Air Force Falcons - 2008

2007 Air Force Falcons Head Coach: Troy Calhoun

Air Force Falcons

2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: What can Troy Calhoun do for an encore? After turning around a dead program with a sensational 9-4 season, the future is bright with the running game rolling again while getting surprisingly strong play from the defense. Three starters return to the O line along with TE Travis Dekker, while the defensive front comes back intact.
Why to be grouchy: Air Force, like all service academies, always have to retool year by year with seniors always emerging, but replacing key players always stinks. QB Shaun Carney was a four-year starter, RB/WR Chad Hall was the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year, and three All-Mountain West defensive performers are gone. The entire offensive backfield has to be replaced along with six starters in the defensive back eight.
The number one thing to work on is: Making Shea Smith comfortable. The likely new starting quarterback is roughly the same size as Carney, and he saw a little bit of action completing four of 12 passes in the loss to Cal in the Armed Forces Bowl, but it's asking a lot for him to be the same leader and conductor. He spent last year preparing himself like a starter, so he should be able to hit the ground running.
Biggest offensive loss: RB Chad Hall
Biggest defensive loss: LB John Rabold
Best returning offensive player: OG Nick Charles, Jr.
Best returning defensive player: LB Hunter Altman, Sr.

- 2007 Air Force Season
- 2007 Air Force Preview
- 2006 Air Force Season

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
2007 Record: 9-4

Sept. 1 S Carolina St W 34-3
Sept. 8 at Utah W 20-12
Sept. 13 TCU W 20-17 OT
Sept. 22 at BYU L 31-6
Sept. 29 at Navy L 31-20
Oct. 6 UNLV W 31-14
Oct. 13 at Colorado St W 45-21
Oct. 20 Wyoming W 20-12
Oct. 25 at New Mexico L 34-31
Nov. 3 Army W 30-10
Nov. 10 at Notre Dame W 41-24
Nov. 17 San Diego St W 55-23
Armed Forces Bowl
Dec. 31 California L 42-36

2007 Recap
Recap: Pegged as an also-ran in the Mountain West before the season began, Air Force soared past expectations in 2007, winning six of its final seven games to finish in second place and earn a date with Cal in the Armed Forces Bowl.  First-year head coach Troy Calhoun was the architect of the revival at the academy, shrewdly increasing the role of playmaker Chad Hall, and getting sound contributions from a veteran defense.  Even after blowing a big lead to the Bears on New Year’s Eve, the Falcons can look back on last year as a truly remarkable season that began with very modest goals.            

Offensive Player of the Year: WR Chad Hall

Defensive Player of the Year: LB Drew Fowler

Biggest Surprise: Beating Utah and TCU, a couple of Mountain West heavyweights, within a five-day span in September.  Early in the year, no one knew just how good these Falcons would become, so beating the Utes and Frogs forced the rest of the league to reevaluate its idea of a pecking order.     

Biggest Disappointment: Losing to Cal in the Armed Forces Bowl.  Midway through the second quarter, the Falcons were up by three touchdowns and in total control until QB Shaun Carney was lost with a knee injury and the Bear offense tore through Air Force en route to a 42-36 comeback victory.          

Looking Ahead: All of the momentum and goodwill that the Falcons amassed in 2007 will be useful in 2008.  Much of the senior leadership from last year’s nine-win team, including Carney and five other all-conference performers, needs to replaced if Air Force is to return to the postseason.

