2006 Air Force Falcons

2006 Air Force Falcons Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews

Dec. 2
TCU 38 ... Air Force 14
TCU held Air Force to 142 yards of total offense and only allowed 14 meaningless points in the fourth quarter after the outcome had been decided. Jeff Ballard threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Quentil Harmon and ran for a one-yard score as part of a balanced attack that took advantage of four Air Force turnovers including a 20-yard Torrey Stewart interception return for a touchdown. Lonta Hobbs ran for a 12-yard score and Aaron Brown pounded in a one-yard scoring run. The Falcons got their points on a blocked punt for a score and a 19-yard Jim Ollis run.
Player of the game ... TCU QB Jeff Ballard completed 21 of 26 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 4-10, 44 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jim Ollis, 11-63, 1 TD,   Receiving: Victor Thompson, 2-27
TCU - Passing: Jeff Ballard, 21-26, 234 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Lonta Hobbs, 12-66, 1 TD  Receiving: Aaron Brown 6-72
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... And it's back to the drawing board. The Air Force offense regressed as the season went on with the running game not playing nearly as efficiently as it needs to be to hang with more talented teams like TCU. Shaun Carney and the passing game weren't working at all, while there wasn't nearly enough from the ground attack when the game was in doubt. Air Force can't lose the turnover margin and has to run wild. Against the Horned Frogs, the Falcons turned it over four times and was outgained 141 yards to 98 on the ground.

2006 Schedule CFN Prediction: 4-8 2006 Record: 4-8 Preview 2006 predicted wins
9/9	at Tennessee L 31-30
9/23	at Wyoming W 31-24
9/30	New Mexico W 24-7
10/7	Navy L 24-17
10/12	Colorado State W 24-21
10/21	at San Diego St L 19-12
10/28	BYU L 33-14
11/3	at Army W 43-7
11/11	Notre Dame L 39-17
11/18	Utah L 17-14
11/24	at UNLV L 42-39
12/2	at TCU L 38-14

2005 Schedule CFN Prediction: 6-5 2005 Record: 4-7 Preview 2005 predicted wins
9/3	Wash (Seattle) W 20-17
9/10	San Diego St W 41-29
9/17	Wyoming L 29-28
9/22	at Utah L 38-35
10/1	at Colorado St L 41-23
10/8	at Navy L 27-24
10/15	UNLV W 42-7
10/22	TCU L 48-10
10/29	at BYU L 62-41
11/5	Army :L 27-24
11/19	at New Mexico W 42-24

Nov. 25
UNLV 42 ... Air Force 39
UNLV stunned Air Force with 16 straight points in the second half on short touchdown runs from David Peeples and Ronnie Smith and a 21-yard Sergio Aguayo field goal to get up by 11 late. Air Force responded with a five-yard Vic Thompson touchdown catch with just over two minutes to play, but couldn't get any closer. Shaun Carney threw four touchdown passes and ran for one to help Air Force keep pace with a UNLV offense that played better than it had all year long. Rocky Hinds threw two touchdown passes hitting Casey Flair with a 20-yard pass in the first quarter and Aaron Straiten on a 22-yard play.
Player of the game ... UNLV QB Rocky Hinds completed 26 of 34 passes for 351 yards and two touchdowns and ran five times for 45 yards.
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 10-18, 211 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Chad Hall, 11-58  Receiving: Mark Root, 4-82
UNLV - Passing: Rocky Hinds, 26-34, 351 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: David Peeples, 24-95  Receiving: Casey Flair, 8-100, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The three-game losing streak has turned things from bad to worse with an embarrassing loss to an awful UNLV team to officially end the year no matter what happens against TCU next week. Shaun Carney didn't have to carry the entire offense with Chad Hall and Jacobe Kendrick each running well, but this loss wasn't on offense. The secondary didn't show up letting Rocky Hinds look like a Heisman winner. None of the defensive backs were making plays.

