Air Force Falcons – Spring Preview

The Air Force Falcons are coming off the greatest turnaround in the school’s history. In 2014, the Falcons were entering the season coming off a disastrous 2-10 injury filled season. After the Falcons conquered the Western Michigan Broncos in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, they stood at the end of the 2014 season with a record of 10-3 and having miles of confidence heading into the offseason. For Air Force, the belief is that 2015 will be an extension of the success they found in 2014.

 

Air Force Offense

There are no secrets when it comes to the Air Force offense. From Ken Hatfield to Fisher DeBerry to current coach Troy Calhoun, the Falcons are always a top ten rushing team in the nation built around the triple option.

Under Troy Calhoun the offense has grown however, and the flexibility this offense will have in 2015 could make this Air Force offense the most dangerous in the offensive friendly Mountain West Conference. With junior quarterback Nate Romine talking the driver’s seat of the offense, the Falcons will have their best passing quarterback in recent history.

With talented targets like senior Garrett Brown and junior Jalen Robinette on the outside and Garrett Graham a threat from the tight end position, the Falcons will have a strong passing game to go with their outstanding rushing attack.

But make no mistake, the Falcons will be a pound and ground offensive attack. The fullback position was dynamic at times last year with juniors D.J. Johnson and Shayne Davern proving to be highly effective on the dive plays from the triple option.

Having a powerful fullback attack should allow junior running back Jacobi Owens to have another 1,000 yard season. Owens was a perfect mix of power and speed last season, giving the Falcons a bona fide number one threat out of the backfield. If Owens struggles to recover from his injury last year however, the Falcons have good depth at tailback with senior Devin Rushing, Paco Solano and spring football standout Benton Washington.

Offense will not be the issue for the Falcons in 2015.

 

Air Force Defense

Much like the 2014 season, the Falcons enter the 2015 season with a lot of question marks on the defensive side of the ball. Air Force will be replacing seven starters on defense, including three in the secondary.

Fortunately for the Falcons, the secondary will be anchored by junior Weston Steelhammer, who is a candidate for the Lott Award. Steelhammer emerged as a playmaker last season, highlighted by his three interception game in the Air Force upset of Boise State last season. Steelhammer is good against the run and pass and will need to emerge as a leader for the Falcons in 2015.

The depth chart coming out of spring football shows that junior Jesse Washington and senior Kalon Baker are in line to fill the cornerback positions while junior Hayes Linn is the leader to join Steelhammer at free safety. How well the secondary performs will be a major factor for the Falcons’ season.

Up front, the Falcons ability to stop the run was one of the biggest factors in the Air Force turnaround season. Senior defensive end Alex Hansen and senior linebackers Dexter Walker and Connor Healy return to lead the front seven.

Finding a replacement for inside linebacker Jordan Pierce will be the biggest task for defensive coordinator Steve Russ who engineered the defensive turnaround last season. Patrick Healy, brother of Connor, emerged as the leader out of spring camp. Healy, along with junior Ryan Watson, is joining a starting lineup that relies heavily on its linebackers.

The Falcons last season worked on getting bigger with its three defensive lineman. Hansen gained over 20 pounds of muscle last season and will be the key cog on the line. Joining Hansen will be juniors David Harris as nose tackle and Samuel Byers at the opposite defensive end.

 

Buy or Sell?

The Falcons had everything go right in 2014. They had a favorable non-conference schedule and got both Boise State and Colorado State at home. Air Force also got away from a co-defensive coordinator attack in 2013 to one voice running the defense and the results were extremely favorable. The Falcons turned teams over and were able to keep teams from scoring touchdowns in the red zone. To expect a 10 win season again would be a stretch.

But, you can buy that the Falcons are one of the top teams in the Mountain West. With the potential of a better passing game in 2015 to go along with a dominating rushing attacks, the Falcons could be one of the top offenses in the nation, let alone the Mountain West.

So, once again it comes down to the defense. The defense has stars in Steelhammer and Walker and has a defined philosophy of stopping the run. How well the rebuilt secondary holds up will be the number one factor on the success or failure of this team.

Prediction – 8 wins and 4 losses

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Duane Grasmick of the Mountain West Connection provided the information for our 2015 Air Force football spring recap.  For more Air Force and MWC football information, commentary and analysis, you can follow Duane on Twitter @dagrasmick & @MWCConnection.   

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