Nov. 17
Air Force 55 ... San Diego State 23
Air Force tore off 569 rushing yards led by 163 yards and scoring runs from 54 and 31 yards out from Jim Ollis. Ty Paffett ran for scores from 54, 73 and four yards out on the way to a 42-17 lead, and then Shaun Carney and Chad Hall, who ran for two scores, made it a laugher with long scoring runs. San Diego State bombed away for 384 passing yards, with Kevin O'Connell running for a one-yard score and hitting Brett Swain for a nine-yard touchdown pass, but it wasn't nearly enough.
Player of the game: The Air Force offensive line for paving the way for 569 yards of rushing offense and eight touchdowns
Stat Leaders: San Diego State - Passing: Kevin O’Connell, 27-43, 384 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Brandon Sullivan, 11-30. Receiving: Chaz Schilens, 8-214
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 8-14, 101 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jim Ollis, 15-163, 2 TD. Receiving: Travis Dekker, 3-62
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Is there a hotter running game in America right now? All the parts were working against San Diego State with a devastating mix of speed and power from all the weapons. Three Falcons went over 100 yards allowing Shaun Carney to continue to relax and take the throws that are there rather than forcing anything big. With the win, Troy Calhoun got his program to the number two spot in the Mountain West. That's not bad for a first season.

Nov. 10
Air Force 41 ... Notre Dame 24
Air Force outgained Notre Dame 285 yards to 58 on the ground in a tougher win than the final score might indicate. After getting down early on a Ryan Harrison field goal and a 19-yard John Robold fumble recovery for a score, the Irish tied it up with a 28-yard Brandon Walker field goal and a two-yard John Carlson catch. And then the Falcons took over with a 21-point run on two Shaun Carney touchdown passes and an eight-yard Spencer Armstrong run. Jimmy Clausen threw two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a 21-yard play to David Grimes, but the Falcons were able to put it away with a one-yard Carney touchdown run with less than two minutes to play. Trevor Laws came up with 17 tackles for the Irish.
Player of the game: Air Force RB Chad Hall ran 32 times for 142 yards, and caught two passes for 31 yards
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 10-16, 120 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chad Hall, 32-142. Receiving: Mark Root, 2-36
Notre Dame - Passing: Jimmy Clausen, 22-40, 246 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: James Aldridge, 14-62. Receiving: David Grimes, 6-67, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Now Air Force is really rolling. The solid win over Notre Dame, even as bad as Notre Dame is, again validates what an amazing season Troy Calhoun is having in turning the program around. The run defense was fantastic, the offense balanced, maybe not in yards, but in effectiveness, and Chad Hall was Chad Hall again as the workhorse of the attack. A win over San Diego State next week would make the year truly special, and put the team in a position to win ten games.

Nov. 3
Air Force 30 ... Army 10
Chad Hall ran for 275 yards with a one-yard touchdown run, Shaun Carney ran for a five-yard score, and Ryan Harrison nailed field goals from 56 and 40 yards as part of a 20-point run to close out the Black Knights. Army managed just 181 yards of total offense with 26 on the ground, getting its points on a 22-yard Owen Tolson field goal and a two-yard Ernie Bernal touchdown catch off an interception of Carney down to set up the ball on the three. Air Fore held on to the ball for 35:16.
Player of the game: Air Force RB Chad Hall ran 34 times for 275 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 19 yards.
Stat Leaders: Army - Passing: Carson Williams, 14-33, 164 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Patrick Mealy, 13-31. Receiving: Corey Anderson, 3-40
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 9-12, 105 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Chad Hall, 34-275 yds, 1 TD. Receiving: Chad Hall, 3-19
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Air Force quickly got back on track after the rough loss to New Mexico with a dominant defensive performance against Army and yet another brilliant day from Chad Hall, who's making a case for Mountain West Player of the Year (even though this wasn't a league game). The defense didn't let the Army running game breathe and only gave up a touchdown after being set up by a bad turnover. This is a fantastically coached team that's rolling again with a chance to make even more noise at Notre Dame this week. A ten-win season is actually possible.

