Tag: Air Force Falcons

Air Force vs. Utah State: Falcons Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

Air Force vs. Utah State: Falcons Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction Can the Falcons Avenge Last Years Loss to the Aggies? Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire Mountain Division Clash: Air Force Travels to Logan, Utah WEEK 6: Air Force Falcons …

Air Force vs. Utah State: Falcons Game Preview, How to Watch, Odds, Prediction

Can the Falcons Avenge Last Years Loss to the Aggies?

Contact/Follow @Sean or @MWCWire

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Mountain Division Clash: Air Force Travels to Logan, Utah

WEEK 6: Air Force Falcons 4-1 (1-1) vs. Utah State Aggies 1-4 (0-1)

WHEN: Saturday, October 8th — 5:00 P.M. MT/ 4:00 P.M. PT

WHERE: Merlin Olsen Field at Maverik Stadium (Logan, UT)

WEATHER: Intervals of clouds and sunshine. High 76F. Winds light and variable

TV: FS1

RADIO: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, 104.3 the Fan in Denver; SIRIUS 388, SXM App 978

Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

SERIES RECORD: Air Force leads the all-time series 5-4. Last Year the Aggies beat the Falcons 49-45.

LAST WEEK: Air Force defeated Navy 13-10 | Utah State lost to BYU 26-38

WEBSITES: UtahStateAggies.com, the official Utah State athletics website | GoAirForceFalcons.com, the official Air Force athletics website

GAME NOTES (PDF): Utah State | Air Force

SP+ PROJECTION: Air Force by 10.2

FEI PROJECTION: Air Force by 16

PARKER FLEMMING PROJECTION: Air Force win probability 82.55% (27.10-14.18)

As the Falcons head to Logan to take on the Aggies, it was just over a year ago that a loss to the eventual Conference champs actually cost Air Force the Mountain Division. The 2022 variety of Utah State has not looked the same as the former champs, both by play and not surprisingly, roster composition.

Last season, the Aggies enjoyed a great deal of benefit from the transfer portal. Despite a number of high profile transfers, they’ve not experienced the same success this year. Logan Bonner is out for the year, which has since given the reins of the offense over to Junior quarterback, Cooper Legas.  Plus the absence of a Justin Rice on the defense will always be felt.

Don’t cry for the Aggies though, they still have a number of talented players at various positions. And coach Blake Anderson is a proven winner. It may take some of his finest coaching to get Utah State to bowl eligibility, but that ship all but sails with a loss to the Falcons on Saturday. So while the Aggies try to keep their post season hopes alive, Air Force wants to stay in the hunt for the Mountain Division title. Here’s how the Falcons may be able to do just that.

Three Keys to an Air Force Victory

1. beware the improv

In his first career start last week against a ranked BYU team, Cooper Legas showed flashes of potential. The passing game was consistent, but there were moments. It’s not as if the Utah State offense was thriving prior to Bonner’s injury, so the deficiencies in the passing game are not all on Legas.

The big difference with Legas in the lineup is his mobility. There were a lot of designed runs and in key downs for the shifty quarterback. The little success that Nevada saw against the Air Force defense really came on the legs of their quarterback, Nate Cox. Similarly, look for the added dimension Legas brings to run game to be display. Where it could be particularly problematic is on those improvisational plays that you don’t necessarily scheme for. Finding success in those off-script plays might make a difference against a very stout Air Force defense.

2. dont get outschemed

One of the trademarks to Blake Anderson’s offenses are their wide (receiver) splits. Spreading the field sideline to sideline exposes matchup advantages on the outside, as well as thinning out the run defense in the middle of the field. Last year, this approach absolutely gutted the Air Force defense. The defense was never able to come up with answers to the Aggies attack in 2021, and this offensive philosophy was a major reason why.

Again, the 2022 Utah State offense has rarely resembled that of the prior year. But every week is a new opportunity. As a team that’s not afraid to throw the ball, the Aggies may have seen some things on tape from Air Force’s loss to Wyoming. There was a lot of soft coverage from the corners that Utah State transfer Andrew Peasley took advantage of regularly.

If they can find some matchups they like, it may allow the run game to be a nice compliment for the Aggies offense. If that ends up happening, we are likely in for a competitive game.

3. impose your will

One of the things that Air Force was able to do for the first time this year was throw the ball with some consistency. Frankly, were it not for the success Haaziq Daniels and the offense had through the air, they likely don’t beat Navy. The Mids held the Falcons run game in check, allowing just 200 yards on the ground at 3.2 yards per carry. For perspective, that’s a full two yards per carry less than their average.

