It took some doing late Thursday night to get Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry to say he likes where the Falcons are in the Mountain West Conference football race.
Who wouldn’t like to be 3-0 and on top of the conference standings?
But it didn’t take long for reality to set in after the Falcons had scored 21 second-half points to beat Colorado State 24-21 at Falcon Stadium.
“We still have a long way to go,” DeBerry said as his team prepared to play at San Diego State on Saturday night. “But I wasn’t surprised that our team could come back like it did against CSU.”
The Falcons go into a game that might look easy. But the Aztecs (0-5), off to their worst start in history after losing 47-17 to BYU two weeks ago, have won three of the past four games in the series.
DeBerry was heartened by his team’s defensive play against CSU, a team that presents a more diversified offense. San Diego State also has a diversified offense, but the Aztecs are down to playing two redshirt freshmen in key roles.
Atiyyah Henderson has moved up the list of talented running backs to the starting role. He has given the Aztecs a consistent rushing game.
Kevin Craft will make his second career start at quarterback. His first was against BYU, with previous experience that included only eight pass attempts.
Air Force’s defense has been tough on quarterbacks. In five games, Falcons defenders have 12 sacks, led by three each by strong safety Julian Madrid and defensive end Josh Clayton. Air Force had 13 sacks in 11 games last season.
EYE ON … The Aztecs
AIR FORCE AT SAN DIEGO STATE
6 p.m., Saturday
For the record: San Diego State 0-5, 0-2 Mountain West Conference.
Streaking: Redshirt freshman running back Atiyyah Henderson has rushed for at least 90 yards in three straight games.
Who’s hot: Redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Craft completed 20-of-32 passes for 216 yards in his first career start in San Diego State’s most recent game, a loss to BYU two weeks ago.
Who’s not: The defense has struggled, allowing 31 points or more in three consecutive games.
Key stat: San Diego State’s possessions have started on average at the 25-yard line. Opponents are starting at the 37-yard line.
FYI: Quarterback Kevin Craft is the son of former Aztecs head coach Tom Craft. The Aztecs have missed 11 players who were starters when suspended or injured.
Injury report: Defensive back Donny Baker and offensive Rob Nelson are returning from suspension. Quarterback Kevin O’Connell (hand) is out.
Coachspeak: “It has been one of those years in terms of guys getting hurt every week. As a head coach, you feel like you started the season with one team and then all of a sudden you have a different team because of injuries and youth.” – coach Chuck Long
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
