AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Sophomore Rick Ricketts provides a youthful exuberance coaches like to see on a defensive line.
“I never want to quit on any play,” said Ricketts, Air Force’s second-year player from San Jose, Calif. “Even if they’re throwing a 30-yard bomb, I’ll still be running after it because I think I can make the tackle.”
Senior Ryan Kemp provides an example of experience that defensive line coach Ron Burton believes is a major plus in Air Force’s defensive play this season.
“It’s more of a confident mind-set,” said Kemp, a fourth-year player from Mannford, Okla. “Rather than playing with the mentality that maybe we’ll get lucky and the other team might drop a pass, we’re confident we can make the plays to get the other team off the field.”
The young and the old of the defensive line will get tested Saturday. Colorado State (4-5, 2-3) not only has a stout running back in Gartrell Johnson, who ranks third in the Mountain West Conference with 848 yards and seven touchdowns, but also an experienced quarterback in Billy Farris, who can keep the defense guessing.
“You never know what you’re going to get on first or second down,” Burton said. “It’s almost like an NFL team in my estimation. But it still boils down to reacting to what you see when the ball is snapped.”
AFA coach Troy Calhoun emphasized the problem for his defensive unit last week, saying Army fullback Collin Mooney (who rushed for 92 yards against Air Force), at 250 pounds, was bigger than all of his defenders except two or three. Johnson tips the scales at 225 pounds. Utah’s Darrell Mack (101 yards vs. AFA) and Matt Asiata (116), UNLV’s Frank Summers (69) and New Mexico’s Rodney Ferguson (107) all fit the category of big running backs.
The Falcons (7-2, 4-1) rank sixth in the MWC in rushing yards, but they’ve been stingy with the points, allowing 17.3 points a game, which ranks second in the MWC and 17th in the nation.
“The mentality here is to pound it into our heads that we’re always going to be smaller, but we’re going to work harder,” Kemp said. “That’s the code we live by. We’re always expected to be the underdog. But there are other things that people don’t factor in.”
Footnotes.
The radio broadcast of Saturday’s Air Force-Colorado State game won’t be carried on Denver station KCKK 1510-AM. It will be on KLTT 670-AM instead, as well as KVOR 740-AM in Colorado Springs. . . .
Members of Air Force’s 1958 Cotton Bowl team are being honored at Saturday’s game, marking the 50th anniversary of the 9-0-2 season that included a 0-0 tie with TCU in the Dallas bowl game.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
