Air Force Academy – Whether still a little shaken or not from losing 34-13 to Texas, TCU football coach Gary Patterson said Tuesday he sees a wolf in sheep’s clothing as he looks to Thursday night’s game at Air Force.
Patterson isn’t buying preseason comments from new AFA coach Troy Calhoun that the Falcons have abandoned the triple-option offense.
“For one thing, I don’t think he (Calhoun) was completely honest when he said that Air Force will throw the ball more this season,” Patterson said Tuesday on Mountain West Conference’s weekly teleconference with the media. “I think they ran the triple option as much as they ever have. They still run it, no matter what they say.”
Patterson based his comments on what he saw from the Falcons in their 20-12 victory Saturday at Utah. The Falcons ran the ball 63 times for 334 yards against the Utes and senior quarterback Shaun Carney attempted just 14 passes.
Patterson said the Horned Frogs (1-1, 0-0 MWC) started preparing for the Falcons (2-0, 1-0) before they played Texas in Austin.
“If you ask any defensive coach, they’d like to have three months to prepare for the triple option,” Patterson said. “If you don’t make it second-and- long, it’s a long day against the triple option.”
Patterson said playing after an emotional loss and doing so on the road on a Thursday are all negatives the Horned Frogs have to overcome.
“The rankings and BCS are touchy subjects for me,” said Patterson, whose Horned Frogs were ranked No. 19 last week but dropped out of the AP poll after the Texas game, which they led 10-0 at halftime. “We hear that teams aren’t playing anybody in the preseason. … If somebody in the Big 12 lost, and they were ranked, and lost in that kind of a ballgame to Texas, would they drop off the poll?”
Although the focus is on this year, TCU and Air Force have had some memorable meetings in the past. The Falcons finished 12-1 in 1998, their only loss a 35-34 shootout with TCU.
AFA co-offensive coordinator Blane Morgan was the Falcons’ quarterback in that game.
“I really haven’t thought about that game once this week,” Morgan said. “Coach Patterson’s players play extremely hard. He’s pretty good at getting all of his players on board.”
Calhoun noted TCU didn’t offer any of his players scholarships. Air Force’s roster includes more than 20 players from Texas.
“I don’t know what the scores were after the third quarter in the last two games, because I wasn’t here,” Calhoun said. “This isn’t going to be a game where there are any secrets. Our players are available. We don’t have anything to hide.”
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
