AIR FORCE ACADEMY — There’s no use thinking about the timing of today’s Mountain West showdown against TCU at Falcon Stadium, according to Air Force coach Troy Calhoun.
It’s only the second game of the season and the winner will gain the advantage in the conference race almost before fans get comfortable.
“When you’re a cadet here, they don’t ease you into basic training for the first two or three days,” Calhoun said. “That’s just part of it here.”
The Mountain West has scheduled conference games early in the season before. Last week, conference foes New Mexico and Colorado State opened the season against one another.
There also is another element of timing that could become a burden for the Falcons. TCU lost its season opener 50-48 to Baylor, and coach Gary Patterson and his team probably are in a hurry to get back on track.
The Horned Frogs haven’t lost two games in a row since the 2007 season, when the Falcons were involved in the setbacks. After losing to Texas the week before, TCU came to Falcon Stadium in the third game of the season and Air Force won 20-17 in overtime.
“They’re not used to losing,” Calhoun said when asked if what happened four years ago might have TCU especially wary today. “I know they’re going to want to play well. We like to achieve as well and we’re happy for the chance to play.”
Since losing in 2007, TCU has reeled off victories of 44-10 in 2008 in Fort Worth, 20-17 in 2009 at Falcon Stadium and 38-7 last year in Fort Worth.
Even with inexperienced sophomore quarterback Casey Pachall, who made his first college start against Baylor, Calhoun doesn’t look at the Horned Frogs being in a rebuilding year. He said earlier this week that TCU is one of a dozen or so institutions in college football that don’t face rebuilding years.
Baylor got the advantage over the Horned Frogs with a passing attack that featured the long ball. Baylor quarterback Robert Griffin III had scoring strikes of 35, 28, 54 and 42 yards.
“We won’t get caught off guard again,” Patterson said in a weekly news conference. “We’re out to win the conference title, so here we go.”
But against Air Force, he’ll face a team that amassed 391 rushing yards in defeating South Dakota 37-20.
The Horned Frogs may not be at full strength. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that neither junior running back Ed Wesley nor junior linebacker Tanner Brock practiced this week because of injuries.
Footnote. Former Air Force quarterback Dee Dowis was philosophical about senior quarterback Tim Jefferson’s climb to break his school record of 22 Air Force victories as the quarterback of record from 1986-89.
Jefferson tied the mark last week against South Dakota.
“Breaking the record means that Air Force is winning games,” said Dowis, who is to be inducted Oct. 15 into the Colorado Springs Sports Hall of Fame. “We’re all proud that it’s such a successful program. Tim’s a great player. I didn’t realize there was a record until somebody told me.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