Well, this isn’t the Naval Academies rush defense, and they shouldn’t treat them as such. The Air Force run game should be able to expose what has proven a very leaky run defense of Utah State. To date, the Aggies are surrendering just under 200 yards per game on the ground. For perspective, the last team that Air Force played to yield that kind of yardage on the ground was Colorado. They ran the Buffs right out of Falcon stadium. They should be confident in their ability to make an agonizing four quarters for the Aggies defense.

Prediction

That defensive side of the ball has proven to be problematic for the Aggies. They have surrendered a minimum of 34 points since their season opener against UCONN. Turnovers on offense certainly haven’t put the defense in the best position to succeed. Despite losing their last two against UNLV and BYU, the offense has started to improve.

Last year, it took 628 yards of total offense and a critical late game turnover forced by Justin Rice to topple Air Force. Unfortunately for the Aggies, Justin Rice won’t be on the field Saturday, nor will 628 yards of offense. While I do think Utah State found some confidence in their showing against BYU last week, they will find a highly motivated Falcons squad opposite them in Logan.

Losing to the Aggies cost Air Force a lot last year. Don’t think that is all forgotten. Short of another string of fumbles and mishaps, a steady dose of the nations most productive rushing attack should blaze the trail to victory.

Payback in Logan.

Air Force 31, Utah State 21

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CU Buffs aren’t the second-best college football team in Colorado, per latest USA TODAY Sports re-rank

The Buffs may not even be the second-best team in Colorado after Week 2

Things aren’t going well for CU. The Buffs are 0-2 for the first time since 2012 and they could easily be 0-4 with Minnesota and UCLA up next.

On Saturday, Air Force confirmed that it’s the best college football team in Colorado, but it’s also possible that the Buffs aren’t even second-best.

Paul Myerberg of USA TODAY Sports dropped his 1-131 NCAA re-rank on Monday and the 0-2 Colorado State Rams — the same Rams who just lost to Middle Tennessee — were No. 113, six spots ahead of CU at No. 119. Dang.

I’ll admit that new CSU head coach Jay Norvell seems solid up in Fort Collins, despite the embarrassing home opener. We’ll get a better idea of how the Rams compare to the Pac-12 in Week 3, though, when they visit Washington State.

Even sadder for Buffs fans (and Rams fans), is that Colorado State was featured in Dan Wolken’s Week 2 Misery Index. So, unless you root for Air Force, it’s tough to be a college football fan in the state of Colorado this fall.

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Report Card: Grading Colorado’s 41-10 loss at Air Force

We handed out grades for the Buffs’ rough afternoon at Air Force

The Buffaloes have had a rough start to the season, and while I will always find myself as an optimist, we would be doing a disservice to our readers if we didn’t grade Colorado honestly after each game.

The Air Force game was a buzzsaw waiting to happen. The Buffaloes did have some moments in the middle two quarters that made it a game, but they were ultimately done in by the same woes that plagued CU last year — an offense that couldn’t consistently move the ball and an overworked defense that crumbled after being on the field for way too long.

Here’s our Week 2 report card for Colorado’s 41-10 loss at Air Force

One key stat from Colorado’s loss at Air Force

Here’s our key stat from Saturday’s loss to Air Force

The Colorado Buffaloes went into halftime against Air Force down only 20-10. Things looked decent for Karl Dorrell’s team, and maybe, just maybe, the Buffs would stun Air Force in its own stadium.

Unfortunately, the second half was all Air Force as the Falcons scored 21 points and the Buffs went scoreless in the final two quarters.

It was the second straight week that the Buffs disappointed, although just about everybody had Air Force projected to win this week.

So, here’s one key stat from this game: 435. That is the number of rushing yards Air Force put up against Colorado.

On one hand, this is actually less than what they had in their opener against Northern Iowa, but it is still a ton.

Brad Roberts was the star of the day for the Falcons, finishing with 174 yards on 24 carries and three scores. A week before, he had 114 yards and a score on just eight carries, so they leaned on him much more this time around.

John Lee Eldridge III had 88 yards and a score, and six other players rushed for at least 20 yards.

The Buffs knew this coming in. To be frank, everybody knows the Falcons run the ball at will. But, nearly 500 yards of rushing is a ton. At least Quinn Perry, who finished with 17 tackles, was effective.

