Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry will look at backup punters Adam Fitch and Jim Ollis this week during practice in hopes to finding a solution to a problem that has been troublesome all season.
“Our special-team play has haunted us,” DeBerry said. “It seems as if we’ve had a major breakdown in the kicking game each week.”
Although Donny Heaton has averaged 39.4 yards on 24 kicks, he has shouldered much of the blame because of some ill-timed punts. Late in Saturday’s 27-24 loss at Navy, Heaton had a 9-yard punt that put the Midshipmen in position for a game-winning field goal with one second left.
“I’m not saying we’re going to make a change, but we’ll look at some things this week in practice,” DeBerry said. The coach added that Heaton would remain the holder for kicker Scott Eberle on field goals and extra points.
Other than a possible change in the punting duties, DeBerry did not talk about any more personnel moves to rescue a season that is slipping away. The Falcons (2-4) have lost four in a row and are attempting to avoid a second straight losing season, something that hasn’t happened in DeBerry’s 22 years as the program’s head coach.
“Maybe something good will happen if we keep the faith,” DeBerry said. Air Force plays UNLV on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Falcon Stadium.
Quarterback Shaun Carney said the Falcons aren’t looking at just DeBerry’s record in hopes of a winning season.
“We have to start winning for each other,” he said. “We have a lot of big games left and we have a chance to have a successful season and make a miraculous turnaround. That’s what we’re thinking about.”
Carney said Navy was “playing in desperation” as it mounted a second-half comeback that enabled the Middies to beat the Falcons for the third consecutive year. He said his Falcons didn’t respond with the same intensity when they had a chance to put the game away.
“I know we can play that way,” Carney said. “We have to put it together against UNLV and not get down on ourselves.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
