There are a lot of words being used to describe Air Force’s coaching staff, and all that mean “distinctive” are correct.
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall first chose to use “unheard of” when talking about Air Force’s staff, which has eight former AFA players, including head coach Troy Calhoun. Mendenhall later changed his description from “beyond unusual” to “unprecedented.”
But he also noted that whatever the term, the heavy influence of former players on the coaching staff has worked for the Falcons.
“It adds a lot of passion to their program,” Mendenhall said. “To have a connection and an understanding of the unique mission of that institution are tremendous assets.”
For Mendenhall, there’s another connection. He was defensive coordinator at New Mexico before coming to BYU, and he faced some of the more recent Air Force players who are coming around again.
Calhoun agrees his staff might be looked at as unusual, but he had a plan.
“We didn’t do it because they are academy grads,” Calhoun said. “They all have great leadership qualities, and they have a lot of pride and passion in this place.”
The eight were at the academy at different times, but they all have memories of playing BYU. The Cougars lead the series 21-6, and Air Force has won only twice in Provo.
Defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter goes back the longest, playing from 1982-84. He was 1-2 against BYU, but the Falcons’ 39-38 victory in 1982 was one of the most memorable.
“I was part of the team that beat them in the inauguration game for their stadium,” DeRuyter said. “We ran the true wishbone under coach Ken Hatfield. Their quarterback was Steve Young. It was one of the loudest places I’ve ever been in, but it was silent when the game ended.”
Assistant head coach Brian Knorr played in 1983-85, but he was a freshman in 1982 and heard all about that win.
“I feel as if I played in the 1982 game as many times as I heard about it from Coach Hatfield,” Knorr said.
The Cougars were 4-0 when Calhoun played in 1985-88, including the 28-21 loss in 1985, which was the Falcons’ only defeat that season.
“I was one of the backup quarterbacks as a freshman in 1985. I remember looking up at the scoreboard in the first quarter, and it was Air Force 14, BYU 0,” Calhoun said. “If we win that game and the next week against Hawaii, we’d play Penn State for the national championship. …
“We had the ball at the 4-yard line at the end and threw an incomplete pass in the end zone at the end. It was one of those games you never forget.”
COLORADO CONNECTIONS
George plays key role for BYU
Andrew George earned his first career start last week against Tulsa by playing well in Brigham Young’s Week 2 loss to UCLA. The sophomore tight end from Cherry Creek High School was vital in keeping alive BYU drives in the third quarter as the Cougars scored twice to scare the Bruins before losing by 10 points. Against Tulsa, George had just one catch for 11 yards but likely did enough to earn the start Saturday against Air Force.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