Nov. 18
Utah 17 ... Air Force 14
Louis Sakoda hit a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Utah the win. Air Force had tied it late in the fourth on a 14-play, 80-yard drive culminating with a one-yard Shaun Carney touchdown run, but the Utes went 60 yards in 13 plays to set up the game-winning kick. Ute cornerback Eric Weddle did double duty leading the team in rushing scoring on a six-yard dash in the first quarter and a four-yard run in the fourth. Carney connected with Victor Thompson for a six-yard score to start the fourth.
Player of the game ... Utah CB Eric Weddle ran 12 times for 73 yards and two touchdowns and made eight tackles
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 16-22, 218 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chad Hall, 11-38,   Receiving: Victor Thompson, 5-99, 1 TD
Utah - Passing: Brett Ratliff, 24-38, 236 yds
Rushing: Eric Weddle, 12-73, 2 TD  Receiving: Brian Hernandez, 9-55
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After losing four games in the last five, Air Force must beat either UNLV or TCU to become bowl eligible and, most likely, has to win both to get a 13^th game. This week’s loss to Utah stings because the defense couldn’t come up with a late stop when the team had all the momentum. The offense doesn’t seem to be at its best when it’s balanced; it does better when Shaun Carney and the running game are rumbling. Carney might have been terrific throwing the ball, but the ground game only gained 116 yards and averaged 2.8 yards per carry.  

Nov. 11
Notre Dame 39 ... Air Force 17
Notre Dame got up early and coasted with Jeff Samardzija catching a 51-yard score on the second play of the game as part of three first quarter Brady Quinn touchdown passes. The hits kept on coming as the Irish had a 33-3 lead late in the third quarter on a blocked field goal return for a touchdown by Terrail Lambert and a 23-yard Marcus Freeman scoring grab. Air Force put up nice numbers with Shaun Carney completing 14 of 17 passes with two late second half touchdown passes, but it was way too little, too late.
Player of the game ... Notre Dame RB Darius Walker ran 15 times for 153 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 14-17, 205 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Chad Hall, 20-67. Receiving: Mark Root, 5-110
Notre Dame - Passing: Brady Quinn, 14-19, 207 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Darius Walker, 15-153, 1 TD. Receiving: Jeff Samardzija, 6-106, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Air Force didn't have any prayer on defense of staying with the Notre Dame receivers, and didn't generate nearly enough defensive pressure to throw Brady Quinn off his rhythm. Shaun Carney threw effectively, even though most of the big plays came way too late, but the running game wasn't nearly effective enough. The D has to get better pressure on Brett Ratliff next week and can't let him get into any sort of a groove if there's to be any hope against Utah.

Nov. 3
Air Force 43 ... Army 7
Air Force took advantage of six Army turnovers with several short scoring drives and a 98-yard fumble return for a touchdown from Adam Zanotti on the way to a 43-0 halftime lead. The Falcons exploded for 36 second quarter points helped by Ryan Williams converting a fumble for a one-yard rushing score, a Shawn Carney six-yard touchdown run and a 36-yard scoring pass to Spencer Armstrong. The Falcons even made their own breaks with Jacob Kendrick recovering a fumble for a score and getting a safety off a muffed Black Knight kickoff return. Army finally got on the board in garbage time with a 15-yard Corey Anderson touchdown catch with 1:39 to play.
Player of the game ... Air Force RB Chad Hall ran 16 times for 93 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Army - Passing: Carson Williams, 8-16, 62 yds, 4 INT
Rushing: Tony Moore, 10-89  Receiving: Jeremy Trimble, 6-44
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 2-4, 44 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chad Hall, 16-93, 1 TD  Receiving: Spencer Armstrong, 1-36, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After getting blasted by BYU and losing in a stunner to San Diego State, Air Force desperately needed an easy win to get back into the bowl hunt. The running game was fine and there was no need to throw the ball thanks to big play after big play from the defense, and a good job done by the offense taking advantage of every mistake. Now the Falcons need to sharpen everything up with Notre Dame coming up next. If the D is as opportunistic as it was this week, Air Force has a shot.

Oct. 28
BYU 33 ... Air Force 14
BYU scored the first 24 points of the game on two Jon Beck touchdown passes, a six yard Fui Vakapuna touchdown run and a 53-yard Jared McLaughlin field goal. Air Force broke the run with a one-yard Shaun Carney touchdown after a 15-play, 80-yard drive, but the Cougars answered with an acrobatic four-yard catch from Vakapuna. The Cougars outgained Air Force 411 yards to 229.
Player of the game ... BYU QB John Beck went 23-of-31 for 258 yards and three touchdowns, adding 28 yards on the ground on four carries.  
Stat Leaders: BYU - Passing: John Beck, 23-31, 258 yds, 3 TDs
Rushing: Fui Vakapuna, 12-52, 1 TD  Receiving: Jonny Harline, 4-68, 1 TD
Air Force - Passing: Jim Ollis, 2-4, 23 yds
Rushing: Jacob Kendrick, 14-58  Receiving: Victor Thompson, 2-6
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Air Force needs to go back to its fastball. The running game has started to suffer a bit not running nearly as smoothly or as efficiently as it did earlier in the season. 190 yards on the ground against a team with an offense like BYU's isn't going to come close to cutting it if there aren't any occasional big plays from the passing game. Give the Falcons credit; they battled hard down to the final whistle. It they lose to Army next week, then it'll be time to pack the season in with Notre Dame and Utah to follow.

