Let’s start the Air Force Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up by taking a look back at last season.

Air Force 2013 Season In Review 

There’s no way to sugarcoat this; 2013 was one of the worst seasons in the history of Air Force football. The program had double-digit losses for the first time ever, and their two wins were the fewest in a season since 1980. The Falcons did not beat any of their eight Mountain West opponents, and the defense was nothing short of awful, allowing an average of 40 points per game, good for 119^th in the country. 

Air Force Strengths Entering 2014 

For all the problems Air Force had in 2013, the offense wasn’t exactly terrible. The service academy school trademark offense, the triple option, kept the Falcons rushing attack moving to the tune of 262.7 yards per game, good for 12^th in the nation. Due to a combination of injuries and disciplinary reasons, Air Force was forced to use four different quarterbacks throughout the season, yet they didn’t experience any notable drop-off in production from any of them.

The Falcons also have a reliable special teams weapon in kicker Will Conant. Conant converted on every field goal attempt within 40 yards last season and was 6-8 on attempts from 40+, including 3 of 4 from 50+. 

Air Force Weaknesses Entering 2014 

It’s tempting to just write “the entire defense” for this entry. The Falcons D gave up an average of 530 yards per game in 2013. If you remove their season opening win over Colgate and their two games against the other service academies, that number rises to a staggering 590 yards per game.

The defense almost can’t help but improve in 2014, but when Alex Hanson is the team’s active career sack leader with four sacks in 25 career games, it’s hard to imagine this unit won’t have some major issues again in 2014.

Another concern is the depth, or lack thereof, on the offensive line. There are only seven offensive lineman on Air Force’s 2014 preseason roster, and only two of those seven have ever started in an NCAA game.

Now, it should be noted that Air Force’s roster works a little differently than most other programs. Incoming freshman are not listed yet, and it’s essentially guaranteed that the Falcons will not go into week one with only seven active lineman.  That being said, an inexperienced line could be a disaster for a team that relies so heavily on moving the ball on the ground.

Potential Breakout Players 

Jalen Robinette: Robinette made a big impact as a freshman in 2013, leading the team in receiving yardage (291) and finishing second on the team in targets and receptions (27 and 16, respectively). On a team that is nearly always at a major size disadvantage, Robinette is a legitimately large wide receiver at 6’3”, 220 pounds. He’s never going to catch 100 passes in a season playing for the Falcons, but when the team does throw the ball, Robinette is the most dangerous weapon Air Force has.  

Christian Spears: Spears was one of the few bright spots on defense for Air Force in 2013. He was the only player on the team with multiple interceptions, and he also led the Falcons with 92 tackles. Heading into his junior season, Air Force will look for their free safety to be one of their leaders on a defense in desperate need of them.

Jacobi Owens: Owens was a virtual unknown after spending his freshman year in 2013 on Air Force’s JV team. He made his presence known in Air Force’s spring game in March however. Owens rushed for 98 yards on just eight carries, and had a pair of long touchdown runs. Air Force’s offense makes it hard for any one player to be a star running the ball (12 players logged carries for the Falcons in 2013), but Owens might be able to force the issue if he continues to make the most of his opportunities. 

Position Grades 

Quarterback: C The Falcons quarterback situation is still a bit of a mystery. Kale Pearson is a senior and was the starter to open the season last year, but his knee was badly injured in Air Force’s season-opening win against Colgate and he hasn’t played in a game since. Sophomore Nate Romine started the last five games of 2013 and played pretty well. Romine is a better passer, but Pearson has more experience and is more effective running the ball, which is a huge deal in Air Force’s Triple Option offense. 

Running Back: B- Last year’s leading rusher, Anthony LaCoste, is gone, but the Falcons, like usual, are very deep at running back and fullback. Senior Jon Lee averaged 6.5 yards per carry in 2013, and the aforementioned Jacobi Owens should make an impact as well.   

Wide Receiver: B- Air Force will likely never rely very heavily on their receivers, but this group should be solid in 2014. The Falcons return their top three receivers and top two tight ends from 2013, and Garrett Brown should help ease some of the pressure off of talented sophomore Jalen Robinette. 

Offensive Line: D- This is where things could get real ugly, real fast for the Falcons. Michael Huser Jr. returns at Center and Matt Rochell is back at Left Tackle. The other three spots will be filled with guys making their NCAA debuts. One of the biggest challenges for Air Force and the other service academies is overcoming a lack of size on the line, and this year that problem will be compounded by a lack of experience. 

Defensive Line: D This unit was nothing short of atrocious last season. After recording four sacks as a freshman, Alex Hansen seemed to regress as a sophomore, logging only two tackles for loss and zero sacks in 2013. The lone bright spot is Sophomore Nose Guard David Harris, who led the team in sacks despite only starting in three games last year. 

Linebackers: C Not a lot to get excited about with this group, but they should at least be serviceable. Joey Nichol, a senior inside linebacker, is a solid player who led all Falcons linebackers in tackles last season despite missing the last three games with a groin injury. 

Defensive Backs: B- The bright spot on an underwhelming defense. As previously mentioned, Christian Spears should be good at free safety, and strong safety Dexter Walker has also proven himself to be a versatile asset in coverage and supporting against the run. Whichever cornerbacks are named the starters need to step up from last season though. 

Special Teams: B- Will Conant was reliable at kicker for Air Force in 2013. After that though, there are a lot of question marks. David Baska, the punter in 2013, is gone, as is Anthony LaCoste, the team’s kick returner. Neither of those players were particularly effective in those roles last year, but players with the athleticism necessary to be dynamic return men aren’t exactly beating down the door to play at Air Force. 

2014 Season Outlook 

Air Force is hands-down one of the toughest places to build a consistently competitive college football program. Size restrictions make it virtually impossible to recruit many offensive and defensive line prospects, and there is no redshirting young players that may need another year to develop.

Making matters worse, Navy’s consistent success attracts many of the prospects willing to attend a service academy, making Air Force’s small pool of potential recruits even smaller. 

Simply put, the odds are stacked against the Falcons being competitive in the Mountain West, let alone on a national level. Air Force will probably improve on their brutal 2013 campaign, but there’s still a long way to go before this team can realistically expect to compete for a bowl bid. 

My Prediction: 3-9 (1-7 in conference)

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Nolan Lees is the author of our Air Force Football 2014 Spring Wrap Up. For more analysis and commentary about Mountain West Conference Football, please visit his blog at wrtym.blogspot.com and follow him on Twitter @NolanLees.

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