AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Shaun Carney has dealt with numbers throughout his four years as quarterback for the Air Force Falcons.
He has been involved in 43 games and has two, possibly three to go: Saturday at Notre Dame; the following Saturday at home against San Diego State to complete the regular season, and then perhaps a bowl game.
To make his point as to what he still wants out of his collegiate football days, Carney goes straight to the pocketbook.
“We’re doing a good job so far and we have to keep finishing,” Carney said of his team’s 7-3 record. “Nine victories sounds better than seven. I’d rather have $9 than $7, that’s easy.”
It doesn’t take an Air Force cadet to figure Carney’s math, but it might take some doing to earn it. The Falcons were thumped 39-17 by Notre Dame last year and lost 19-12 to San Diego State. And only nine Air Force teams in the past 50 years have won nine games or more.
Carney doesn’t want to summarize his career just yet. But there are numbers that prove he has been one of the best in a long list of stellar Air Force quarterbacks. It’s kind of the long blue line with players such as Richie Mayo, Terry Isaacson, Bob Parker, Rich Haynie, Marty Louthan, Bart Weiss, Dee Dowis, Rob Perez, Mike Thiessen, Beau and Blane Morgan and Chance Harridge, to name a few.
Even while playing on predominately running teams his first three seasons, Carney already has set school records for touchdown passes (36), passing yards (5,102), total offense (7,437), completion percentage (62 percent) and passing efficiency (146.90).
“I’ll think about the records in a couple of years,” Carney said. “I’m just trying to get a couple more wins. It’s special to be recognized in any way. Any human being would tell you that.”
Carney has stood up well during the four seasons, playing a position that gets recognition win or lose. Until this year, Carney’s season had more losses than victories.
“The quarterback position is a position that people celebrate and tell you did a great job or tell you did a bad job based on wins and losses,” Carney said. “That’s part of the position.”
Carney goes after nine wins with a team that is as healthy as it has been all season. The only missing link going into the Notre Dame game is tight end Travis Dekker, probably out after suffering a concussion in Saturday’s game against Army.
Hall honored … again. Chad Hall, Air Force’s do-it-all offensive machine, earned Mountain West Conference offensive player of the week honors for the third time this season. Hall rushed for 275 yards and had 333 all-purpose yards in a 30-10 victory over Army. Kicker Ryan Harrison earned co-honors for the special-teams award. Harrison kicked field goals of 35, 40 and 56 yards and averaged 42 yards on two punts.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
