Mon 9-26 Hurtin

That describes Air Force . They are a banged up bunch. Defensive Lineman Zach Payne may be lost for the season with a knee injury. Cornerback Chris Miller has a leg injury and could be out of action a month. Tight End Joshua Freeman hurt his shoulder on a touchdown catch against Tennessee State and is questionable for the Navy Game. Brian Lindsey has another injury and may miss the game this weekend. Ken Lamendola has a hamstring injury and is also questionable. I talked to Ken after the game and congratulated him for making it all the way back.  The last game he played in was October of 2009. Lamendola has been beset with various leg and knee injuries. The smile on his face was priceless. He made two tackles against Tennessee State.

Thoughts-In the Tennessee State win I liked the fact Air Force looked early and often for Mikell Hunter and Jonathen Warzeka. They have to touch the ball a lot.......Mike Dewitt has looked better than Wes Cobb at Fullback....Joshua Freeman has turned into a pretty good weapon at tight end...Anthony Lacoste has the potential to be a big time player at Air Force. He fumbled at the 1 because he had the football in his left, or inside arm and it was knocked out by State's John Jones. But later in the game he was in the open field and he made sure he switched the ball to his outside arm......Tim Jefferson under threw a few players, but still looked better passing the football....If I am Troy Calhoun, I give tailback Jonathen Lee a carry or two Saturday against Navy. He has some quicks, and will be the fastest guy on the field Saturday if they give me a shot. That 49 yard touchdown scamper was impressive....Jamil Coooks can be a star for the Falcons. Just needs playing time, and with Patrick Hennessey out,  he will get it....Alex means looks like he gets better every game.....Dontae Strickland was very very good on special teams for the Falcons, with 3 tackles.

Thur 9-22

Seems like two months since Air Force last played. I hate byes, and I hate byes early in the season. Troy Calhoun told me this week he is not a big fan of byes either but he thought this one will help.....Things I will be watching for Saturday-How crisp does the Air Force offense look? How will the defense play without Ryan Gardner and Patrick Hennessey? Will the Falcons be more emotionally invested? I thought they looked flat against TCU especially early....Don't expect to see anything fancy this week from the Falcons, especially with Navy coming up next week. They will run their basic stuff and normal formations and save the exotic
sets for the Midshipmen. I do not expect Tennessee State to give Air Force much of a game. While the Tigers have been good against the run, they will have trouble against the option. And Tennessee States secondary took a beating last week against Murray State. And while Air Force doesn't throw the ball like Murray State, I think that same secondary will have its challenges with all their run responsibilities.

Tues 9-13-11

Word out of the Academy is the Falcons lose two starters following the loss to TCU. Ryan Gardner is out with a knee injury, and LB Patrick Hennessey is lost with a broken bone in his thumb. Both could be gone 8-10 weeks. This is a huge blow to this football team. I thought the Falcons rush defense was really hurt last year when Garnder missed several games with injury. Cody Miller and Nick Dejulio will see more time on the defensive line. Hennessey has been a stalwart at LB but has had injury problems throughout his career. Sounds like Jamil Cooks will slide over to replace him, which gets both Cooks and Alex Means on the field at the same time......I am not a big fan of Air Force playing Football Championship Subdivision opponents. I understand why its done but I disagree with it. I don't think it does anything to help you get ready for a bigger faster stronger D-1 team the following week. And so here we go again., with Air Force slated to play Tennessee State September 24th, followed by Navy Oct 1st. If you beat Navy then the Tennessee State game means nothing. But if you lose to the Midshipmen and somehow Tennessee State pulls the upset, it would leave the Falcons answering a lot of questions......It is a long football season, and there's no reason to panic after 2 games and 1 loss. But the season could have started under better circumstances.

Wow

I didn't expect TCU to beat Air Force like they did Saturday 35-19.....Going in I thought this was the biggest game in the last 15 years at the Academy.  I think the players felt that way as well but looking back on it, you never really saw a lot of emotion from them.......I thought Troy Calhoun's call in the first quarter to go for it on 4th and 3 from the Horned Frogs 49 was a good one. You had a chance to set a tone, give your team a bit more confidence and strike early. Instead it was TCU who parlayed that into momentum and eventually a 7-0 lead.... If there was one thing that bothered me about the whole game it was the fact that Jonathen Warzeka and Mikell Hunter combined to touch the ball only 6 times. That's bad, and that's on the coaches. Both guys are talented, quick and shifty. You HAVE TO get them the ball in the open field somehow and someway. They come the closest to matching TCU's speed. 6 Times? They are two of your best skill players. GET THEM THE BALL.

Injuries.....The loss of Ryan Gardner really hurts. He is excellent against the run. The good news is I think you can get past Tennessee State without him, which gives you 3 weeks to get him ready for Navy....

Now The Big Boyi

9-5-11


Troy Calhoun will never say it, but Saturdays game against TCU is the biggest game of his head coaching career, and maybe the biggest game in the last 15 years for this program. Look, to be the man you have to beat the man, and the man is TCU. Air Force believes it can compete for the title. You can't do it unless you beat TCU. Its that simple. Calhoun, like all good coaches doesn't want one game to be seen as bigger than any other. However I think his players look at this game as a make-or break-the season contest. They have openly talked for the first time about winning the MWC Title and running the table. The fascinating part about all this is TCU. They lost to Baylor 50-48 in one of the best College games in the last 5 years. And now they get ready for Air Force, who head coach Gary Patterson respects so much he has his teams work against the option offense in early August, no matter when the teams play. The pressure is on TCU Saturday. They could start 0-2. They have a defense that has questions after getting ripped for 50 points by Baylor. Their offense is good, but young, especially at QB with Casey Pachall, and they are on the road again this week. Don't get me wrong. They are a strong team with a top 5 head coach. But they have questions for the first time in a long time. Air Force is in the best position it can be in to knock off the Horned Frogs. The Man is coming to Falcon Stadium Saturday. The Falcons hope they are the man Saturday afternoon at 445.

Game Day

9-2-11

   Things to look for Saturday as Air Force hosts South Dakota.......The Coyotes quarterback Dante Warren has a big time arm, and he has 2 experienced receivers to throw to, Will Powell and Dustin Nowotny. And with a big offensive line protecting Warren, the Falcons gotta figure out how to put pressure on him.........South Dakota's defense could be in for a long day defending Air Force. You will see some different things from the Falcons, but not a lot. I am sure they would love to keep next weeks opponent, TCU, guessing.....I am looking forward to watching fullback Wes Cobb. Troy Calhoun calls him a warrior, and I imagine he could get a lot of carries tomorrow....Also, who will kick for the Falcons, Eric Soderberg or Patrick Herrngton? Heck, you may see one handle kickoffs and the other field goals. Troy Calhoun says he is not opposed to that.

Falcon Football Saturday Coverage on KVOR begins at 10. We kick things off at noon. Bring your radios, or watch the TV and turn down the volume and listen to KVOR for your hometown coverage.

And on Monday a brand new Feature...Air Force Monday Morning Quarterback at 620 on Colorado's 740 KVOR.