GAME NOTES: Getting the spotlight all to themselves on Thursday night, the Air Force Falcons and the Utah Utes both aim for their third win of the season in front of a nationally-televised audience as they take the field at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City for a Mountain West Conference showdown. Last week the Utes had their 18-game win streak snapped by MWC newcomers TCU in a 23-20 overtime decision on the road. The loss came on the heels of back-to-back victories over Arizona and Utah State at home for the Utes. Meanwhile the Falcons, who also won their first two outings of 2005 with a 20-17 triumph over Washington and a 41-29 decision against San Diego State, came out on the short end of a heartbreaker against the Wyoming Cowboys last weekend, 29-28, at home. With regards to the all-time series between these two institutions, the two-time defending MWC champion Utes actually trail Air Force by a count of 13-8. The Falcons have won six of 11 meetings in Utah, but it's been the Utes who have won the last two decisions overall, including a 49-35 outing in 2004.
In the stats it looks like Air Force failed on a two-point conversion that they really didn't need near the end of the game, when in reality it was a mishandled snap on the PAT try that went for naught in the team's one-point loss to Wyoming. Quarterback Shaun Carney gained a team-best 78 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries but finished the contest only 4-of-12 in the pocket for 53 yards, one touchdown and two picks. Air Force finished with 286 yards on the ground thanks to 63 rushing plays. Contrary to their name, the Air Force Falcons avoid throwing the ball at all costs these days, averaging just 163.7 ypg through the air after three games (ranking 96th nationally). Running the ball continues to be the bread and butter of this squad, gaining 258.7 ypg and scoring an average of three touchdowns per contest on the ground. Carney is second on the team with 228 yards rushing and three scores, with Jacobe Kendrick checking in with 245 yards and four TDs, although he is listed as questionable for this meeting with a knee injury. However strong the ground game might be for the Falcons, if Carney continues to pass less than 13 times per game, defenses are going to have a field day stacking the line.
The fact that Wyoming had to settle for three field goals in three successful scoring drives over the second and third quarters indicates that the Falcon defense was ready to play on Saturday in Colorado. The unit limited the Cowboys to only 68 yards rushing on 33 attempts, but when the secondary was picked on, Air Force did not respond as strongly as it could have, giving up 267 yards on just 19 completed passes. Erik Anderson had one sack for AF, while Nelson Mitchell and John Taibi both combined on a second quarterback takedown for the Falcons. For as much as Air Force likes to run the ball, opponents to this point haven't been as inclined to try and beat down the defensive line of the Falcons play after play. As a result, teams have averaged just 120.3 ypg on the ground over three games. The pass defense is another story though, permitting 254 ypg but only three touchdowns. Bobby Giannini, who leads the unit with 22 tackles, has the only interception for the group.
The Utes couldn't be sure which version of TCU they were going to encounter last week. Was it going to be the one that slapped Oklahoma with a loss in Norman the first week of the season or was it the unit that fell to SMU a week later and lost its national ranking in the process. Utah encountered a team somewhere in between as it gained a meager 109 yards rushing on 50 attempts, while quarterback Brian Johnson hit on 15-of-30 passes for 208 yards and scored on a one-yard scamper in the third quarter. Johnson is still a far cry from Alex Smith who became the NFL's top draft pick this past year, but he's got the potential to be one of the top signal-callers in the league nonetheless. At the moment Johnson has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 232 ypg and three TDs, against just a single interception. He's shown a strong sense of where he is on the field and has managed to produce 130 yards rushing to place second on the squad, behind only Quinton Ganther (278 yards, two TDs).
Unlike the Utes, TCU knew exactly what it needed to do in order to make some positive yards on the ground consistently, generating 228 yards on 46 attempts for an average of almost five yards per carry. Utah managed to cut down on the Horned Frogs' passing yards, limiting the home team to only 88 yards on eight completed passes, but by that point it was all academic. Joe Jiannoni finished the night with eight solo tackles for the Utes, while Steve Fifita recorded the one solo sack for the group, with Spencer Toone and Paul Soliai combining on another for the visitors. So far the pass defense for the Utes, thanks mostly to Tye Gunn's inability to find open receivers downfield last time out, is limiting opponents to only 156.7 ypg through the air. As a result, Utah is ranked 22nd in the nation in that department. Eric Weddle, who doubles as a punt returner, has two of the unit's three picks and already has a defensive touchdown to show for his efforts. Weddle is third in tackles with 20 and has 3.5 TFLs for a loss of 12 yards.
These 2 teams have gone over the total in their last 4 meetings.
