FORT WORTH, Texas — It was 17 years ago, but Rob Perez still remembers when he was a junior quarterback at Air Force and looked at by everyone in college football as the canary facing the cat.
Perez and the 6-5 Falcons were facing Ohio State in the 1990 Liberty Bowl. And, much like Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney before today’s Armed Forces Bowl game against California, Perez had to answer question after question about how the Falcons could expect to compete against the Buckeyes, one of the nation’s powerhouse programs.
“I was a little overwhelmed by it at first,” Perez said by telephone from his home in Georgia. “But we just decided to go out and have a good time, play as hard as we could and let the chips fall where they may.”
The Falcons upset Ohio State 23-11 in Memphis, Tenn., and a year later Perez led Air Force to an equally impressive 38-15 victory over Mississippi State in the Liberty Bowl. The Falcons finished the 1991 season with a 10-3 record, one of only five teams in the 52 years of AFA varsity football to win 10 games.
“It was an awesome feeling walking off the field after we won those games,” Perez said. “I still think about those games, and in my mind I think I could walk out on the field and do it again.”
California presents Carney and the Falcons (9-3) with a similar challenge. Though the Bears are only 6-6, they were ranked No. 2 nationally after they started 5-0.
“Cal has a great team with the same kind of great athletes we faced against Ohio State and Mississippi State,” Perez said. “It’ll be a big task for Air Force. A lot of it is attitude and frame of mind. We expected to win back in those days. Air Force players aren’t afraid of anybody. I know it’s the same today.”
Carney, a four-year starter playing his last game for the Falcons today, said the explosive Bears might be the most talented team he will have played in his AFA career.
“Athletically, they are more gifted than anyone we’ve played,” Carney said. “We’re going to play Air Force football, give them our best shot and see what happens. If it’s hopeless, why show up? We’re 9-3, and we’ve beaten some good teams already. We’re not worried about it.”
Air Force’s Troy Calhoun, the Mountain West Conference coach of the year, says if the Falcons can withstand an expected early charge by the Bears, his team’s conditioning could be a factor late in the game.
Not only do the Falcons have an opportunity to be the sixth team in AFA history to win 10 games, they can complete a December sweep by MWC teams in bowl games. The MWC is 4-0, with Brigham Young (17-16 over UCLA), Utah (35-32 over Navy), New Mexico (23-0 over Nevada) and Texas Christian (20-13 over Houston) having won their bowls.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
