's 2-point conversion attempt went awry with 52 seconds to play to give Toledo a 42-41 victory.

Air Force lined up to kick the extra point after Zach Kauth's 33-yard touchdown catch on fourth-and-3 pulled the Falcons within a point. But holder David Baska ran the option instead and fumbled the ball toward kicker Parker Herrington, who chased it until it went out of bounds in the end zone.

Bernard Reedy's third touchdown of the game -- a 37-yard catch, spin and run on a pass from Terrance Owens -- gave Toledo a 42-35 lead with 5:01 to play and put the Rockets (9-4) over the 40-point mark for a sixth straight game.

The win also marked a successful debut for Matt Campbell, the youngest coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision. The 32-year-old Campbell, who has been the Rockets' offensive coordinator for three years, was promoted to the head job after Tim Beckman left earlier this month for Illinois.

Reedy had a career-high 126 yards on four catches and was named the game's MVP. Owens completed 19 of 24 passes for 210 yards and three touchdowns. Adonis Thomas ran for 108 yards on 22 carries.

Tim Jefferson, the first quarterback in service academy history to lead his team to four consecutive bowl games, completed 13 of 22 passes for 159 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for Air Force (7-6).

The game matched two of the top 25 scoring teams in the country, and they wasted little time living up to their reputations. It was Mid-American Conference member Toledo's spread offense against Mountain West Air Force's triple option, and the idea of a huddle seemed a quaint, antiquated concept.

The Rockets, as expected, featured their Mr. Do-Everything, Eric Page. The junior Paul Hornung Award finalist caught 13 passes for 59 yards, but his biggest play was an 87-yard kickoff return in the first half. Page ran untouched as he followed Reedy's block up the middle of the field for his fourth career kickoff return TD and first this year.

Making big plays for Air Force was Jonathan Warzeka, whose career-best 60-yard run set up one touchdown, and whose 37-yard reception on fourth-and-3 tied the game 28-all heading into halftime.

The second half got off to slow start, with the teams exchanging punts before the game's only defensive score: Toledo safety Jermaine Robinson's 37-yard interception runback after he corralled a tipped pass deep in the secondary.

Mike DeWitt's 2-yard run, his second touchdown of the game, tied it again, this time at 35-35. Toledo went primarily with Owens at quarterback over Austin Dantin, who started the first 10 games of the season before sitting out the last two with a concussion. Both usually get plenty of playing time in each game, but Campbell stayed with the hot hand.

The game, in its fourth year on the bowl calendar, drew 25,042 to RFK Stadium, and large swaths of the upper deck were empty.

Nov. 26 Air Force 45 … at Colorado State 21  

Nov. 19 at Air Force 45 … UNLV 17

Nov. 12 Wyoming 25 … at Air Force 17

Nov. 5 at Air Force 24 … Army 14

Oct. 29 Air Force 42 … at New Mexico 0 

Oct. 22 at Boise State 37 … Air Force 26
CFN Analysis: Air Force did everything it could do to make it a game. The running game cranked out 264 yards and the offense held on to the ball for over 36 minutes to keep Kellen Moore and the Boise State offense on the sidelines. However, when Moore did get his chances, he picked apart the struggling Falcon defense and most the ball without a problem. Brady Amack continues to shine, making 13 tackles and breaking up a pass, and the defense did what it could against the run, while forcing two takeaways, but it still wasn’t enough. This was the team’s best performance in weeks, even in a loss, and playing New Mexico, Army, Wyoming, and UNLV should make the record look far better if the offense can keep playing like this. 

Oct. 13 San Diego State 41 … at Air Force 27
CFN Analysis:  Air Force just isn’t getting the play out of its defense that it needs, and it’s not doing enough of what it has to do offensively to beat the better teams. The Falcons have to own the time of possession and the turnover margin, and while it hung on to the ball for over 33 minutes, the three turnovers turned out to be a killer. There was a big special teams breakdown and big-time misses by the defensive front on the two big Ronnie Hillman runs to put the game away. Tim Jefferson wasn’t bad throwing the ball, completing 22-of-36 passes for 224 yards and two scores and two picks, but if he’s throwing 36 times, the Air Force offense isn’t working. 

