AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.—The Air Force Academy made a definitive statement a week ago at Notre Dame. This week the Falcons would like to complete the deal with a bowl selection group when they host upstart San Diego State on Saturday.
The Falcons (8-3, 5-2 Mountain West Conference) won 41-24 at Notre Dame last week. Still, their chances of receiving a bowl invitation aren’t sure.
“Should it have been?” said Air Force coach Troy Calhoun when asked if Air Force should already have locked up a bowl bid. “Absolutely, because if you win seven games in the regular season, you should be in a bowl game.”
He accepts the grim reality of the matter. “Is it something that is locked in stock right now? Not right now,” Calhoun said.
“We can’t be worrying about the bowl system because it’s such a whacky system,” Air Force linebacker Drew Fowler said. “We can only think about winning and beating a dangerous team that is loaded with talent.”
A team still in the bowl hunt itself, San Diego State (4-5, 3-2) has Air Force, TCU and BYU left on its schedule to reach the six wins necessary for bowl consideration.
“Our team has come a long way since September and the end of fall camp,” San Diego State coach Chuck Long said. “We’re coming off two wins in a row and we feel a lot better about ourselves.
“And we still have things to play for,” Long said.
And if that isn’t enough, the Aztecs have had their way with Air Force, winning four of the last five meetings. San Diego State’s 19-12 victory in 2006 had a particular sting to it.
“You can look at it as a turning point in our season, for the worst,” Fowler said. “We were 3-0 in the conference and lost to one of ESPN’s Bottom Ten teams.”
The matchup features two of the most multi-skilled players.
Air Force running back Chad Hall has run for 1,106 yards and scored nine touchdowns over the past six games. Overall this season, he has accumulated 2,233 all-purpose yards while suddenly receiving Heisman Trophy attention.
“There is no question he should be a candidate because he does so many things well,” Long said. “They have him all over the offense and probably need to have him on defense.”
Aztecs quarterback Kevin O’Connell has impressed Air Force with his versatility. O’Connell has thrown for 2,025 yards and 11 touchdowns and has a streak of 111 passes thrown without an interception.
He has run for an additional 267 yards and 7 TDs this season.
“He is an impressive player,” Calhoun said. “He is 6-5 or 6-6, runs and throws extremely well and is very athletic.”
Air Force will be driven by another matter. By beating San Diego State, the Falcons would finish with their first unbeaten home season since 1998.
