Maybe Air Force coach Troy Calhoun should just put away the game plan when getting sophomore Mikel Hunter ready to play.
Hunter’s mother, Wanda, who lives in Georgia, has a way with words when it comes to her son’s game plan.
“I talk to him or text message him before every game,” Wanda Hunter said, “I tell him, ‘We’re looking for a touchdown.’ “
Hunter followed his mother’s orders and then some last week in the 35-21 victory over BYU. He touched the ball three times and scored twice.
His scoring plays were spectacular — a 37-yard, wide-open pass reception and a sizzling, 33-yard run on a weaving path downfield with jumps over would-be tacklers.
“I just got my eyes up and scanned the whole field and did what I could to get into the end zone,” Hunter said. “It was pure instinct. I take things like that in stride.”
Hunter’s next stride comes Saturday when the Falcons play seventh-ranked Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., and Memorial Stadium, where the Sooners have won 32 games in a row.
Hunter agreed he might have been a surprise for BYU because he hadn’t played a prominent role in the offense before. At 5-feet-9 and 170 pounds, he could go unnoticed on the field. He also had changed his uniform number from 30 to 10.
After his big day against BYU, he surely will be on Oklahoma’s radar.
But until facing the Sooners, Hunter’s “debut” is a conversation piece at the academy.
“He’s not afraid to go play,” receivers coach Mike Thiessen said of his newfound talent. “It was an impressive start for a sophomore, but I’m not going to anoint him too fast. We’ve had a bunch of sophomores here who have played pretty well.”
Calhoun also is looking ahead.
“There’s still going to be a good bit of development down the road,” he said. “There was an awful lot of space to work with on his touchdown plays, but he could become a dynamic player.”
Hunter is learning his surroundings. He discovered halfway through his freshman season he had played a high school game against Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson.
Hunter isn’t into the hype surrounding his big game. He’s more interested in staying humble.
“I can’t predict the future,” Hunter said. “I’m trying to stay focused on my role and taking advantage of opportunities. I feel more confident. The coaches did a good job setting me up with the play-calling against BYU.”
He also remembers his mother’s orders to be consistent.
“Mikel wanted to play football when he was in the third grade,” Wanda Hunter said. “I let him play in the fifth grade when he showed me he could maintain his academic work in school. His first team lost every one of its games. He always took pride in what he did.”
And, yes, she’s sending the same message of looking for a touchdown before Hunter and the Falcons play the Sooners.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Three questions for Air Force
1. One of Air Force’s expected strengths coming into the season was its defensive secondary. How it will measure up to Oklahoma’s touted passing game? In two games, the Air Force secondary has one interception by Reggie Rembert, and safeties Jon Davis and Brian Lindsay rank among the team’s top five in tackles with 11 and nine, respectively. Davis also is credited with a forced fumble.
2. Will Air Force’s rushing game, which has amassed 846 yards in two games, be able to run through the Sooners and gain an advantage in time of possession? Halfback Asher Clark and fullback Jared Tew have carried a big part of the load on the ground. Clark leads the team with 205 yards, and Tew is second with 142. Each has 30 carries. Both missed practice time this week because of injuries.
3. Will Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones continue his sharp passing, which has him completing 61.8 percent of his passes for 597 yards and six touchdowns? Slotback Ryan Broyles has been Jones’ favorite receiver with 21 catches for 266 yards and three touchdowns. Twelve players have caught passes. Broyles’ 21 catches are just four fewer than the number of pass attempts in two games by Air Force.
