Air Force Academy – Much like all good shortstops, who want the ball hit to them, Air Force football player Chris Sutton likes to see passes coming his way.
It’s not that Sutton is a receiver. It’s because he’s a cornerback who has eyes for the ball and the soft hands to catch it.
“When the ball is in the air, I look at it as my ball,” Sutton said. “I’ll take some risks, but it’s mine until they take it away from me.”
Sutton, a 6-foot, 180-pound junior from Longview, Texas, parlayed his confidence into becoming Air Force’s best player in the secondary last season. He made 65 tackles, ranking fourth among the Falcons. He led the team with three pass breakups and tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
Air Force has made it a priority to improve its defense this season after allowing 31.1 points per game a year ago. The Falcons get their first test Saturday against Washington in Seattle.
“I know they’re going to complete some passes, and this is a short memory position,” Sutton said. “I expect to face good receivers, but I hope they throw the ball at me.”
In consecutive games last season against Wyoming and Army, Sutton made a combined 19 tackles. Against Army, he also had an interception and returned it 40 yards to set up a touchdown in a 31-22 victory.
AFA defensive coordinator Richard Bell expects Sutton to be a leader, noting he was among the team’s best players in big games a year ago.
“He has been there and he knows what to expect,” Bell said. “He has a way to settle things down. As far as having a better scoring defense, it starts with me and goes right on down the line. We have to keep the other teams out of the end zone. It’s not can we do it, we have to do it.”
Sutton said a subtle change in schemes should help the Falcons’ defense.
“Our schemes are a lot simpler,” he said. “I think they allow us to play quicker. Instead of having to think so much, we can use our natural abilities and just play.”
Sutton is joined in the secondary by sophomore Carson Bird at cornerback and sophomore Bobby Giannini at free safety.
The Air Force defensive system also uses two strong safeties. Seniors Denny Poland and John Taibi start at those spots.
Lineup at linebacker
Sphomore Drew Fow- ler will start at middle linebacker Saturday. Bell expects junior Joey Keller and sophomore Aaron Reyes to also play the position against the Huskies.
“Fowler (6-2, 235) and Reyes (6-3, 230) are two young linebackers who will get better and better,” Bell said. “What we need to do is play a game. We can drill and do individual stuff, but we need to play as a unit and develop trust in each other.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
