AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Troy Calhoun begins his second season at the helm of Air Force’s football program a little wiser and a little more comfortable in the job.
The Falcons open Saturday against Southern Utah, which has lost 18 games in a row.
“I think I know our players better and what they have to do here on top of playing football,” Calhoun said. “It amazes me sometimes how they can balance all they have to do academically and still find time to play football.”
Even though he’s an Air Force graduate, Calhoun acknowledged that even he had forgotten some of the details of the daily routine.
Calhoun oversees all aspects of his program.
“I’m involved in everything,” Calhoun said. “I look into the offense, the defense, the recruiting, everything. But I have to let our coaches coach.”
Calhoun is pleased with the caliber of players entering the program as part of his first full-year recruiting class.
“We don’t have to wait to be competitive,” Calhoun said. “We’ll be very competitive this year.”
With new quarterback Shea Smith replacing four-year starter Shaun Carney, Calhoun believes he has a quarterback who has the Air Force offense “down cold.”
“He understands what we want to do,” Calhoun said.
Irv Moss: 303 954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
The Lowdown
SOUTHERN UTAH (0-0)
Player to watch: QB Cody Stone
Cody Stone starts at quarterback after taking over in the final three games last year. He completed 95 of 178 passing but had a poor touchdown-to-interception ratio: 8/15.
Key for the Thunderbirds: Having lost 18 games in a row, just making the game competitive would be a morale booster. To do that, the visitors must eliminate big mistakes.
AIR FORCE (0-0)
Player to watch: QB Shea Smith
Smith is a senior in school, but basically a rookie on the field. His college career consists of four completions in 12 passing attempts and 39 yards on five rushing attempts. He needs to establish that he can lead this team.
Key for the Falcons: This is a tuneup game if AFA comes out focused.
By Irv Moss, The Denver Post
