Fast Starts
That was the topic of conversation after the Air Force loss to North Dakota State. It continued to be the topic of the Air Force Football team during its bye week. Gotta get off to better starts. Air Force found themselves behind after just 3 combined drives in that game 14-0. They spent the rest of the game playing catch up. They did play better in the second half, but they spent the whole game playing from behind. Last week during the off week Troy Calhoun in practice had his number #1 offense go against his #1 defense. That does not happen very often during a season. He felt his team took a little bit too long to get used to a bigger team like North Dakota State, so the 1’s banged heads for dozens of snaps last week. Some people think faster starts means coming out of the gates throwing the ball. Ehh, not quite. It simply means for the offense get those chains moving and get some first downs. Even if you don’t score on the drive, creating some offense helps you get settled into the game quicker. For the defense, getting off the field faster is akin to a quick start. Limiting an offense to 3 and out, or forcing them to punt after a multi play drive is the meaning of a quick start.
The Falcons have only played 2 games, so it’s natural to still have some questions about this team. Air Force has to be Air Force Saturday night against Nevada. North Dakota State did to Air Force what the Falcons do to everyone else, long drives, play keep away, and play with the lead. It’s imperative the Falcons do that Saturday.
Injury update: Wide Receiver Jonah Dawson, Defensive Lineman Chaz Barnett and Safety Houston Hendrix will all miss the game because of injuries.
KVOR’s coverage starts Saturday night at 6:30. Kickoff will be at 8:30 on 740 KVOR.
