AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.—There isn’t anyone wearing No. 1 in the Air Force football program and, on the eve of fall camp, no starting quarterback has been named either.
Chad Hall, who wore No. 1 with energy and determination, departs after a sterling senior year where he was the Air Force offense. The Z-slotback/punt and kickoff returner provided 2,683 yards of total offense and 16 touchdowns a year ago.
“I wish I could have had him for another three years,” Air Force second-year coach Troy Calhoun said Wednesday. “I was fortunate to have him.”
Who will replace Hall?
“Chad is a rare kid who was involved significantly in our offense,” Calhoun said. “You have new kids that emerge and that’s what has to happen here.”
“It’s not like we’re going to have a kid in our program who is going to be here for five years,” Calhoun said. “Somebody will emerge at Z-slotback position.”
No names were mentioned.
And then there is the matter of filling the shoes of Carney, who took virtually every snap over the past four years. Carney threw for nine touchdowns and 1,491 yards and ran for another six scores and 637 yards in 2007. The Falcons finished 9-4 and lost 42-36 to California in the Armed Forced Bowl.
“We knew it was going to get to this point,” Calhoun said of the loss of Carney. “Certainly, last year, in an ideal way you would have wished we would have been up by seven touchdowns in a bunch of games, but that didn’t happen.”
The loss of Carney leaves Calhoun in a race between two inexperienced quarterbacks to lead the Falcons. He has senior Shea Smith and junior Eric Herbert to choose from.
“They are both extremely bright and they have some football intelligence,” Calhoun said. “Both are coach’s kids, both of their dads were head high school football coaches in Texas and they had a little ball in the crib for some time.”
Smith completed 4-of-12 passes for 45 yards while appearing in six games last year. He came in at the end of the third quarter of the bowl game against California and finished the game after Carney was injured.
Herbert didn’t play a down in 2007.
“I don’t see experience being a factor,” Smith said. “I think Eric and I welcome the competition.
Calhoun figures to wait awhile before deciding on a starter and even then, the race may not be over at the end of fall camp.
“We may play a couple of quarterbacks,” Calhoun said. “We may not.”
Air Force turned a few eyes last year with a 6-2 finish in the Mountain West Conference and a 9-4 record overall. There were many who felt the Falcons would be fortunate to win as many as four.
The same people have Air Force picked to finish no higher than sixth in the nine-team Mountain West Conference this year.
