Season openers always present uncertainties.
There are few college football openers this week, however, where the unknown is greater than when Air Force plays Washington on Saturday in Seattle at Qwest Field.
The Falcons are guessing what Washington’s new look will be under first-year coach Tyrone Willingham. The Huskies, meanwhile, are not at all familiar with the Falcons’ triple-option offense, an attack most of the players will see for the first and only time this season.
What is certain is both teams need a fast start to build confidence after losing seasons. Air Force was 5-6 in 2004, Washington 1-10.
“There’s always excitement surrounding first games,” Willingham said, “but there’s so much we don’t know. We have a brand-new coaching staff and in many ways a new team. It’ll be interesting to see what our young men will do.”
DeBerry credited his scout team with giving his varsity a good idea of what Air Force expects to see from Washington. It impersonated the Huskies during last week’s Blue-Silver scrimmage.
“The thing that worries you in a situation like this is that you know the quality of opposition that you’re going to have is much stronger than your scout team,” DeBerry said. “I worry about that, but we’ll have to be quick to adjust to the strength of the game against Washington.”
Willingham said his biggest concern is how his defense responds to the triple option. His scout team has run it in practice.
“It’s unique as I look at our schedule,” Willingham said. “The offense is difficult to prepare for, plus the fact that Air Force has excellent personnel.”
Added safety Dashon Goldson: “It was a pretty tricky-looking offense when we watched it on film.”
Willingham also has made it difficult for Air Force by not naming a starting quarterback, a competition between junior Isaiah Stanback and sophomore Johnny Durocher.
“They present two different styles of play,” DeBerry said. “But we’ve researched everything to the best of our ability, and the unknown at their quarterback position has put extra pressure on our defense, but it doesn’t affect our defensive game plan.”
Air Force sophomore quarterback Shaun Carney has exhausted his patience at looking at game film. He’s ready to play.
“We’ve been preparing for every defense you can imagine, and we’ve been looking at every film we could get our hands on,” Carney said. “We start school earlier than anyone else in the country, and practice is wearing on us. Everybody is excited about going up to Seattle and playing a football game.”
Footnote
DeBerry will not have the traditional pregame prayer Saturday, a reaction to a new policy at the academy on religious tolerance, the Colorado Springs Gazette reported Thursday. Instead, the team will observe a moment of silence in the locker room.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
…
Air Force vs. Washington matchup
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Air Force: Quarterback Shaun Carney passed for 1,315 yards last season, the most in four years for the Falcons. He faces a Huskies defense whose strength is at linebacker, with Joe Lobendahn, Scott White and Evan Benjamin. Fullback Jacobe Kendrick’s quickness to the line of scrimmage makes him Air Force’s top running threat. Strong safety Denny Poland, with 52 tackles last year, faces the challenge of Washington quarterbacks Johnny Durocher, a drop-back passer, and Isaiah Stanback, who is more of a scrambler. Both are likely to play.
Washington: Tailback Louis Rankin is the top ball carrier in the Huskies’ West Coast offense under new coach Ty Willingham. Air Force’s defensive line was punctured often a year ago. Gilberto Perez, Russ Mitscherling and Nelson Mitchell will need to clamp down on Rankin. Defensive tackle Manase Hopoi, who has started 36 games, is the Huskies’ best on a defensive line that rarely sees a triple-option attack.
KEY STAT
Air Force’s defense allowed 31.1 points a game in 2004. The Falcons need to greatly reduce that number or they’ll have another fruitless season.
KEY FOR AIR FORCE
Maintaining offensive consistency that led to 119 points in their last three games a year ago. If they do, the Falcons could win.
KEY FOR WASHINGTON
Limiting Air Force’s time of possession to allow its new offense time to work out the kinks.
