Falcons have gone from 2-10 to 8-2 on strength of quarterback play, stronger defense
The big picture
Air Force wasn?t just bad last year; it was awful. As in, record awful. The Falcons lost 10 games for the first time in school history, went 0-8 in the Mountain West and had one of the worst defenses in the country. They played four different guys at quarterback and suffered a slew of injuries to its defensive front seven.
All of that makes this year?s turnaround more impressive. Coach Troy Calhoun?s team is 4-2 in the tough Mountain Division of the Mountain West and counts among its eight overall wins a signature victory over Boise State. The Falcons have won seven of their last eight games and are coming off an overtime victory at home over Nevada. Their only MW loss is to 5-1 Utah State.
Falcons on offense
It doesn?t take long to figure out what?s been the difference on offense: the quarterback. Senior Kale Pearson began last season as the starter but tore his ACL in the first game. Sophomore Nate Romine was the presumed starter until Pearson won a three-way battle in fall camp, and he?s played huge despite being only 5-feet-9 and 175 pounds.
Pearson is the second-leading rusher on the team (4.1 average per carry) and has scored the most rushing touchdowns (6). He also has thrown 13 touchdowns as Air Force has moved away from strict triple option to a more balanced attack. Pearson is careful with the ball, too, having thrown only two interceptions.
The other standout has been tailback Jacobi Owens, who is the first Air Force sophomore at his positon to reach 1,000 running yards in a season. With Pearson and Owens, Air Force ranks second in the MW (behind New Mexico) and seventh in the country in averaging 288 rushing yards per game.
Falcons on defense
Considering how badly this unit played last season, it didn?t seem all that fortuitous that seven starters were returning, but with a greater emphasis on jamming receivers while more often using five-man fronts, Air Force?s defense has risen to fourth in the conference in scoring defense (23.6 points per game) and total defense (378 ypg). The Falcons are better against the run, ranking second. They?re eighth against the pass.
The big picture
Air Force wasn?t just bad last year; it was awful. As in, record awful. The Falcons lost 10 games for the first time in school history, went 0-8 in the Mountain West and had one of the worst defenses in the country. They played four different guys at quarterback and suffered a slew of injuries to its defensive front seven.
All of that makes this year?s turnaround more impressive. Coach Troy Calhoun?s team is 4-2 in the tough Mountain Division of the Mountain West and counts among its eight overall wins a signature victory over Boise State. The Falcons have won seven of their last eight games and are coming off an overtime victory at home over Nevada. Their only MW loss is to 5-1 Utah State.
Falcons on offense
It doesn?t take long to figure out what?s been the difference on offense: the quarterback. Senior Kale Pearson began last season as the starter but tore his ACL in the first game. Sophomore Nate Romine was the presumed starter until Pearson won a three-way battle in fall camp, and he?s played huge despite being only 5-feet-9 and 175 pounds.
Pearson is the second-leading rusher on the team (4.1 average per carry) and has scored the most rushing touchdowns (6). He also has thrown 13 touchdowns as Air Force has moved away from strict triple option to a more balanced attack. Pearson is careful with the ball, too, having thrown only two interceptions.
The other standout has been tailback Jacobi Owens, who is the first Air Force sophomore at his positon to reach 1,000 running yards in a season. With Pearson and Owens, Air Force ranks second in the MW (behind New Mexico) and seventh in the country in averaging 288 rushing yards per game.
Falcons on defense
Considering how badly this unit played last season, it didn?t seem all that fortuitous that seven starters were returning, but with a greater emphasis on jamming receivers while more often using five-man fronts, Air Force?s defense has risen to fourth in the conference in scoring defense (23.6 points per game) and total defense (378 ypg). The Falcons are better against the run, ranking second. They?re eighth against the pass.
