Air Force Academy — Air Force coach Troy Calhoun made it clear to his players Monday that they’re looking at a new era, a new season and new expectations after the Falcons completed their first day of practice in full pads.
Calhoun didn’t spare anyone in his appraisal, including senior quarterback Shaun Carney, the Air Force starting quarterback the last three seasons. Carney took part in most of the practice after missing some time last week with a strained hamstring.
“He was rusty,” Calhoun said of Carney’s performance. “But our whole practice is better with him out there because he’s taking charge of the offense. My gut feeling is he’s going to be a heck of a leaders for us on the field.”
Calhoun said he still will hold back on Carney’s practice time over the next two or three days.
“But he has to play better as a whole whether it’s today or later on,” Calhoun said. “I look back at last year and there were games when he looked pretty good and games when he doesn’t look very good. He has to play at an extremely high level and he has to lead at that level as well.”
Calhoun noted that senior Kip McCarthy moved up to the top of the depth chart at halfback. McCarthy had been a reserve halfback the last two years, but stood out in the initial contact work. Over the last two seasons, McCarthy had 29 carries for 144 yards while playing in 21 games.
But Calhoun wasn’t pleased with the performances of seniors Jim Ollis and Chad Smith behind McCarthy. Smith entered pre-season practice at the top of the depth chart, with Ollis second and McCarthy third. Ollis left Monday’s practice early with an ankle injury.
“We don’t have a No. 2 halfback right now,” Calhoun said. “We have a couple threes and fours.”
Calhoun noted the possibility that senior Ryan Williams could move from fullback to halfback.
Calhoun credited both the offensive line and defensive line with good performance at the point of contract. He credited both sides of the ball with good pad level.
Practice Changes
Air Force’s Tuesday practice will begin at 2:45 p.m. instead of 8:30 a.m. to accommodate an academy student function. Calhoun also announced the he will have two practices Wednesday instead of one. The starting times are 8:45 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The Falcons begin their normal fall practice routine Thursday when classes begin. Practice time is 4 p.m.
Irv Moss can be reached on 303 954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