Oct. 21
San Diego State 19 ... Air Force 12
San Diego State got its first win for head coach Chuck Long with a 30-yard Garrett Palmer field goal with two seconds to play after going 58 yards in 12 plays. Marc Hull put a bow on the victory recovering a fumble on the ensuing kickoff for a score. Air Force gained 297 rushing yards, but only managed a 24-yard field goal before scoring twice in the fourth on a nine-yard Jacob Kendrick run and a 38-yard field goal from Zach Sasser. The Aztecs got its longest scoring play of the year in the second quarter on a 49-yard touchdown catch from Chaz Schilens.
Player of the game ... San Diego State RB Atiyyeh Henderson ran 25 times for 142 yards.
Stat Leaders: San Diego State - Passing: Kevin Craft, 12-19, 133 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Atiyyeh Henderson, 25-142  Receiving: Brett Swain, 4-28
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 4-7, 47 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Jacob Kendrick, 19-92, 1 TD  Receiving: Justin Handley, 2-34
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Devastating. The last thing Air Force needed was a loss to one of the league's worst teams. San Diego State was struggling and had a hard time getting any momentum, but the Falcons picked the wrong time to come up with one of its worst games of the season. Shaun Carney wasn't sharp and the running game failed to click, and now comes the date with BYU. The defense will have to make far more big plays and the offense has to control the game better than it did against San Diego State to keep John Beck and the Cougar offense off the field.

Oct. 12
Air Force 24 ... Colorado State 21
Air Force overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit by scoring 21 unanswered points with a 19-yard touchdown catch from Victor Thompson to finally get ahead. Colorado State had several chances, but the final drive was stopped by a Chris Sutton interception. The Rams started off hot with Caleb Hanie throwing two touchdown passes, highlighted by a 60-yard play to Dustin Osborn, to go along with a three-yard scoring run with 37 left in the first half. AIr Force controlled the ball and the clock in the second half with Carney throwing two touchdown passes and Jacob Kendrick scoring from six yards out. CSU's Klint Kubiak finished with 19 tackles.
Player of the game ... Air Force QB Shaun Carney completed 8 of 13 passes for 102 yards and two touchdown and ran 14 times for 106 yards
Stat Leaders: Colorado State - Passing: Caleb Hanie, 14-23, 282 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Gartrell Johnson, 16-75  Receiving: Johnny Walker, 6-48
Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 8-13, 102 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Shaun Carney, 14-106  Receiving: Victor Thompson, 4-49, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... This is a different type of Air Force team than that one that were successful earlier in Fisher DeBerry's era. The running game certainly worked well against Colorado State, but there aren't the overall fireworks of the Dee Dowis days. The defense is tougher, and smarter, making key plays by being in position, while Shaun Carney's passing has been crisp. However, there's a disturbing trend over the last few weeks of getting down early. The Falcons couldn't comeback to beat Navy, but it got the job done against CSU. Hotter starts will mean easier wins.

Oct. 7
Navy 24 ... Air Force 17
Navy got inside running from FB Adam Ballard and outside running from QB Brian Madden on the way to 317 yards on the ground with two scores from Hampton. Keenan Little returned a fumble for a score to give the Midshipmen a 7-0 lead. Air Force got an early eight-yard touchdown run from Chad Hall, but didn't get back on the board until midway through the fourth on a 30-yard Zach Sasser field goal and a five-yard Travis Dekker catch, but the Navy D sealed the win when Rashawn King broke up a Shaun Carney fourth down pass on the Navy 47. Air Force LB Drew Fowler finished with 18 tackles.
Player of the game ... Navy RB Adam Ballard ran 27 times for 134 yards.
Stat Leaders: Navy - Passing: Brian Hampton, 1-5, 8 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Adam Ballard, 27-134  Receiving: Reggie Campbell, 1-8
Air Force: Shaun Carney, 9-19, 119 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Chad Hall, 12-59, 1 TD  Receiving: Victor Thompson, 2-29
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Air Force had offensive balance, Navy had the running game. Until late, QB Shaun Carney wasn't nearly effective enough to overcome the Navy production. The defensive interior couldn't handle the pounding from Navy's Adam Ballard, and then had a tough time reading when Brian Hampton was going to make plays on the outside. Even so, the D did a nice job of holding in the fourth quarter while the offense mounted a good comeback. It wasn't enough. Air Force fell victim to the same problems Navy gives everyone else.

