Falcons should go bowling
Air Force needs a boost from its young defense
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has relied on a variety of quarterbacks running the option offense and a punishing defense to earn bowl bids.
The formula, however, didn’t quite work during the 2017 season when the young and inexperienced defense struggled.
Air Force is projected to regroup and earn bowl eligibility, checking in at No. 78 in Orlando Sentinel college insider Matt Murschel’s preseason 2018 college football rankings. Murschel ranked all 129 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in the country.
The Sentinel staff takes a closer look at a new team daily, counting backward from No. 129 to our projected No. 1 team.
Force Air
Troy Calhoun (82-60 entering 12th season, 82-60 overall)
5-7 overall, 4-4 in Mountain West; fourth in Mountain Division
Air Force struggled early in the 2017 season, opening with a win over VMI before dropping four consecutive games. The most disappointing were a 56-38 loss at struggling New Mexico and a 48-45 loss at rival Navy.
The Falcons could have folded after falling to the Midshipmen, but they regrouped with wins over UNLV, Nevada and Colorado State. A 21-0 loss to rival Army was followed by losses to Wyoming and Boise State that sealed a losing season.
Air Force closed out the regular season with a 38-35 home win over Utah State, giving the team something to build on during the offseason. 6 5
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PREVIOUSLY ON THE COUNTDOWN
TB Tim McVey, FB Jacob Stafford, C Alex Norton, LB Grant Ross
QB Arion Worthman, QB Isaiah Sanders, QB Donald Hammond, QB Beau English, WR Ronald Cleveland, CB Marquis Griffin, LB Kyle Floyd, LB Lakota Wills, P Charlie Scott
Air Force quarterback Arion Worthman has demonstrated he’s capable of carrying the Falcons’ offense, making smart decisions under pressure that are required in the triple-option attack. Worthman took a lot of hits last season and missed some time due to injuries. It’s common for Air Force quarterbacks to take those big hits, so it helps that the Falcons have three other
Air Force gave up 40.3 points per game during an early 2017 four-game losing streak and the unit never really recovered.
It didn’t help that an inexperienced secondary was hit hard by injuries. Air Force didn’t get much of a push up front, either, ranking No. 117 nationally in rushing defense after allowing 222.8 yards per game.
Air Force is coming off its first losing season since 2013 and the third overall of Calhoun’s lengthy tenure. The coach has a strong command of what works and doesn’t at the service academy.
He should be able to steer the program back to bowl eligibility with some improvement on the defensive side of the ball.