The Air Force Falcons are perennially one of the best-coached teams in the country and have a chance to make some noise in the Mountain West Conference in 2011. Frank Schwab covers the cadets for The Gazette in Colorado Springs, and he gives his take on the state of the program heading into the fall.
1. Troy Calhoun’s name comes up frequently in job searches, but he’s still in Colorado Springs. How committed is he to Air Force?
Very committed – he showed his dedication to the academy when he basically quashed speculation he would be in the running for the Denver Broncos job by putting out a statement that said he’d be the Air Force coach “in 2011 and beyond.” He is an alum, believes in the academy’s mission, even gave $100,000 to the new Holaday Athletic Center. And, Air Force deserves credit for treating him well and keeping him happy. Now, that’s not to say he wouldn’t ever be tempted to leave. But it would have to be a very, very good job for him to leave Air Force.
2. A year later, how has the defense adjusted to life without Tim DeRuyter?
The defense did pretty well last year, it kept many of the same concepts from the DeRuyter defense. The turnovers were down a bit during the regular season, but some of that is being a bit unlucky. The front seven needs to have a big year, because Air Force wasn’t good enough against the run last year. If the run defense is a little better, the talented secondary gets the turnover margin back to 2007-09 levels, the Falcons defense should be fine.
3. What do you think is going to be the key to keeping the offense clicking in 2011?
Health. The offense is going to be very good if it stays intact. This was the No. 2 rushing offense in the nation last year, and Tim Jefferson can pass the ball when he has to. Their main worry has to be what happens if tailback Asher Clark goes down. He had 1,000 yards last year, and there’s simply not a lot of proven depth behind him. Add in almost no experience at fullback, and the backfield could be thin if they lost a starter. But if key pieces like Jefferson, Clark, receivers Jonathan Warzeka and Zack Kauth stay healthy all year, Air Force is going to be tough to slow down.
4. If you had to pick one potential trap game for Air Force this year, which one would it be?
The one that stands out is the season finale at Colorado State. The Rams will probably be better this year, and the timing of that game isn’t great for Air Force. The Falcons have a brutal October (at Navy, at Notre Dame, San Diego State, at Boise State, at New Mexico) and could be beat up a little bit going into November. That’s always a concern with undersized Air Force teams, and especially this year, considering the schedule. Depending on what the Falcons have left to play for in late November, I could see them being less than sharp going to Fort Collins.
5. How scared were you for that falcon’s safety in Shreveport last year?
So glad they found “Ace” that night – I don’t think I’d have been able to concentrate at the craps table that night had he been on the loose. And whoever put out the rumor that I had 11 herbs and spices and the Weber grill ready to go that night in case I found “Ace” first … that’s just hurtful.
