AIR FORCE ACADEMY — With a second loss in Mountain West Conference play coming Saturday night in a 38-7 setback at fourth-ranked Texas Christian, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun and his team are turning their attention to other trophies still in their sights.
With the Horned Frogs and the eighth-ranked Utah Utes, who come to Falcon Stadium this weekend, both unbeaten, another MWC loss probably will place the Falcons down the list in the final conference standings.
But an opportunity to reclaim the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy and a desire to win as many games as possible have Calhoun and his team still buzzing.
“There are some things still out there,” Calhoun said, but also agreeing that nothing is a given for his team. The loss to TCU was the Falcons’ second in a row and dropped them to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the MWC.
“You better realize that Tuesday and Wednesday are prior to Saturday and your chin strap should be as tight as you can get and still snap it on the side of your helmet,” Calhoun said. “Everybody involved, players and coaches, have to be sharp enough to figure that out.”
After playing Utah, the Falcons play Nov. 6 at Army, and a victory there would return the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy to Air Force. With conference games remaining against New Mexico and Nevada-Las Vegas, a strong finish would put the Falcons in a bowl game.
“The goals we had at the start of the season aren’t totally gone,” said AFA linebacker Andre Morris, a senior. “Coach says everybody should take a leadership role, but it’s time for somebody to step up. We begin every season wanting to win every game. That hasn’t changed.”
Morris has done his part in senior leadership. He’s among the top 10 tacklers on the team.
“It has been a rough season for me personally,” Morris said. “I haven’t had the production I wanted. But I’m hard on myself because I always think I can do better.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