Oct. 8 at Notre Dame 59 … Air Force 33
CFN Analysis: Where’s the Air Force secondary that was so terrific over the last few years? The secondary might be undergoing an overhaul, but the result are still way too disastrous considering the team finished second in the nation in pass defense and tenth in pass efficiency defense. This year so far the Falcons are 102nd in the nation in pass efficiency D and dead last against the run. The offense didn’t have a problem moving up and down the field on the Irish defense, and the ground game was terrific using 14 different runners, but the defense wasn’t even close as the Irish got up 21-3 in the first and was up 49-16 in the third. With San Diego State’s Ryan Lindley up next and Boise State to follow, Air Force has to hang on to the ball for very, very long stretches to keep the defense off the field.

Oct. 1 Air Force 35 … at Navy 34 OT
CFN Analysis: Air Force might have pulled out the win, but the collapse in the fourth quarter is a big concern. The run defense couldn’t handle the Navy attack once if got rolling, but worse yet, the pass defense broke down way too much. Ball control is always a must for the Falcons no matter who the opponent it, but the defense simply couldn’t get off the field. On the plus side, Tim Jefferson was nearly perfect completing 9-of-10 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown, while running for 60 yards and a score. Even more importantly, when everything was going Navy’s way, he came through in the clutch to get the win in overtime. With Notre Dame up next, the defense has to play far, far better to have a shot, and the offense needs the ball in its hands for at least 35 minutes. 

Sept. 24 at Air Force 63 … Tennessee State 24
CFN Analysis: Air Force ripped off 792 yards of total offense, rolled for 595 yards on the ground, and Tim Jefferson became the winningest quarterback in school history. Everyone should be happier about it. Of course, it was only a win over Tennessee State, and the focus is on being sharp and near-perfect, and instead of being fired up about the monster game, the two fumbles when knocking on the door are what’ll be emphasized. Jefferson was phenomenal making all the right decisions and hitting on 11-of-13 passes for 178 yards and two scores, and 15 different runners accounted for all the yards, and now it’s time to go to work on the road at Navy and Notre Dame.

Sept. 10 TCU 35 … at Air Force 19  

Sept. 3 at Air Force 37 … South Dakota 20
CFN Analysis: The Falcons came out roaring with 30 first half points and with the running game working to near perfection. South Dakota didn’t have a prayer as Tim Jefferson did just about everything right and Mikel Hunter took a reverse for a score and a pass 55 yards for a touchdown in the blowout. The final score is much closer than the game; the Falcons took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter and still finished with 391 rushing yards. Jefferson only completed 4-of-9 passes, but the ran for two scores and spread the ball around well to the other runners.

The 2011 Recruiting Class Is Heavy On … Quarterbacks. The Falcons got plenty of help for the defensive line with fantastic ends coming in to provide a tremendous pass rush for the next several years. The secondary also got bodies with Cedric Parker leading a good group of corners. The focus will be at quarterback with Kent Rollins a ready-made option playmaker and Colton Huntsman and Teddy Ruben two runners who’ll get their shot. 6-4, 205-pound Christian Gann will be a No. 1 receiving target soon.

Five Air Force Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. QB Kent Rollins
5-11, 175, Scout.com’s 159th ranked quarterback

2. S Jon Lindemann
6-3, 200, Scout.com’s 133rd ranked safety

3. LB Connor Healy
6-0, 215, Scout.com’s 76th ranked middle linebacker

4. CB Cedric Parker
6-0, 180, Scout.com’s 137th ranked cornerback

5. DE James Rushing
6-4, 235, Scout.com’s 183rd ranked defensive end

2011 Entire Recruiting Class

OFFICIAL CLASS LIST NOT RELEASED