Sept. 30
Air Force 24 ... New Mexico 7
Air Force turned an early New Mexico fumble into a three-yard Shaun Carney touchdown run and later got a 38-yard Chad Hall touchdown for all the points needed. New Mexico's three turnovers proved costly killing any offensive momentum, but it was able to get a 58-yard touchdown play from Rodney Ferguson to keep it close. The Falcons rolled in the fourth quarter with a 48-yard Zach Sasser field goal and a two-yard Ryan Williams touchdown run. Air Force outgained New Mexico 262 yards to 41 on the ground.
Player of the game ... Air Force RB Ryan Williams ran 22 times for 94 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: New Mexico- Passing: Chris Nelson, 16-30, 232 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Rodney Ferguson, 12-36 Receiving: Travis Brown, 7-89
Air Force: Shaun Carney, 3-5, 19 yds
Rushing: Ryan Williams, 22-94, 1 TD  Receiving: Chad Hall, 1-14
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Air Force didn't play a perfect game against New Mexico, but it took advantage of every opportunity and kept the chains moving by converting nine of 16 third down chances. Even though the running game wasn't rolling like normal and Shaun Carney only threw it five times the offense was effective enough to keep things moving. Now the attack will have to be nearly perfect to outplay and outgain Navy next week. If the run defense plays like it did against the Lobos, the Falcons will come away with the win.

Sept. 23
Air Force 31 ... Wyoming 24
Air Force held on to the ball for over forty minutes and ran for 327 yards as Shaun Carney scored twice and threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Beau Suder for a 28-14 lead. Wyoming came back with a 31-yard touchdown catch from Michael Ford, but Air Force put it out of reach for good with a 27-yard Zach Sasser field goal. Wyoming was able to get within seven with 3:29 to play, but saw its final drive stall when RB Devin Moore lost a fumble. Cowboy safeties Ward Dobbs and John Wendling combined for 32 tackles.
Player of the game ... Air Force QB Shaun Carney completed three of seven passes for 40 yards and a touchdown and ran 25 times for 131 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Air Force - Passing: Shaun Carney, 3-7, 40 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Shaun Carney, 25-131, 2 TD  Receiving: Beau Suder, 1-20, 1 TD
Wyoming - Passing: Jacob Doss, 13-21, 169 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Devin Moore, 6-52  Receiving: Michael Ford, 4-58, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Is anyone happier about the new clock rules than Air Force? The Falcons were able to control the Wyoming game with their running attack and got everything working with the ground game. Shaun Carney was excellent, while Chad Hill cranked out yards in chunks. This is a different team than last year with more aggressiveness against the run and stronger, sharper play from the offense. Next up is the first home game of the year against New Mexico with a chance to go 2-0 to start the conference season and to make a big statement before the showdown with Navy.

Sept. 9
Tennessee 31 ... Air Force 30
Air Force got a one-yard touchdown run from Ryan Williams with 1:35 to pull within one, but instead of going for the extra point and overtime, head coach Fisher DeBerry chose to go for two and the win. Xavier Mitchell came up with the stop and the Vols escaped with the win. Erik Ainge was brilliant throwing three touchdown passes with two to Robert Meachem, but the Tennessee defense couldn't stop the Falcon rushing attack allowing 281 yards on the ground and two long, late drives that ended with Williams touchdowns. Neither defense could handle the other's offense with Tennessee converting nine of 11 third down chances and Air Force converting nine of 13. The Falcons held on to the ball for 12:28 of the first quarter. Jonathan Hefney made 17 tackles for the Vols.
Player of the game ... Tennessee QB Erik Ainge completed 24 of 29 passes for 333 yards and three touchdowns with an interception.
Stat Leaders: Air Force- Passing: Shaun Carney, 7-9, 127 yds
Rushing: Ryan Williams, 16-98, 2 TD. Receiving: Justin Handley, 2-35
Tennessee - Passing: Erik Ainge, 24-29, 333 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Montario Hardesty, 19-72, 1 TD. Receiving: Robert Meachem, 8-115, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Air Force went toe-to-toe with one of the nation's hottest teams and almost pulled off the win. Even in a disappointing defeat to Tennessee, there has to be some glimmer of glee that the running game worked so well against a D that fast. Now the offense has to prove it can be as sharp next week in Mountain West play at Wyoming. While the Falcon defense won't face an offensive line like Tennessee's until November when it goes against Notre Dame, there has to be a little more pressure in the backfield. UT's Erik Ainge had ten days to throw.

