AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Air Force coach Troy Calhoun wasn’t spending any time Tuesday feeling sorry for his upcoming opponent, New Mexico, which is 0-7 and has fired its coach.
Calhoun has his own problems to worry about.
The Falcons (3-4) have a three-game losing streak and are 0-3 in Mountain West play after being picked in the preseason to finish third.
The loser Saturday will have sole possession of last place.
“We have to make the most of our own development as a team,” Calhoun said when asked what he thought of the situation at New Mexico. “That’s a moment-to-moment thing for us. Each day of practice has to be productive. You want to have your own level play that you aspire to reach toward. When we get to Saturday, we’ll get to Saturday.”
When Saturday arrives, Calhoun expects to face a team with plenty of good football players.
“New Mexico has some really good players, and they’ve done a good job recruiting over the last two years,” Calhoun said.
Safety Jon Davis said: “They haven’t won a game, but we’re 1-3 in October and that makes us scary too. We’re not frustrated. We played some really good teams, and we didn’t do what we needed to win. New Mexico has played some tough teams as well.”
Air Force junior fullback Mike DeWitt registered his first 100-yard rushing game last Saturday against Boise State, finishing with 108 yards on 18 carries. He would like to build on that game.
“We haven’t proved ourselves yet,” DeWitt said. “But the fullbacks will get the ball a little bit more after Saturday. We didn’t win so there wasn’t any game ball involved. The 100 yards was bittersweet.”
The question of whether Air Force will get an official invitation from the Big East Conference, as a football-only member, is on hold. With reports that West Virginia is ready to leave the Big East for the Big 12, uncertainity reigns about what the conference will do as it continues to lose members.