AIRFC 35 - UTAH 49
UTAH 45 - AIRFC 43
AIRFC 30 - UTAH 26
UTAH 37 - AIRFC 38
So let`s take a shot here with the over,i am almost sure the Utes will get there points and i think with the AF running game hitting the holes that should set it up for a AF air attack.I know they don`t throw much but to be competitive they will have to.
BET ID=122527400
Straight Wager 09/22/05 00:06 ET
100.00/90.91 Result: Pending
AirForce
Utah 09/22/05 (19:35 ET)
Over 52.5
l
In the stats it looks like Air Force failed on a two-point conversion that they really didn't need near the end of the game, when in reality it was a mishandled snap on the PAT try that went for naught in the team's one-point loss to Wyoming. Quarterback Shaun Carney gained a team-best 78 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries but finished the contest only 4-of-12 in the pocket for 53 yards, one touchdown and two picks. Air Force finished with 286 yards on the ground thanks to 63 rushing plays. Contrary to their name, the Air Force Falcons avoid throwing the ball at all costs these days, averaging just 163.7 ypg through the air after three games (ranking 96th nationally). Running the ball continues to be the bread and butter of this squad, gaining 258.7 ypg and scoring an average of three touchdowns per contest on the ground. Carney is second on the team with 228 yards rushing and three scores, with Jacobe Kendrick checking in with 245 yards and four TDs, although he is listed as questionable for this meeting with a knee injury. However strong the ground game might be for the Falcons, if Carney continues to pass less than 13 times per game, defenses are going to have a field day stacking the line.
The fact that Wyoming had to settle for three field goals in three successful scoring drives over the second and third quarters indicates that the Falcon defense was ready to play on Saturday in Colorado. The unit limited the Cowboys to only 68 yards rushing on 33 attempts, but when the secondary was picked on, Air Force did not respond as strongly as it could have, giving up 267 yards on just 19 completed passes. Erik Anderson had one sack for AF, while Nelson Mitchell and John Taibi both combined on a second quarterback takedown for the Falcons. For as much as Air Force likes to run the ball, opponents to this point haven't been as inclined to try and beat down the defensive line of the Falcons play after play. As a result, teams have averaged just 120.3 ypg on the ground over three games. The pass defense is another story though, permitting 254 ypg but only three touchdowns. Bobby Giannini, who leads the unit with 22 tackles, has the only interception for the group.
The Utes couldn't be sure which version of TCU they were going to encounter last week. Was it going to be the one that slapped Oklahoma with a loss in Norman the first week of the season or was it the unit that fell to SMU a week later and lost its national ranking in the process. Utah encountered a team somewhere in between as it gained a meager 109 yards rushing on 50 attempts, while quarterback Brian Johnson hit on 15-of-30 passes for 208 yards and scored on a one-yard scamper in the third quarter. Johnson is still a far cry from Alex Smith who became the NFL's top draft pick this past year, but he's got the potential to be one of the top signal-callers in the league nonetheless. At the moment Johnson has completed 64.2 percent of his passes for 232 ypg and three TDs, against just a single interception. He's shown a strong sense of where he is on the field and has managed to produce 130 yards rushing to place second on the squad, behind only Quinton Ganther (278 yards, two TDs).
Unlike the Utes, TCU knew exactly what it needed to do in order to make some positive yards on the ground consistently, generating 228 yards on 46 attempts for an average of almost five yards per carry. Utah managed to cut down on the Horned Frogs' passing yards, limiting the home team to only 88 yards on eight completed passes, but by that point it was all academic. Joe Jiannoni finished the night with eight solo tackles for the Utes, while Steve Fifita recorded the one solo sack for the group, with Spencer Toone and Paul Soliai combining on another for the visitors. So far the pass defense for the Utes, thanks mostly to Tye Gunn's inability to find open receivers downfield last time out, is limiting opponents to only 156.7 ypg through the air. As a result, Utah is ranked 22nd in the nation in that department. Eric Weddle, who doubles as a punt returner, has two of the unit's three picks and already has a defensive touchdown to show for his efforts. Weddle is third in tackles with 20 and has 3.5 TFLs for a loss of 12 yards.
These 2 teams have gone over the total in their last 4 meetings.
AIRFC 35 - UTAH 49
UTAH 45 - AIRFC 43
AIRFC 30 - UTAH 26
UTAH 37 - AIRFC 38
So let`s take a shot here with the over,i am almost sure the Utes will get there points and i think with the AF running game hitting the holes that should set it up for a AF air attack.I know they don`t throw much but to be competitive they will have to.
BET ID=122527400
Straight Wager 09/22/05 00:06 ET
100.00/90.91 Result: Pending
AirForce
Utah 09/22/05 (19:35 ET)
Over 52.5
l
:clap:
