AIR FORCE ACADEMY — The 2008 Falcons are a baby-faced group. As they go through their inevitable growing pains, they’re going to need something to lean on.
The Falcons, who open the season Saturday against Southern Utah at Falcon Stadium, are counting on their experienced and aggressive defensive linemen to be stout enough to handle the responsibility.
“They had better be ready,” said Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, who has just eight starters back from last year’s 9-4 team. “They have to be extremely assertive on and off the field. We are looking for leadership from those guys. I expect every one of them to improve their game from last year. We’re counting on it.”
The Falcons’ defensive line, a hefty unit by traditional Air Force standards, returns six of its top seven players from last year, so it’s a unit with quality and depth. The Falcons plan to utilize a modified 3-4 defense, meaning they will frequently line up with four linemen in order to get more pressure on the quarterback.
Job No. 1 for senior defensive end Ryan Kemp, a rock-solid 6-feet-5 and 255 pounds, is to control the running game.
Job No. 1 1/2 is to create chaos in the opposing backfield. Kemp had four of the Falcons’ 28 sacks last year. He is hungry for a lot more in 2008.
“I would definitely like for all of my numbers to go up, but for our defensive line as a whole, I think we need to make more sacks and more tackles to be successful,” said Kemp, a preseason all-Mountain West Conference selection. “Most of all, we need to be leaders, and for us to have success, we have to play to our potential. Every game we have to play to our potential.”
Kemp is flanked at the other end by senior Jake Paulson, who started five games as a sophomore and five as a junior. The anchor in the middle is junior nose guard Ben Garland, who played at Grand Junction Central. He took over when Jared Marvin injured his right knee during the spring, tearing the ACL and MCL.
Garland started eight games last season at defensive end, his 31 tackles ranking second on the team among defensive linemen. But Marvin’s injury, and Calhoun’s desire for more beef up front, has Garland back playing his natural position.
“I prefer playing inside, it’s more of a battle all the time,” he said. “I’m more of an in-the-trenches guy. I like that better.”
At 6-5 and 275 pounds, Garland was a relatively big man on the outside. At nose guard, he figures opposing centers and guards will outweigh him by about 25 to 30 pounds. But that doesn’t bother him a lick.
“You just get your pads lower; you try harder,” he said. “It takes technique, and it takes a lot of heart.”
Patrick Saunders: 303-954-1428 or psaunders@denverpost.com