Oct. 26
New Mexico 34 ... Air Force 31
Rodney Ferguson ran 41 times with two short touchdown runs, and John Sullivan connected on four field goals as New Mexico took advantage of five Air Force fumbles to pull off the win. The Falcons got four touchdown runs, including two from Chad Hall, but they turned the ball over on three of their final four drives. The Lobos held on to the ball for 34:40 and turned it over two times.
Player of the game: New Mexico RB Rodney Ferguson ran 41 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns and caught a pass for 15 yards
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 11-18, 110 yds
Rushing: Chad Hall, 21-97, 2 TD. Receiving: Chad Hall, 6-66
New Mexico - Passing: Donovan Porterie, 16-28, 169 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 41-146, 2 TD. Receiving: Marcus Smith, 7-84
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... This one's going to hurt. New Mexico played Air Force relatively evenly, but the Falcons couldn't hang on to the ball, especially late. The running game was fine, the defense was holding several Lobo drives to field goals, and the passing game was efficient. Five lost fumbles are five lost fumbles, and it's hard to recover from those. With only one Mountain West date left against San Diego State, the Falcons likely cemented their spot as the league's number three team, at worst, unless they blow it in the regular season finale.

Oct. 20
Air Force 20 ... Wyoming 12
Down 9-7 and with Wyoming driving for an apparent touchdown, Air Force got a stop from Bobby Giannini, who threw Wynel Seldon down, got the ball, and ran 85 yards for a touchdown when everyone else stopped. After review, the play stood, and the Falcons went on to up the lead with a 25-yard Mark Root touchdown catch for a 20-9 lead before Wyoming could get back on the board with Billy Vinnedge's second field goal of the game. It wasn't enough. Chad Hall ran for 167 yards and caught a five-yard touchdown pass for the Falcons.
Player of the game: Air Force S Bobby Giannini made 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, forced two fumble, and took one 85 yards for a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 6-10, 52 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chad Hall, 28-167. Receiving: Travis Dekker, 2-19
Wyoming - Passing: Karsten Sween, 14-23, 171 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Devin Moore, 25-105. Receiving: Michael Ford, 7-115
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The team keeps finding ways to make things happen. Wyoming moved the ball well, but the Falcon defense forced five turnovers, while the offense cranked out 256 rushing yards with Chad Hall continuing to go ballistic. He's unstoppable running the ball, and it's taken all the pressure off Shaun Carney. There might not be a more confident team right now, and at this point, Troy Calhoun deserves Coach of the Year respect.

Oct. 13
Air Force 45 ... Colorado State 21
Air Force rolled for 385 rushing yards thanks to a 256-yard day from Chad Hall. the Falcons grabbed a 28-7 lead going into halftime on Hall runs from two, six and two yards out, and a 26-yard Drew Fowler interception return for a score. The Rams got a four-yard Gartrell Johnson touchdown run in the first half, and a seven-yard Damon Morton scoring grab in the third quarter, but they weren't nearly enough. Hall capped things off with a 13-yard run late in the fourth to put it away.
Player of the game: Air Force RB Chad Hall ran 31 times for 256 yards and four touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 3-5, 52 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chad Hall, 31-256, 4 TD. Receiving: Mark Root, 1-35, 1 TD
Colorado State - Passing: Caleb Hanie, 11-18, 111 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Gartrell Johnson, 25-143, 1 TD. Receiving: Damon Morton, 8-99, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Air Force is rolling and it's all due to the ground game. Chad Hall was unstoppable against the Rams, and everything worked out perfectly. The Falcons held on to the ball for 34:15, converted 11 of 15 third down chances, and ran wild. The offense was in total control throughout, and now has to keep the formula working in tough games against Wyoming and New Mexico ahead. The number two spot in the Mountain West is there for the taking, and if the offense keeps playing like this, it'll happen. The goals get higher if BYU loses.

