AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Force junior quarterback Tim Jefferson took a moment Tuesday from talking about Saturday’s game against Brigham Young at Falcon Stadium to reflect on the 9/11 terrorist attacks nine years ago.
Jefferson said what happened that day was part of the reason he decided to enroll at the academy.
“I had always wanted to be a pilot since I was 4 or 5 years old,” Jefferson said. “It didn’t happen in one day, but over a period to time I felt like I owed something to my country. I get to live here.”
Jefferson said he was in seventh grade and his class was on a field trip in rural Georgia on Sept. 11, 2001.
“When we were getting on the bus to go back to school, somebody said an airplane had flown into the World Trade Center,” Jefferson said. “We thought somebody was playing games. But when we got back we saw the newscasts. Almost 3,000 people lost their lives. You ask yourself how could something like that happen. It was tough to take.”
A number of activities to commemorate 9/11 are planned Saturday before and throughout the Mountain West Conference game.
Kickoff is 2 p.m.
Quick collision.
BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall isn’t totally comfortable playing Air Force in the second game of the season. The Cougars have a lot of new players in the lineup, including untested quarterbacks Riley Nelson (a junior) and Jake Heaps (a freshman).
“We’re still learning our own team,” Mendenhall said. “Playing Air Force this early is a lot different than playing them in the seventh or eighth game, and this is our first road game.”
The Cougars opened at home last week and defeated Washington 23-17.
Mendenhall graded his two- quarterback system with high marks in the first game.
“Riley Nelson played with grit and determination,” Mendenhall said. “Jake Heaps threw the ball well and he managed our run game effectively.”
Footnote.
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun isn’t expecting injured cornerback Reggie Rembert to practice this week and it’s doubtful he will be ready to play against BYU. Rembert suffered a neck injury in the opener, a 65-21 rout of Northwestern State (La.). Calhoun believes Rembert will be able to play again at some point this season.
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
