Air Force Academy – Senior receiver Mark Root is entering his third season on the Air Force Academy football team.
With the expected changes to the offense by new head coach Troy Calhoun, Root has hope that finally he won’t be a player without a name.
“We have an opportunity to make more plays,” Root said. “We may see the ball a little bit more.”
The bottom line is the Falcons are expected to pass more under Calhoun, maybe as much as 20 to 25 times a game. To most teams that might not sound like much passing, but for the team’s receivers it sounds like a bonanza after playing in the anonymity of the triple-option offense. Wide receivers primarily were blockers.
Air Force’s wideouts caught a total of 52 passes in 12 games, an average of 4.3 passes per game, and scored six touchdowns. Root is the most proficient receiver returning from last year’s team, with 16 catches.
“We’ll never get away from focusing on blocking and focusing on springing big plays, but all of the receivers are excited about the opportunity to contribute a little bit more.”
The addition of a more potent passing game to the Air Force offense has taken some doing. Senior Chad Hall, the Falcons’ leading rusher last year at halfback, has moved to wide receiver. Junior Spencer Armstrong, the second-leading receiver from last year with 11 catches, hasn’t cracked the two-deep depth chart.
An unexpected development also hit the receiving corps when coach Tim Horton left the staff shortly before fall practice started to take a job at Arkansas.
“It was a little disappointing when our coach left two weeks before practice started,” Root said. But he added: “All of us couldn’t be more excited about playing for Coach (Mike) Thiessen.”
Thiessen, a former Air Force quarterback, was brought in from the Air Force Prep School to coach the receivers.
Busy practice
Calhoun watched 104 plays in Saturday’s practice in Falcon Stadium. He would have liked to see some of them over again.
“I loved the quality of work. We did some good things on both sides of the ball,” Calhoun said. “But I didn’t think our defense came out on fire early and our first-team offense put the ball on the ground at one point. Those are things that absolutely have to get fixed.”
Calhoun will put his team through a game-like practice next Saturday in preparation for the Sept. 1 opener against South Carolina State. It sounded as if anyone expecting to play in the opener had better be on the practice field this week.
“If you come back Aug. 25, I think you have a chance to be ready by the middle of October,” Calhoun said. “We have to find the players we can count on. I want players who are as solid as a dollar.”
Starting free safety Chris Thomas and Jim Ollis, a candidate at tailback, are expected back on the practice field this week after suffering knee and ankle injuries, respectively.
