FanHouse Air Force Football

Colorado and Air Force are trying to make sweet scheduling whoopee sometime in the near future. The problem: Colorado coach Dan Hawkins is wetting his pants in fear of Air Force running the option offense.

"I'm not going to lie to you: who wants to go up against that offense for one game?" the University of Colorado second-year coach said Tuesday at a football kickoff luncheon. "I'll have to see how much option offense (new Falcons football coach Troy Calhoun) wants to keep doing."

Now, I'm a big fan of Hawkins and think he's one of the most innovative coaches around. That said, he's being foolish here.

1)Do you homework, coach. New Air Force coach Troy Calhoun is promising less option and more of a balanced/passing offense. No longer will the option be deployed every down, in all looks. Instead, it will be situational and perhaps phased out as the roster is built to Calhoun's image.

2)You're Dan Freaking Hawkins! Zen master supreme. Mr. Take on All Challenges. Mr. invent crazy offenses and then force opponents to prepare for you. The Colorado air must be extra thin and reducing oxygen to his brain because a series with Air Force should be right up Hawkins' alley.

They say that things like this are bound to happen. That in all manner events, whether on or off the football field, all things must eventuall come to an end. For Fisher DeBerry and the Air Force football community, the dynasty built during the 1980s and 1990s has come to a sudden halt following a third consecutive losing season, an event which culminated with the retirment of the 68 year old living legend and the beginning of a new Service Academy football era.

And just as Rome did not fall by the hands of the Visigoths alone, so to can we trace the fall of Fisher DeBerry's Air Force program to a multitude of different causes and events. And while one can dispute the label of "fallen," one certainly cannot find argument in the fact that the Falcons of today are not the Falcons of five, ten, fifteen, or even twenty years ago. The possible explanations for this are many, and in reality we will come to find that it was probably a combination of both internal and external factors which finally slowed DeBerry's Juggernaut. From the advent of a more competitive Mountain West to the changing face of the Air Force Academy's administration, these factors finally came to a head in 2003, which, not by coincidence alone, was also the year another Service Academy asserted itself onto a winning stage. But for the sake of argument, I wish to focus in on only one of the many aspects that contributed to the recent downswing of the Air Force football program, and with it, DeBerry's career; The advent of Paul Johnson's resurgent Navy Football program.

For those of you who missed the first installment of our little photo essay from Navy's 24-17 win over the Air Force Falcons, you can catch what you missed right hyah.

Ah, Falcon Stadium. Tucked into the side of some mountains at over a mile above sea-level, it's not exactly the most comfortable place to watch a game. Modern, it was not, but I will admit the food selection was very good. It should be noted that I enjoyed a fine piece of chicken on a stick during the game.

For a team that only completed eight yards worth of passing, the Navy offensive line does a good job in pass protection on this play. After struggling with UConn's defensive line last week, it was good to see Hampton get time in the passing game, even if he only completed one pass.

Shun White has really come in and played well for Navy over the first half of the season. While the Mids routinely rotate four different players into the second slotback position, it's White who's shown the most promise as a runner.

It seems like Navy just can't get any respect. In fact, two days after defeating rival Air Force on the road, Navy's players and staff are busy defending their 5-1 record after whispers arose of the team being nothing but "lucky."

By now you've probably heard of these so-called "lucky" comments that were supposedly uttered by an Air Force player/coach in Saturday's game. Johnson, who didn't name a specific player or incident, went on to explain how his team gets decidedly little respect from teams they beat.

"You get tired of hearing it every year. Every day we pick up the paper we see something about how it's embarrassing to lose to us, we're the luckiest team in America. It gets old after a while. We've won four in a row, they can call it whatever they want. That's four years in a row now, any way you want to spin it."

I, along with just about every other writer who covers Navy football, have no idea where all this sprang from. Most likely it had to do with some on-the-field trash talk or behind the scenes stuff that none of us regular people see or hear about. When asked if the source of the comment was an Air Force player, Johnson responded with a "sure was." However when Johnson elaborated on his team being the "luckiest team in America," Navy's head Coach maintained that it wasn't just coming form the Falcons.

