AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Force coach Troy Calhoun has seen some outstanding quarterbacks play against the Falcons in his 4 1/2 seasons on the job.
Max Hall at BYU and Andy Dalton at TCU quickly come to mind from Mountain West play. The Falcons couldn’t beat Hall while he was at BYU and they got the best of Dalton once when he was at TCU.
Calhoun and the Falcons get their first crack at Boise State star Kellen Moore on Saturday, and there’s striking evidence that he might be the best the Falcons have faced.
“Each of those quarterbacks has his own elements,” Calhoun said. “But for Kellen Moore to win that number of games over the last four years and against that kind of competition is outstanding. He’s a superb talent with great instincts on the field.”
Moore has a 44-2 career record as a starting quarterback and needs one victory to tie former Texas star Colt McCoy’s major-college record of 45 victories.
Moore was fourth in last year’s Heisman Trophy race and the senior from Prosser, Wash., has put himself in contention again. He has completed 76 percent of his passes, going 151-for-199 for 1,729 yards and 21 touchdowns. He’s a big reason the Broncos are 6-0 and ranked No. 5 nationally.
“He has an uncanny sense of timing, accuracy and coordination with his receivers,” Calhoun said of Moore. “He has a very good offensive line in front of him, and he has distributed the ball well in the passing game.”
Moore has thrown a touchdown pass to nine receivers this season and 15 Broncos have at least one reception.
Moore’s passing prowess has caught the attention of Air Force’s defensive coaches.
“I’ve told our players that he can put the ball on a quarter 40 yards down the field,” Falcons secondary coach, Charlton Warren said. “He’s on the Heisman Trophy list for a good reason. I haven’t seen him have a bad game.”
Air Force’s defense seems made to order for Moore, having given up 134 points in the last three games. The Falcons (3-3) rank 103rd nationally in total defense, allowing an average of 434.7 yards per game. They have 10 sacks, five interceptions and two fumble recoveries. Outside linebacker Alex Means leads the Falcons in sacks with two. He’s disappointed in that showing.
“With just two sacks, I feel as if I’m letting the team down,” Means said. “Boise State has a good offensive line, but they’re not in the NFL yet. We have to show that we’re Division I football players too.”
The Falcons will be trying to win at a place with a football tradition as good as any in the country. The Broncos have a 64-game regular-season winning streak at home.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
