Air
Force Falcons
Preview 2007
By
Pete Fiutak
-
2007 Air Force Offense Preview |
2007 Air Force Defense Preview
-
2007 Air Force Depth Chart
|
2006 CFN Air Force
Preview
After 23 years under Fisher DeBerry, and three straight losing
seasons, Air Force is undergoing an overall facelift in an attempt
to become competitive again in a Mountain West that’s gotten better
over the last few years.
As the leader of the new era, new head man Troy Calhoun is in a bit
of a sticky situation. On the one hand, he wants to improve the
offense and add more wrinkles and updates, but on the other, he has
a team built for running the ball in a flexible form of the option.
Even so, there might not be a need for a major overhaul; all the
Falcons may need is just a little tweaking, some new ideas and a
fresh start.
Head coach: Troy Calhoun
1st year
Returning Lettermen:
Off. 21, Def. 27, ST 2
Lettermen Lost: 18 |
Ten
Best Falcon Players
1.
LB Drew
Fowler, Sr.
2. QB Shaun Carney, Sr.
3. FS Bobby Giannini, Jr.
4. WR/RB Chad Hall, Sr.
5. RB Chad Smith, Sr.
6. CB Garrett Rybak, Sr.
7. DE Ryan Kemp, Jr.
8. C Blaine Guenther, Sr.
9. DE Jake Paulson, Jr.
10. TE Travis Dekker, Sr. |
|
2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7 |
|
Sept. 1 |
South Carolina St |
|
Sept. 8 |
at
Utah |
|
Sept. 13 |
TCU |
|
Sept. 22 |
at
BYU |
|
Sept. 29 |
at
Navy |
|
Oct.
6 |
UNLV |
|
Oct.
13 |
at
Colorado State |
|
Oct.
20 |
Wyoming |
|
Oct.
25 |
at New Mexico |
|
Nov.
3 |
Army |
|
Nov.
10 |
at
Notre Dame |
|
Nov.
17 |
San Diego State |
|
|
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 |
|
Navy
proved that a service academy can still be successful, but it wins games
because of its perfectly executed triple-option offense and phenomenal
coaching. Army proved that even a great coaching staff, like it had when
Bobby Ross was there, can’t always make up for a lack of overall talent.
Air Force has to win by not making mistakes, going hard for a full four
quarters, and simply out-executing the mediocre teams. It should be able
to do all three this year.
The Falcons lost five games by a touchdown or less in a 4-8 season, but
they got worse as the season went on. It’s one thing to lose by one at
Tennessee in the season opener, and it’s another to lose at UNLV. Worse
yet, they got blasted by two of the three Mountain West powers, losing
to BYU and TCU by a combined score of 71-28 (they also lost to Utah,
17-14).
No one’s going to expect miracles right off the bat, but with a
not-that-bad schedule that should yield six wins if everything goes to
perfection, there’s a chance Calhoun can restore some of the former
glory in a quick turnaround.
What to watch for on offense: Running, as usual, but with more
passes thrown down the field and a variety of different looks.
Getting veteran quarterback Shaun Carney back
for his fourth year as the starter is a good beginning, and having
several decent backs, led by Chad Hall, who’ll play a hybrid of running
back and receiver, should keep the nation’s third-best running game
rolling. Calhoun wants to run well and throw efficiently, but Air Force
did that last year without results. To finally start winning the big
games, the Falcons need more pop in the passing game, and that’s where
it’s going to take some time. Service academies and consistent,
dangerous air attacks don’t necessarily mix.
What to watch for on defense: An emphasis on stopping the run.
That’s easier said than done, but the Falcons have a good player to
build around in all-conference linebacker Drew Fowler, a tackling
machine. Only one starter returns on the line after an injury-plagued
season, but the defensive front still did a nice job. The run defense
succeeded at the expense of making plays in the backfield, and now the
hope is to do a little of each well. That’s why …
The team will be far better if … the defensive front seven can
get into the backfield. Nineteen sacks and a mere 46 tackles for loss
weren’t enough to slow down the higher-octane attacks. With absolutely
no pressure whatsoever, the secondary had major problems against anyone
who wanted to dink and dunk. The Falcons have to dictate the action more
rather than playing read-and-react, and they have to be far better on
third downs after finishing last in the nation by allowing teams to
convert a ridiculous 56% of their chances (no one else was over the 50%
mark).
The Schedule:
It'll be a
Mountain West trial by fire for Calhoun, as Air Force plays the league's
big three, Utah, TCU and BYU, in its first three conference games, all
in September. Making matters worse, the Utah and BYU showdowns are on
the road. If that wasn't enough, the Colorado State and New Mexico games
are also away. On the non-conference slate, South Carolina State is a
nice early tune-up, but road games at Navy and Notre Dame aren't going
to be fun. Getting Army and San Diego State in November should help end
with a good kick.
Best Offensive Player:
Senior QB
Shaun Carney. He’s been everything to the offense for the last three
seasons, rushing for 1,924 yards and 25 touchdowns while becoming an
ultra-efficient passer. His completion percentage has always been solid,
but he took another step forward last year, throwing just three
interceptions and 12 touchdown passes. Now he has to do more bombing
away downfield.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior LB
Drew Fowler. As sure a tackler as there is in the Mountain West, Fowler
led the league in stops averaging 10.2 per game. He’s not going to make
too many plays in the backfield and is just average against the pass,
but he’s the ultimate hole-plugger against the run.
Key player to a
successful season:
Senior WR Mark Root, or
some other receiver who can stretch the field. Even though he only
started in three games, all late in the year, Root led the team with 314
receiving yards on 16 catches. Carney is a good enough passer to put the
ball in the right place, and now the receivers have to do something with
it.
The season will be a
success if
... Air Force comes up with six wins. South Carolina State is a
slam-dunk to open the season, and games against Army, Wyoming, San Diego
State, and UNLV are all winnable. Road trips to Colorado State, Navy and
New Mexico could go either way if the Falcons are sharp and don’t make
mistakes. It’s asking for too much for a bowl bid, but even with all the
turnover, a two-game improvement would be a nice start for Calhoun.
Key game:
Sept. 8 at Utah. The
Falcons battled the Utes in a 17-14 loss last year to kick off a
four-game losing streak to finish the season. In the Mountain West
opener, and with TCU and a trip to BYU to follow over the next two
weeks, upsetting Utah might be necessary to avoid a brutal 0-3
conference start, while providing a huge boost of confidence.
2006 Fun Stats:
- Air Force first quarter scoring: 41; Air Force fourth quarter scoring:
102
- Penalties: Air Force 47 for 410 yards; Opponents 67 for 555 yards
- Rushing attempts/lost fumbles: Air Force 660 (lost 10); Opponents 415
(lost 13)