Air Force Academy – South Carolina State is making its first trip to the Rocky Mountains to play football, but Air Force coach Troy Calhoun is adamant that his team’s season-opening opponent Saturday doesn’t suffer from a lack of identity.
Calhoun reeled off three names from South Carolina State he claimed would stand up against anybody.
“When you have Hall of Famers such as linebacker Harry Carson, defensive end Deacon Jones and running back Marion Motley, those are guys who are among the best who ever played the game,” Calhoun said.
While Carson, Jones and Motley are well known because of their places in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, another South Carolina State alum, Barney Chavous, is well known in this area because of his stellar career with the Broncos.
Chavous, now the football coach at Josey High School in Augusta, Ga., was a Broncos defensive end from 1973-85. He contends that when playing in Colorado as a visiting team, the elevation factor is a consideration.
Chavous said once he got acclimated, he was fine.
“I remember a game against Houston in 1985,” he said. “Houston had the superior team, but they ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.”
South Carolina State coach Oliver Pough is bringing his team to Colorado a day early. The Bulldogs plan to arrive today.
Calhoun doesn’t believe Falcon Stadium’s elevation (6,621 feet) will be a factor Saturday, but Pough said everyone he has talked to brings up the altitude.
“I think it’s psychological as much as physical,” Pough said. “We’re trying to treat it as just another game.”
Pough has other things to worry about. With the Falcons in new offensive and defensive systems, his game plan is preparing for the unknown.
“We’re going to have to adjust as we go,” said Pough, an assistant at South Carolina under Lou Holtz before he took over at South Carolina State five years ago. “We’re returning good personnel through and through. Our quarterback, Cleveland McCoy, is a fifth-year senior and has started for three years.”
Said McCoy: “We’re a pretty experienced offense. We can adjust to whatever they’re doing. There aren’t any wrinkles we can’t iron out.”
Footnote
Drew Fowler is on the watch list for the Dick Butkus Award, which goes to the linebacker judged to be the nation’s best.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