That's right folks, the team which hasn't proven anything finally picks up some props from the Pollsters. Navy, after holding off a desperate Air Force comeback attempt on Saturday, received 11 votes in the latest addition of the Harris Poll. The Harris Poll, best known as the younger and neglected cousin of the AP and Coaches Poll, is "comprised of former players, coaches, administrators and current and former members of the media ." It should be noted that I, although highly qualified and certainly able, am not a member of said Poll.

The Mids are slated ahead of Wake Forest (9 votes), NC State (8 votes), Texas Tech (5 votes), Miami (3 votes), and South Carolina (1 vote). Despite numerous text messages placed to his cell phone from the author of this post, the Ball Coach was unable to comment on how little the Harris Poll thinks of his Gamecocks. Mike Leach, still in shock over the decline of his superior offensive genius, merely reaffirmed his fondness of hail.

Meanwhile, the Mids did not receive a single vote in the AP or Coaches Poll, reducing the "Conquest in Colorado Springs" to a mere mirage in the eyes of the "experts." Of course Polls mean absolutely nothing, and all that matters is that this Navy team stays focused and humble and comes out to shock the country against 24th ranked Rutgers this Saturday. As Paul Johnson said, even with a win over Air Force, this team still hasn't proven anything. In the meantime though delight, knowing that someone other then John Feinstein likes Navy football.

BEAT COLORADO STATE

(Best of luck for Air Force)

Well, I just got back from Colorado Springs, and may I say the long trip was definitely worth it. It was my first time at Falcon Stadium (more on that tomorrow), and I was very fortunate to have the amazing photographic skills of my father along with me. Here are some images he snapped from Navy's 24-17 win over Air Force...

If you look up "wrecking ball" or "hit stick" in the dictionary, chances are you'll see Adam Ballard's picture. The 6'1, 230 lb fullback was a monster for the Midshipmen on Saturday, rushing 27 times for 134 yards. He's now well on his way to 1000 yards on the year.

Don't get me wrong, I think Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney is a good player, but Navy's defense really made him look mediocre on Saturday. Carney had only 57 yards on the ground, and was 9-19 for 119 yards through the air. Still, he's one of the most elusive quarterbacks in all of college football.

Random observations, interesting tidbits, and only half-useful insights from Navy's 24-17 win against the Air Force Falcons.

Sack Attack- Never-mind my use of assonance, Navy's defense finally got some major pressure on an opposing quarterback. The Mids sacked Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney five times, and would have had three or four more had Carney not been so elusive in the pocket. David Mahoney, who has had some huge performances against the Falcons in the past, led the way with three sacks, while linebacker Rob Caldwell and defensive end John Chan each notched up a sack.

I Wouldn't Want to Tackle Adam Ballard Either- Navy fullback Adam Ballard, quite possibly the definition of "wrecking ball," had a superb game against the Falcons, rushing for 134 yards on 27 carries. Ballard has a chance to really establish himself as one of the premier fullbacks in all of college football, and looks to be on his way to a Kyle Eckel-like season. Navy is now 6-0 when Ballard runs for over 100 yards.

Three (Hundred) By Land- While it wasn't a 600-yard offensive day, Navy's offense put up a respectable 317 yards. After a slow and sloppy start, the Navy offensive line really started to finish blocks and create lanes all over the field. While their weren't any real big plays for Navy's offense, the Mids did a great job converting first downs and eating up clock. Brian Hampton only had eight yards passing, (a shovel pass to Campbell) but rushed for a strong 105 yards. So I ask you once again, why pass when you can just run for a million yards?

I'll be the first to admit that once the Falcons converted a late fourth quarter onside kick, I thought the game was over for the Midshipmen. Air Force, it seemed, just had too much momentum, and having been in a similar situation against Tennessee, would have the confidence and experience to get the job done. Yet, despite my overly pessimistic outlook, the Navy defense rallied with two minutes left in the game to shut the door on a concerted fourth quarter Air Force comeback attempt, giving the Mids their fourth consecutive win against the Falcons. With the win, Navy improves to 5-1 on the season, and with games against Temple, Duke, Eastern Michigan, and Army, looks almost assured of becoming Bowl eligible.

