Air Force Academy – There was little question Saturday at Falcon Stadium that the Air Force Falcons weren’t going to dwell on a hard-earned, 24-7 victory over New Mexico.
The triumph put the Falcons in the driver’s seat for the time being in Mountain West Conference play. But that goes on the back burner for now.
Navy, holder of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, comes to Falcon Stadium this weekend.
“It’s not going to be hard turning our attention to the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy,” Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry said. “Navy believes like it belongs to them right now. They’ve had it three years. We’ve had some great games, but we’ve come up short. Our focus this week will be to finish.”
AFA quarterback Shaun Carney doesn’t mind taking a week off from the MWC to play a service academy game.
“We’re excited that we’re 2-0 right now in the conference, but we’ve already put this win behind us,” Carney said Saturday. “We were talking about Navy in the locker room. I know our coaches will be in early (Sunday) getting a game plan ready. We have some momentum going.”
The Falcons also have their triple-option offense going.
After three games, the halfbacks have accounted for a combined 335 yards rushing, the fullbacks have combined for 312 yards and Carney has 219 yards.
Carney has scored four touchdowns in the Falcons’ 2-1 start, while fullback Ryan Williams and halfback Chad Hall each have three.
Navy’s option offense leads Division I-A in rushing, averaging 357.2 yards a game. That has helped the Midshipmen (4-1) to an advantage of five minutes, 18 seconds per game in possession time.
Air Force averages 290.0 yards a game on the ground and a 9:32 advantage in possession time.
EYE ON … The Midshipmen
NAVY AT AIR FORCE: Noon, Saturday
For the record: Navy, 4-1; Air Force, 2-1.
Streaking: Navy is riding a three-game win streak against Air Force by scores of 28-25 (2003), 24-21 (2004) and 27-24 (2005).
Who’s hot: Senior quarterback Brian Hampton rushed for 182 yards and three touchdowns and passed for 141 yards and a touchdown last weekend in the Middies’ 41-17 rout of Connecticut.
Who’s not: After committing a total of only 12 penalties in their first four games, the Middies were called for 12 against Connecticut.
Key stat: Navy leads the nation in rushing, averaging 357.2 yards a game. Air Force is third (290.0).
FYI: The Middies have won only four of the 18 games they have played at Falcon Stadium.
Injury report: Navy, safety DuJuan Price (quad), safety Ketric Buffin (ankle), kicker Joey Bullen (groin). Air Force, defensive end Gilberto Perez (knee), defensive end Jake Paulson (arm), guard Tyler Dohallow (knee), fullback Jacobe Kendrick (shoulder).
Coachspeak: “We were really disappointed with the way the game turned out. We challenged the team to bounce back. If we want to accomplish some of the goals we set, we can’t be stringing losses together.” – Navy coach Paul Johnson, referring to a 24-23 overtime loss to Tulsa on Sept. 23
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