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Five takeaways from the CU Buffs’ 41-10 loss at Air Force

Colorado saw things slip away in the second half at Falcon Stadium

The box score in Colorado’s 41-10 loss to Air Force on Saturday didn’t look much different from last week’s loss to TCU. The Buffs played their best football in the second quarter but after the break, the Falcons soon opened up the floodgates.

Again, as I wrote in my halftime thoughts, nothing we saw on Saturday was particularly surprising. The 41-10 final score was about what most people predicted. However, if it weren’t for Alex Fontenot fumbling on the 1-yard line, the Buffs would’ve been within three points in the third quarter. In the same vein, Colorado wasn’t able to capitalize much on the three Falcons’ fumbles.

Here’s what we learned from a disappointing trip to the academy:

Halftime thoughts: Colorado at Air Force

What are your takeaways from the first half?

For the most part, that was about what we expected. Air Force did its thing on the ground while the Buffs’ offense had only one solid drive.

Colorado’s second quarter went much better than the first. JT Shrout fumbled the second snap and the Falcons immediately answered with a touchdown. Things seemed primed to only get worse, but the Buffs’ defensive admittedly held their own after that and even forced a pair of fumbles, thanks to Jalen Sami and Trevor Woods. But, the Buffs translated those turnovers into only three total points.

Shrout didn’t play well. He threw for just 28 yards on 3-of-12 passing, including an interception. It’s very possible that Brendon Lewis could get the nod to begin the second half. Colorado’s receivers struggled in the rain and it seemed the Buffs were doing more with the run, anyways —Deion Smith and Alex Fontenot each had 49 yards.

The Buffs will begin the third quarter with a 20-10 deficit kicking off to Air Force.

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Tony’s Take: Colorado at Air Force score prediction

Our Tony Cosolo predicts the final score of Colorado-Air Force

The Air Force Falcons could very well push the Colorado Buffaloes to 0-2. Given last week’s performance against the run, I don’t see the Buffs being able to contain the powerhouse ground game that Air Force employs.

The Falcons have the advantage at two very important spots right now. They have a great quarterback for their system in Haaziq Daniels that can make plays with his legs or with his arm in the rare occasion that AF decides to air it out.

Air Force also has a great coaching staff that has been in place for many years at this point and thoroughly understands what it means to play Falcons football. Colorado can’t match them in either spot right now and given the youth on the team, I see Air Force grinding out a win.

Falcons 38, Buffaloes 17

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Colorado’s defensive keys to the game at Air Force

We all know how Air Force’s offense operates, but how do you stop it?

On paper, the Colorado Buffaloes’ defense features a strong front seven and a young secondary that is expected to struggle. But from what I saw in the first game, the exact opposite of what we expected to see happen, happened. The young Buffaloes in the secondary more than held their own while TCU owned the ground attack in the second half.

CU’s defense now faces one of the best rushing attacks in all of college football on Saturday in the form of the Air Force Falcons.

Click on to read our three defensive keys to the games for the Buffs.

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REPORT: JT Shrout to start at QB vs. Air Force

REPORT: JT Shrout will be starting for the Buffs at Air Force

Around 5 p.m. MT on Friday evening, Brent Briggeman of the Colorado Springs Gazette reported that JT Shrout will start at quarterback for the Buffs on Saturday at Air Force. Brian Howell of BuffZone confirmed soon after that he was getting the same information from a source.

Shrout made his CU debut in Week 1 against TCU and the general consensus was that he played better than Brendon Lewis, who started the game. It also didn’t hurt that Shrout’s final drive culminated in a touchdown pass to Jordyn Tyson.

Depending on how things go, I still expect Karl Dorrell to rotate Lewis in at some point, though. But for now, Shrout will be taking the first snaps at Falcon Stadium.

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Colorado’s offensive keys to the game at Air Force

What are your offensive keys to the game?

Karl Dorrell and his young Buffs spoke of an offseason full of improvement on the offensive side of the ball. After failing to deliver on that offseason chatter in Week 1, it’s time for Colorado’s offense to step up in Saturday’s matchup with the Air Force Falcons.

There were some positives that were lost in the TCU onslaught, such as improvement by the offensive line in the running game. To secure a win in Colorado Springs, there must be a rapid improvement by the offense.

Click on for our three keys on the offensive side of the ball for the Buffaloes in Week 2.

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