2010 Air Force Falcons Football Preview

2009 Results: 8-5, Won Armed Forces Bowl vs. Houston

Head Coach: Troy Calhoun (4th year @ Air Force, 25-14 Overall)

Home Venue: Falcon Stadium (46,692), Colorado Springs, Colorado

It has been a successful first three seasons under Troy Calhoun for the Falcons, notching an impressive 25 wins, including the first bowl win since 2000, during his stewardship. Much like Navy, Air Force runs the option attack to great effect and wins games thanks to domination of time of possession. Can Air Force make it four consecutive seasons with eight or more wins this year?

OFFENSE

The Falcon offense is a great example of good news and bad news. The good news is that virtually every single contributor at the skill positions, from junior QB Tim Jefferson to leading rusher Jared Tew (9 TDs), is back for another go! Expect there to be a lot of decisiveness from this offense with so much experience.

Then there’s the bad news: Air Force is facing a complete overhaul on the offensive line! Considering how complex playing O-Line in this system is, that’s a serious concern. While the Falcons should find some quality talent (Calhoun usually does), the fact that they only have one career start on this season’s line is the team’s biggest concern on either side of the football.

So how will the offense perform? With so much talent returning at the skill positions, the Falcons should be a dangerous group once more. However, I think that they’re going to run into trouble getting tough yards with a completely rebuilt line and that could result in a less effective offense overall.

DEFENSE

The line of scrimmage concerns continue on the defensive side of the football, where senior DE Rick Ricketts (57 tackles, 4 sacks) is the only returning starter. Considering how strong the Falcons were against the run in 2009, that’s a big concern that is only amplified when I see that they’re also losing their top two tacklers. Senior Andre Morris (65 tackles) is the best returning starter at linebacker but there is some serious concern about their ability to continue their excellence against the run.

Where the Falcons won’t struggle is in the secondary. Air Force has the best cornerback tandem in the conference as senior Reggie Rembert (43 tackles, 3 INT, 2nd Team All-MWC) and junior Anthony Wright (54 tackles, 7 INT, 1st Team All-MWC) are absolute ball hawks. With junior safety Jon Davis (56 tackles, 3 INT) backing them up, this will be a brutal secondary to try to pass against.

But will opposing offenses have to throw the ball when their front seven is so depleted? There is no doubt that the Falcons will have to prove to opponents that they are capable of stopping the run. With so much concern up front, I think that Air Force will take a step back this season defensively.

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SCHEDULE

The Falcons have a fairly tough schedule this season. They do not get an off week, running straight through 12 games. Their non-conference schedule features always-tough Navy, improving rival Army and national championship contender Oklahoma and they have to travel to BYU and Utah in league play! This is a tougher schedule than 2009 as Oklahoma replaces Minnesota in the non-league portion and Air Force will have to take care of business every week to be bowl eligible.

OUTLOOK

The Falcons have been a fundamentally sound team since Calhoun’s arrival and I don’t expect this year’s team to be any different. Air Force will try to run the ball and control the clock, especially with the concerns up front on defense. However, they have a tough schedule and are not going to be great along the line of scrimmage and that’s a fundamental flaw. With so many worries, I think that the Falcons are going to take a step back this season but they should still be bowl eligible.

PREDICTED RESULT: 6-6 (4-4 Mountain West)