2006 Air Force Preview

Air Force Preview | Offense | Defense | Depth Chart | Further Analysis

Does Air Force have one more quirky run left to be had under Fisher DeBerry?

DeBerry has long been among the most respected head coaches for what he's been able to do at Air Force. Despite all the recruiting restrictions and the lack of all-around D-I talent that just about everyone else can get, DeBerry has always fielded competitive teams that have occasionally flirted with greatness when all the parts were humming. Unfortunately, things are starting to slide for a variety of reasons.

DeBerry's legacy has taken a sudden turn with controversial comments last season about the need to get more black players and with other issues concerning religion and its place in the football program. On the field, the rest of the Mountain West has gotten so much better that Air Force will find itself having a harder and harder time battling to be in the conference title race. Racial undertones aside, DeBerry was right that his team just can't run with the elite Mountain West teams like last year's TCU squad.

However, it's not all doom and gloom. As bad as last season's 4-7 campaign might have been, Air Force lost to Wyoming by one, at Utah by three, at Navy by three, and against Army by three. A right bounce or big play here or there, and the Falcons could've just as easily have been 7-4. The hope is for things to tighten up all the way around and force those one or two positive plays that Air Force used to make when it was winning on a consistent basis.

The defense has to stop giving up so many game-changing big plays, the turnover margin (Air Force finished 95th in the nation) has to become a positive, and the offense has to be much sharper. Quarterback Shaun Carney is well on his way to being the greatest passer in the DeBerry era, but he has to get the ground game back to the point where it can hang 300 yards a game on anyone. It only hit the 300-yard mark once last year.

Talent-wise, this isn't DeBerry's best team, but there aren't any problems he hasn't dealt with before. If Carney can take the next step up in his ability to run the attack, and if some reliable receivers and game-breaking running backs can emerge, and if Bobby Giannini and the veteran secondary can slow down the better passing teams just a little bit, then a winning season is more than possible.

The Schedule: It's not horrible even with non-conference games against Tennessee and Notre Dame to go along with the normal games against the other service academies. In conference play, three of the road games are against 2005 bottom feeders Wyoming, San Diego State and UNLV to go along with the regular-season ending rough one at TCU. Utah, New Mexico, Colorado State and BYU all have to come to Colorado Springs; you can't ask for much more than that.

Best Offensive Player: Junior QB Shaun Carney. His passing numbers are likely to take a tumble with the graduation of top receivers Jason Brown and Greg Kirkwood, but he has two years of experience and should be able to run the ground attack more efficiently with a veteran backfield to get the ball to.

Best Defensive Player: Junior FS Bobby Giannini. One of the Mountain West's best all-around defenders, Giannini is a sure tackler and a cornerback-like coverman. He'll have to be a rock early on with two new Falcon Backs (safeties) taking over.

Key player to a successful season: Senior WR Victor Thompson. How can an Air Force wide receiver be the key to anything? With a good passer like Shaun Carney under center, there has to be some threat of the deep ball to open things up for the ground game. With top receivers Jason Brown and Greg Kirkwood gone, Thompson has to fill the void.

The season will be a success if ... Air Force has a winning season. This is probably no better than the sixth or seventh best team in the conference, but the schedule works out nicely with only three games (at Tennessee, Notre Dame and at TCU) that it likely has little chance of winning. Seven wins is a very attainable goal.

Key game: Sept. 23 at Wyoming. The Falcons lost a heartbreaker last year to the Cowboys and could use a little revenge to get off to a positive start in conference play. With two weeks off after the road trip to Tennessee, there will be time to prepare.

2005 Fun Stats: 
- Air Force third quarter scoring: 51 - Air Force fourth quarter scoring: 132
- Rushing touchdowns: Air Force 28 - Opponents 28
- Fourth down conversions: Air Force 78% (18 of 23) - Opponents 63% (12 of 19)

The Last Time Air Force…
…played in a bowl game…2002 (San Francisco vs. Virginia Tech)
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…2003 (Wofford)
…was shutout…1992 (Ole Miss)
…scored 50 points…2002 (BYU)
…went undefeated…1958
…won a conference title…1998 (WAC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…never
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2002 (Chance Harridge)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…1970 (Ernie Jennings)
…had a first-round draft choice…never