Tag: Air Force

Wisconsin played Air Force once, and almost played Bill Parcells

More on Wisconsin’s history against the service academies

On Army-Navy Game weekend, Wisconsin’s history with service-academy football programs is worth researching. Wisconsin has never played Army, but will do so for the first time on October 16, 2021. The Badgers have played Navy twice, but not since 1949. Wisconsin’s most recent service-academy football game came against Air Force. The date was September 15, 1979. One detail emerges from that particular year which many Badger fans might find interesting.

The 1979 season could have been a year in which a then-obscure head coach faced Wisconsin. Even in the late 1970s, it wasn’t common in the college football head coaching industry for coaches to last only one year at a given program. A first season had to really miss the mark — for the coach, the school, or both — for a head coach to leave after one year, but that is exactly what happened after Bill Parcells coached Air Force in 1978.

Air Force had been guided the previous 20 seasons by Ben Martin, who led Air Force to an unbeaten season in 1958 and piloted the Falcons to the Cotton and Sugar Bowls. Air Force’s 1970 season — culminating in a Sugar Bowl appearance — marks the last time any academy football team has played in one of the original five New Year’s Day bowl games (Rose, Sugar, Cotton, Orange, Sun). Martin was a legend, so Parcells was filling big shoes. This also meant, however, that Parcells would get plenty of time to find his own way in Colorado Springs IF he was willing to be patient.

Parcells had been an assistant coach at Army, so he knew the world of academy football. He had been an assistant at multiple other college programs, so he was immersed in the college game entering 1978. Yet, his first season as a college head coach was not what he expected. Air Force might be an academy, just like Army, but the particular nuances of coaching in Colorado Springs were different from West Point. Parcells went 3-8 in 1978… and he resigned after the season. He never did get to coach against Wisconsin in September of 1979. One of the assistants he hired, Ken Hatfield, was promoted to head coach. Hatfield built the Air Force program into a winner and then turned the reins over to Fisher DeBerry, who became a great coach on par with Ben Martin. Air Force did just fine.

Hatfield did just fine, too. After leaving Air Force, he built a winner at Arkansas, making multiple Cotton Bowls as Southwest Conference champion. He won a fair amount of games at Clemson as well.

That Parcells guy? Yeah, his career was decent as well, with multiple Super Bowl rings and a track record for turning bad organizations into winners, never embodied more than when he took the New York Jets (!) to the AFC Championship Game in the late 1990s.

Wisconsin’s only game against Air Force could have been against Bill Parcells. The coach himself, and the workings of history, had other ideas.

Amway Coaches Poll: Notre Dame Holds Still

Stack resumes and you can easily make the case that Notre Dame is worthy of a top-10, perhaps top-seven spot.

The final regular season Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today is out and if it offers any hint of how the College Playoff Committee will see things, they’ll fall exactly in line with what we thought they’d be last night.

Here is the latest Amway Coaches Poll Powered by USA Today:

1. LSU

2. Ohio State

3. Clemson

4. Oklahoma

5. Georgia

6. Oregon

7. Florida

8. Baylor

9. Alabama

10. Utah

11. Wisconsin

12. Penn State

13. Auburn

14. Notre Dame

15. Memphis

16. Minnesota

17. Michigan

18. Boise State

19. Iowa

20. Appalachian State

21. Navy

22. Cincinnati

23. USC

24. Air Force

25. Virginia

Stack resumes and you can easily make the case that Notre Dame is worthy of a top-10, perhaps top-seven spot.

However you could also make a case (not saying it’d be correct) that they could be a few slots lower as well.

Lady Vols defeat Air Force 81-54 to remain unbeaten

Lady Vols defeat Air Force 81-54 to remain unbeaten.

KNOXVILLE — The Lady Vols overcame a sluggish offensive start to keep their perfect record intact with a 81-54 victory over Air Force Sunday afternoon at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tennessee (7-0) missed its first six field goal attempts and started 1-for-8 from the floor and struggled offensively.

But the Lady Vols came ready to play defensively as they forced the Falcons into 22 turnovers and they had six blocked shots. Tennessee also held Air Force (1-7) to 29 percent shooting (21-for-71).

The Falcons did outrebound the Lady Vols 40-39, but Tennessee had 15 steals.

Offensively, UT boasted a balanced scoring attack with Rennia Davis and Rae Burrell scoring 18 points each and were two of five Lady Vols to post double figures in the scoring column.

Kasiyhna Kushkituah added 13 points. Jazmine Massengill had 11 and Tamari Key finished with 10.

Tennessee will now have a week off. The Lady Vols will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 8 when they host longtime rival Texas at Thompson-Boling Arena.

Tipoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. (EST).

Air Force vs Colorado State: Three Keys to a Rams Win

CSU has chance to gain bowl eligibility by winning two out of their last three games. Can the Rams beat the Falcons to move a step closer?

