Air Force Academy – Coach Fisher DeBerry has his team’s preparation time down to the minute as his Falcons get ready for their season opener Sept. 9 against Tennessee in Knoxville.
“Our on-the-field practice time will be 11 hours and 15 minutes,” DeBerry said. “We can’t afford to repeat a play. We have to be sharp in everything we do. If we lose reps in practice, we’ll be off schedule.”
DeBerry emphasized the importance of participation for a number of players who have missed time with injuries.
Fullback Jacobe Kendrick, wide receiver Victor Thompson and kicker Zach Sasser were among the missing during Saturday’s three-hour scrimmage.
Freshman defensive tackle Ryan Gonzales also missed practice. Air Force is still awaiting a complete transcript of his high school academic record. Gonzales will begin practice when the records have been received.
“I thought we did some things good,” DeBerry said. “I thought quarterback Shaun Carney threw the ball very well. We had some penalties that concerned me. Overall, we were not as good a tackling team as we’re going to have to be at Tennessee because of the quality of backs we’re going to see.”
DeBerry was pleased with the overall execution.
“We had very few busts on both the offense and defense and that really pleased me,” DeBerry said. “But we had a lot of players in red shirts today and we have to get them back on the field so we can put the team together. I think we’ll see that this week.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
