AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Part of the success during Troy Calhoun’s term as football coach at Air Force has been his demand that his team look no further than the game directly ahead of it on the schedule.
Air Force’s focus has resulted in a 25-14 record under Calhoun, three winning seasons and three trips to bowl games. But Saturday, when Calhoun’s team opens its season in Falcon Stadium against FCS Northwestern State of Natchitoches, La., the Air Force coach faces his toughest assignment yet of keeping blinders on his players. But he’s trying.
“We’ve game-planned for this game as much as any game we’ve played since I’ve been here,” Calhoun said. “A good number of our players are getting their first look at college football. But it’s time that we play against somebody else.”
His emphasis on the degree of preparation — the Falcons have been practicing since Aug. 1 — puts Northwestern State in the same category as Notre Dame, CSU, Wyoming, Utah, BYU, Navy and Army.
How lopsided might Saturday’s game be? Northwestern was 0-11 last season, including a 28-21 loss to Nicholls State in Southland Conference play; Air Force beat Nicholls State 72-0 in last year’s season opener.
“How many NFL draft picks has Northwestern State had, and how many has Air Force had?” Calhoun asked in explaining his attention to the Demons. “Northwestern State has had 32 draft picks, and Air Force has had five. We’ve got plenty of work to do.”
Second-year Northwestern State coach Bradley Peveto is looking for his first victory.
“I’m not pointing a finger at anything but myself for last season,” Peveto said. “We were minus-19 in turnover margin, and you’re not going to win many games with that.”
Peveto said he has taken the stand on playing at Air Force’s 6,614-foot elevation, and he brought his team to Colorado Springs on Thursday to get acclimated.
“We practice down here when it might be 140 degrees on our turf,” Peveto said. “Altitude is just a different animal. We’ve talked about it and we have a plan for it, and I think our players are comfortable with that. They may not have been if we hadn’t talked about it.”
Air Force players also understand that the schedule gets much tougher starting next week, with BYU coming into Falcon Stadium for the Mountain West Conference opener. The Falcons play at Oklahoma on Sept. 18.
“I can remind everybody that letdowns can happen,” said junior quarterback Tim Jefferson, who had knee surgery after last season. “We have to be mentally strong, take care of business and not worry about who we’re playing. That goes for all our games.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Three questions for Air Force
1. Is the Falcons’ offensive line ready to go? Coach Troy Calhoun believes the crew will become very good during the season, but with five new starters, the concern remains whether it will jell fast enough to face the likes of BYU, Oklahoma and Wyoming in September.
2. Is the punting job filled? Senior Keil Bartholomew has been at the top of the depth chart during preseason practice but didn’t get the official nod from Calhoun.
3. Is this game more than a tune- up? Northwestern State, 0-11 a year ago, is an FCS team that needs to provide strong enough competition to get the Falcons prepared for what lies ahead.