Oct. 6
Air Force 31 ... UNLV 14
Air Force rumbled for 309 rushing yards, with Chad Hall scoring two times, highlighted by a 52-yard run. Shaun Carney added a 71-yard scoring dash late in the third quarter to go up 21-7, but UNLV answered with its best drive of the day, going 80 yards in 11 plays, finishing up with a four-yard Frank Summers touchdown to get within seven. But Air Force was helped by a seven-yard punt, leading to an easy field goal, and got a long drive, helped by the running of Hall, who finished with a one-yard score, to put it away.
Player of the game: Air Force RB Chad Hall ran 18 times for 169 yards and two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 44 yards.
Stat Leaders: UNLV - Passing: Travis Dixon, 23-37, 274 yds
Rushing: Frank Summers, 25-100, 1 TD. Receiving: Ryan Wolfe, 10-164
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 9-14, 123 yds
Rushing: Chad Hall, 18-169, 2 TD. Receiving: Chad Hall, 4-44
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Once again, for all the talk of mixing up the offense, and the Falcons did do a good job of getting yards through the air against UNLV, the team is at its best when it's running the ball effectively. Chad Hall is quickly becoming a force who'll take all the heat off of Shaun Carney, while the defense did a good job against the Rebels of not breaking despite giving up a ton of yards. With a winnable game against Colorado State coming up, and Army and San Diego State still left on the schedule, anything less than a bowl game, at this point, will be a disappointment.

Sept. 29
Navy 31 ... Air Force 20
Kaipo Noa Kaheaku-Enhada tore off fourth quarter touchdown runs from two and 78 yards out in the fourth quarter as Navy pulled away from Air Force late. Air Force outgained Navy 474 yards to 381, but missed on several scoring chances. QB Shaun Carney had a big day throwing the ball, while Chad Hall got the Falcon touchdowns on runs of 16 and five yards. Air Force's Ryan Harrison miss a 41-yard field goal and got a late 32 yarder blocked, while Jim Ollis lost a fumble on a late drive and earlier, was stopped on fourth and one from the Navy four.
Player of the game: Navy QB Kaipo Noa Kaheaku-Enhada was 4-of-7 for 79 yards, and ran 15 times for 101 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 18-23, 237 yds
Rushing: Jim Ollis, 15-73. Receiving: Chad Hall, 8-108
Navy - Passing: Kaipo Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, 4-7, 79 yds
Rushing: Kaipo Noa Kaheaku-Enhada, 15-101, 2 TDs. Receiving: OJ Washington, 4-79
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Air Force is going to be kicking itself for a long, long time after the loss to Navy. It had several shots to put up big points on the board, and didn't take advantage of the opportunities. All it needed to do was come up with a big stop in the fourth quarter, but it couldn't do it and kept seeing its drives stall. On the plus side, Shaun Carney threw as well as he ever has.

Sept. 22
BYU 31 ... Air Force 6
BYU got up 7-0 on the opening drive with Manase Tonga running for a one-yard score, and rolled from there with two Max Hall touchdown passes on the way to a 24-0 lead. Air Force finally got on the board late in the third quarter on an eight-yard Shaun Carney run, but the Cougars answered with a 80-yard drive culminating in a one-yard Tonga run. Air Force was held to 231 yards and 12 first downs.
Player of the game: BYU RB Manase Tonga ran 14 times for 41 yards and two touchdowns, adding six catches for 69 yards.
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 10-21, 98 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Chad Smith, 2-47. Receiving: Chad Hall, 6-80
BYU - Passing: Max Hall, 23-33, 293 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Harvey Unga, 22-111. Receiving: Manase Tonga, 6-69
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... For the first time all year, the Air Force offense struggled to get something going. This isn't an offense built on making big comebacks, and with the ineffectiveness of the passing game against BYU, the running game needed to crank out long drives to take time off the clock, and couldn't. Three of 13 third down conversions, 22:50 time of possession and 133 rushing yards aren't going to cut it against the better teams on the schedule. To change that up against Navy next week, someone has to get the hot hand running the ball.

