End of the Year
11-26-25
The 2025 Air Force football season ends Friday in Fort Colins against Colorado State at 1pm on 740 KVOR. It was a year filled with surprises, and also predictable performances from a very young football team.
The surprises? The biggest was Quarterback Liam Szarka. He took the conference by storm and the only thing that slowed him down was a broken bone in his wrist late in the season. He didn’t win the job in Spring ball, he did not win it during Fall Camp. But when the lights got bright he was sensational. I’m often asked who he reminds me of. The answer is no one, because I don’t remember a Quarterback who threw the ball so well and ran it so well as a sophomore. That’s no knock on anyone who played QB at Air Force. To wit… Falcon wide receivers had zero, yes zero drops this year when Szarka threw the ball to them. Yes, they are good, but Szaka’s accuracy was stunning.
Another surprise was FB Owen Allen. He had a great, under the radar year. Going into the CSU game Allen has rushed for 643 yards and is second on the team in rushing. I thought Dylan Carson would get most of the snaps, but Allen was simply too good to hold out of the lineup.
The predictable part was a defense, very young in the secondary, struggling early. When you are starting, at times, 4 freshman and a sophomore in the secondary, you will have some growing pains and Air Force did. They were not unexpected. You simply have to play to get better. To be fair, the quarterbacks the Air Force Defense faced in the first half of the year were really, really, good. The miscues this year will turn into learning experiences that hopefully translate into better play next year.
Army-Navy. This isn’t under the predictable category, but it has to be addressed. Air Forces’ record against their service academy rivals the last 8 years. 5-3 against Navy and 2-6 against Army
The Falcons have won the CIC Trophy just two times since 2015, in 2016 and 2022. That’s the number that fans aren’t happy about. Many fans will tell you finishing 7-5 and winning the trophy is a good year in Colorado Springs. Army has won it 4 times during that span, and Navy 3 times. It was shared by the Black Knights and Midshipmen in 2021. This year the Falcons were 6 points away from winning it. I have had people tell me, “Well Monken wants it more at Army, and look how fired up his guys are, and Navy always gets fired up for Air Force.” Look, Jeff Monken doesn’t throw 1 block or make any tackles. Troy Calhoun doesn’t throw any touchdown passes and Brian Newberry doesn’t have any rushing yards in the last 20 years. It’s all about what happens on the field over the course of 60 minutes. Air Force wants those games just as much as their opponents. Those teams have made 1 or 2 more plays than the Falcons did and that’s why they won.
So what happens next year? The big question is, will Liam Szarka be lured away to another school by NIL money? I get this often. I honestly have no idea. Schools will approach him, no doubt. If he stays at the Academy this past year would suggest he will be your starter the next 2 seasons. Can another school guarantee that? Who knows? This is the new world in College Sports. The Almighty Dollar sits at the throne and adult men are giddy, waiving it in the face of athletes. No one ever said life was fair.
Air Force at Colorado State, Friday afternoon at 1 on 740 KVOR.
