AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Senior receiver Jonathan War-zeka wasn’t expecting his final season of college football to be dull, but he may have to add being the focal point of coach Troy Calhoun’s stepped-up emphasis on a passing attack to his responsibilities.
Calhoun entered the Falcons’ preseason camp saying the offense had to have a more efficient passing attack. He since has added his wish for more big plays through the air.
Warzeka knows the route to being a big-play receiver. He averaged 22.6 yards on 18 catches last year as the Falcons’ leading receiver in yards (406) and average. But he also returns kickoffs and was named the preseason special-teams player of the year in the Mountain West.
“We have three players we can lean on to make some big plays in the passing game,” said Air Force receivers coach Mike Thiessen, suggesting it isn’t all on Warzeka’s shoulders.
“Jonathan does a lot of things for us. He’s been at that receivers spot for three years and plays it very well. But Zack Kauth has played well, Mikel Hunter has played well. It’s always good when you have receivers who can gain separation from a defender, and we do.”
Warzeka isn’t looking for any magic to help him produce big plays for the Falcons.
“It’s no secret that we like to run the ball,” Warzeka said. “We’re going to get a lot of those home run hits off play action. We need to capitalize on those opportunities. We don’t throw much, but when we do, we have to make things happen.”
Warzeka isn’t concerned about the load he carries on the field, but he’d like to close the book on Air Force’s 14-7 victory over Georgia Tech in the 2010 Independence Bowl. He dropped what appeared to be a touchdown pass and admits to not having a good game.
“That game still lingers on me,” said Warzeka, who came to the academy from Lake El-sinore, Calif. “Once I get back on the field, I’ll be all right.”
At 5-foot-10 and 180 pounds, Warzeka doesn’t intimidate many defensive players.
“We have an undersized team,” Warzeka said. “It is what it is. We believe we can make up for it with effort.”
All the talk about passing in the Air Force camp might seem unusual. It wasn’t that long ago when Fisher DeBerry, Calhoun’s predecessor, joked that his team would pass more — maybe even two times a game.
“Our passing game is more advanced than when I played,” said Thiessen, an AFA quarterback during the DeBerry era. “We’ve put in all the drop-back stuff, and there’s more talent than we had before. We have a quarterback (senior Tim Jefferson) who can run our offense.”
Calhoun has made it no secret that the Falcons’ offense has evolved from the triple option to a multiple attack.
“Our passing game has to have quality,” Calhoun said. “We’re going to play some teams that are superb in pass defense. If you want to play in a good conference, you can’t be just a triple-option team. You have to be more elaborate.”
Punter update. David Baska, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kan., is making a run at being Air Force’s starting punter for the Sept. 3 season opener against South Dakota. The Falcons went into camp without a specific candidate at punter.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