Sept. 13
Air Force 20 ... TCU 17 OT
Air Force pulled off the stunning upset when Ryan Harrison connected on a 33-yard field goal in overtime following a TCU misfire. TCU held a 17-3 lead midway though the fourth quarter on two short Andy Dalton touchdown passes, but Air Force was able to get close with a nine-yard Shaun Carney touchdown pass to Keith Madsen. With under six minutes to play and facing a fourth and one, the Falcons ran the option to perfection with Jim Ollis taking a pitch 71 yards for a touchdown. TCU had a final chance in regulation after getting down to the Air Force 22, but the drive was snuffed out when Dalton's underthrown pass was picked off in the end zone by Carson Bird. Horned Frog PK Chris Manfredini started off the scoring with a 39-yard field goal, but he got a 20-yard try blocked and hit the upright on TCU's overtime possession.
Player of the game: TCU RB Jim Ollis ran 16 times for 138 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: TCU - Passing: Andy Dalton, 29-45, 320 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Justin Watts, 12-48. Receiving: Ryan Christian, 6-74
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 17-28, 193 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jim Ollis, 16-138, 1 TD. Receiving: Mark Root, 6-53
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Head coach Troy Calhoun has done a wonderful job so far, and it's not necessarily on offense. The Falcons have mixed things up, as expected, but it was the option that won the game against TCU. No, Calhoun's impact has been on defense, and while TCU moved the ball well, especially through the air, the Falcons rarely broke. Now at 2-0 in Mountain West play, the spotlight will be on against BYU next week. Win that, and the conference title race should be all but over.

Sept. 8
Air Force 20 ... Utah 12
Air Force came up with a late stand, stuffing a direct snap on a third and goal from the one and stuffing Ute RB Darryl Poston on fourth down in the final minute to hang on for the win. The Falcon offense got a three-yard Jim Ollis touchdown run early in the fourth and a 31-yard Ryan Harrison field goal, his second score of the day, to get ahead by eight late. Utah's attack sputtered all game long, but it came up with a 34-yard Derrek Richards touchdown catch late to get it close. Louie Sakoda added field goals from 43 and 40 yards for the Utes.
Player of the game: Air Force QB Shaun Carney was 8-of-14 for 56 yards, and carried 16 times for 113 yards.
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 8-14, 56 yds
Rushing: Shaun Carney, 16-113. Receiving: Chad Hall, 3-14
Utah - Passing: Tommy Grady, 20-39, 240 yds, 1 TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Darryl Poston, 12-37. Receiving: Derrek Richards, 8-109, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... When in doubt, go to the running game. The Falcon offense all but ditched the idea of coming up with big pass plays against Utah and ran, ran and ran on the way to 334 yards and a big win. The defense did a great job against the depleted Utes, especially against the run, and made a little bit of a statement in the Mountain West race. With TCU coming up, and also hurting, the formula might work again. Run the ball, play good run defense, and stay close throughout. At least that'll be the hope.

Sept. 1
Air Force 34 ... South Carolina State 3
Air Force rolled without much of a problem with 455 yards of total offense with Shaun Carney throwing a touchdown pass and Ryan Harrison nailing field goals from 48 and 22 yards out. Kip McCarthy close out a 13-play, 79-yard opening drive with a one-yard touchdown run, and Chad Hall rumbled in from four yards out late in the first half. South Carolina State's only points cam on a 51-yard field goal on the last play of the first half.
Player of the game ... Air Force QB Shaun Carney went 11-of-18 for 176 yards, one touchdown and one pick, while running for 50 yards on 11 carries.
Stat Leaders: South Carolina State- Passing: Cleveland McCoy, 10-22, 84 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: William Ford, 12-73  Receiving: Terrance Smith, 5-45
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 11-18, 176 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kip McCarthy, 22-129, 1 TD  Receiving: Travis Dekker, 3-64, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... That's why you schedule South Carolina State to start the season. Air Force needed an easy game to try out all the new offensive formations, and head coach Troy Calhoun showed a little of everything. While there was still a little bit of option, this was a balanced attack that relied on efficient passing and a pounding ground game. It'll be interesting to see against Utah, TCU and BYU over the next three weeks if the offense is as varied, or if it goes back to the old option when things get tough. As of now, it'll be hard to prepare for the offense, because defenses aren't going to know what they're dealing with.