[jwplayer tJPh0k22-sNi3MVSU]

Air Force vs Colorado State: Three Keys to a Rams Win

The Rams have a chance to move closer to bowl eligibility

Contact/Follow @J0shFr3d & @MWCwire

Can the Rams beat a rival?

WEEK 12: Air Force Falcons (7-2, 4-1 Mountain West) vs Colorado State Rams (4-5, 3-2 Mountain West)

WHEN: Saturday, November 16th — 5:00 PM MT/4:00 PM PT

WHERE: Canvas Stadium; Fort Collins, Colorado (41,000)

TV: ESPN2

RADIO: Air Force | Colorado State

SERIES RECORD: This will be the 58th matchup between the two teams. Air Force currently leads the series 35-21-1

WEBSITES: GoAirForceFalcons.com, the official Air Force athletics website | CSURams.com, the official Colorado State athletics website

ODDS (via OddsShark): Air Force -10

SP+ PROJECTION: Air Force by 14.1 (79% win probability)

FEI PROJECTION: Air Force by 20.2

The Colorado State Rams have a chance to gain bowl eligibility by winning two out of their last three games. This week, the Air Force Falcons and their option offense are standing in their way.

After games where the Rams let the Falcons score 40+ points, last season CSU kept the game close, losing 27-19. This season the Rams are riding high on a resurgent defense in conference play. Here’s how CSU can beat the Falcons.

Three Keys to a Colorado State Victory

1. Contain the fullback dive.

The Rams have had the fullback dive drilled into their heads over the past two weeks. “Every day. Every time I walk in the building,” defensive tackle Ellison Hubbard told CSURams.com. “We’re going to hear fullback dive, dive, just dive, dive, dive. We’re going to hear it.”

CSU gave up 260 yards and a touchdown to Cole Fagan last year. Fagan is no longer with the team, but the fullback still plays a big role in the offense with two of the Falcons top three rushers being fullbacks. The Rams need to limit the damage down from the Falcons fullback if they want to win.

2. The defense needs to stay with their assignments.

The Air Force Falcons are an extremely disciplined football team; which comes as a result of their daily military training. They know their assignments and they know how to execute to make a team pay for their mistakes.

If the Rams are to walk away with a victory, they cannot freelance anything. If the CSU defense tries to get cute, the Falcons will break open a big, chunk yards play. The Rams will need to play smash mouth, keep on assignment football to beat the Falcons.

3. Get the running game going.

The Air Force Falcons defense against the run ranks ninth in the country, allowing only 96.8 yards per game. The Rams rushing attack is currently averaging 156.6 yards per game. Something has to give on Saturday and the Rams are hoping it everything falls their way.

Colorado State’s leading rusher, Marvin Kinsey, was suspended and eventually let go from the team. However, the Rams rushing attacked hasn’t faltered at all with Marcus McElroy being the one to step up and take on the roll of a bell cow. McElroy will need to play a big role if the Rams are to win.

Prediction

This game is always a toss-up as to who wins. Yes, Air Force has won more often than not. But the results have varied widely from blowouts by both sides to three-point victories by both sides. The Rams have the ability and talent to match up well against Air Force, it’s just a matter of execution. Expect the Rams to be on after the bye week and win a close game.

CSU 38, Air Force 35

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=1360]

 

Notre Dame Football: Sellout Streak Over

Where were you on Thanksgiving Day in 1973?

[jwplayer mF9PQ4vf]

Where were you on Thanksgiving Day in 1973?

If you answered with being at Notre Dame Stadium when the Irish dismantled Air Force 48-15 en-route to a national championship, then you were a part of history.

No, not just because that Ara Parseghian-led team went on to win it all, but because it was the last time Notre Dame Stadium failed to sell out for a home football contest.

Until this weekend.

It went over four-and-a-half decades and lasted 273 games but it appears that streak of consecutive sellouts is history.

“Based on ticket sales through Wednesday, we do not anticipate sellouts for our games against Navy and Boston College,” Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in a statement. “That this comes during a time of sustained success for our football program reflects both challenges impacting the ticket market nationwide and the unique dynamics of this year’s schedule.”

Swarbrick mentioned in an interview with Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune that the Irish playing three true home games this November and the weather that comes with that are the most-likely factors to seeing the streak end.

In the piece you find out how several games over the years counted as sellouts as well, even when plenty of empty seats were clearly evident.

The streak ranked second, behind only Nebraska who has sold out every one of their last 373 home contests.

Over the last ten seasons the Irish have played just one home-game five times, often playing the on-again, off-again Shamrock Series during the month.

Notre Dame can move to 8-2 with a win over No. 21 Navy and potentially 9-2 if they can also get by traditional pain-in-the-rear, Boston College in two weeks.

If you haven’t been to a game in quite some time, here’s your chance to see a potential top-10 finishing Notre Dame team up close.