Navy was led by fine offensive performances by quarterback Brian Hampton and fullback Adam Ballard, who each rushed for over 100 yards. Navy's offensive line did an excellent job coming off the ball after a shaky start, while the Midshipmen defense held Air Force's high-powered in check for most of the game. After jumping out to a 24-7 lead by the start of the fourth quarter, the Mids had a tough time controlling a suddenly awakened Air Force offense, which found success on he arm of quarterback Shaun Carney. After throwing a touchdown pass to tight end Travis Decker with 3:06 remaining, the Falcons needed an onside kick to tie the game at 24. Just as they did at Tennessee, the Falcons recovered, and Carney and the offense took the field ready to tie the game. Yet Air Force's offense stalled, and on fourth and six the Carney's pass was broken up on a diving play by Navy cornerback Rashawn King, effectively ending the game.

It's the question on everyone's mind. Is Navy, with their three straight winning seasons, now the dominant Service Academy? And if so, are the Mids capable of making a run like Air Force did in the 80's and 90's.

"I won't say that just yet," said Navy Quarterback Brian Hampton.

Stud Middle Linebacker Rob Caldwell concurred, saying that he "didn't now about that."

And, as you would expect, Paul Johnson steered clear of any potential Bulletin Board material (which I'm convinced DeBerry invented.) "I leave that for somebody else to decide," said the Navy coach.

Ok, well, I'll go ahead and decide then. With all due respect for what Bobby Ross has done at Army, (which is great if you as me) I think most fans would still agree that the Cadets are a few years away from catching up to either Air Force or Navy. Yet while the Mids have won three straight meetings with the Falcons, there is still a lot of room for debate. Consider that Navy's three victories all came by a field goal, and that the Mids needed a fourth quarter Air Force collapse last season to win last year's game. While head-to-head matchups are obviously the best indicator of whether a team is better then another team, many Air Force fans have been quick to point out that Navy's schedule is much easier then Air Force's. Navy's schedule ranked 103rd in the Nation last season (according to Phil Steele) while Air Force's schedule ranked 61st. Many Air Force fans pointed out that if the Falcons played a schedule as easy as Navy's, then they would have made a Bowl Game as well. No argument there, but still, Navy has defeated the Falcons three straight years, and once more, has begun to win the recruiting battle. Because the three Academies all go after more or less the same kids in the process of recruiting, distinguishing your football program as the dominant of the three is key to grabbing the best recruits. Air Force has long dominated the hunt for the best players, but Navy has suddenly surged ahead in the past two seasons. In fact, Nay got nearly all he players they wanted in a head-to-head recruiting matchup with Air Force this off-season. With this trend in mind, it's easy to see how one Academy can dominate over the other two if that school can establish success on the field. More or less, this is what Navy has begun to do, and a win over Air Force, in my mind, would really establish Navy as the premier Service Academy. Air Force, if it's currently trailing (and that's a big if), isn't very far behind. DeBerry is a great coach and he has the Falcons looking in winning form this season, and if his Falcons can break Navy's burgeoning winning streak, then the Falcons will take the place of Top Dog of the Academies.

Straight out of the "What in God's Name Was That" vault, I present to you, free of any outside tampering, a normal day at the Air Force Academy:

I suppose the scariest part of all this is that the bird er, young man in question will most likely be flying B1 Lancer Bombers in the near future. Thank God the Navy has it's own aviation wing, or I'd almost be content to say that American Air Supremacy is in for an abrupt nose-dive. Other then that I'm completely perplexed. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I've yet to see a Midshipman post a video of himself on YouTube while he dances the afternoon away in a "Bill the Goat" costume. At least get something contemporary, you know? People haven't listened to that song since at least the mid-90's. Weird stuff....

Remember, I kid because I care.

BEAT AIR FORCE