AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Falcons coach Troy Calhoun is a stickler for practice and preparation for game-day performance.
Freshman Jamil Cooks, whose home is just south of the academy in Colorado Springs, provided the rewards for Calhoun and the Falcons in the win over Navy.
With the Cadet Wing poring out of the stands at the end, it was as if the Falcons had won the Super Bowl. For them, it was.
Cooks blocked a field goal and a punt, but only after getting the assignment earlier in the week from the coaching staff.
On the blocked punt that led to a fourth-quarter touchdown, Cooks leaped over the protection shield in front of punter Kyle Delahooke. It appeared Cooks would have won a jump ball against Carmelo Anthony.
Asked how high he jumped, Cooks answered, “I don’t know.”
Long walk off.
Quarterback Ricky Dobbs and a dejected Navy team made the slow walk to the locker room at the north end of Falcon Stadium.
“Yes, it was,” Dobbs answered when asked if it was a painful walk. “We hate to be the team that lost to Air Force. They were the better team today.”
Asked if he would be rooting for Army when the Falcons complete the round robin trophy schedule, Dobbs said no.
Dobbs and Jefferson faced each other in high school in Georgia. Dobbs won both games.
“Tim Jefferson is one of my good friends,” Dobbs said. “I wished him the best, and I told him to make sure he does what he has to do.”
Uniform preference.
The Falcons showed up in their new patriotic uniforms that featured a new shade of blue, the words “freedom” and “service” on the back and some red to go with the blue and white colors.
Asked if the Falcons will wear the jerseys again when they play Army, Calhoun wouldn’t answer, but did say, “I’m going to take a couple out of the laundry bin and wear them home tonight,” Calhoun said. “I’m going to find the dirtiest and bloodiest and take them home.”
