AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Coach Troy Calhoun will have a little extra emotion today when 28 Air Force seniors get their final call at Falcon Stadium.
The Falcons play the home finale against UNLV, but the players won’t be the only ones with lumps in their throats and traces of tears in their eyes.
“It’s going to be a little bit tough on the coach too,” Calhoun said this week. “You get to know these players and the kind of commitment they’ve made.”
The Class of 2012 is a special group for Calhoun. They are his first recruiting class after he started in December 2006.
“It has been quite a class,” Calhoun said. “The players have been low-maintenance, responsible, respectful and have done an enormous amount on the football field. Not once have we had to say ‘Pick it up’ or ‘Wake up.’ “
But maybe more than at any time during his five years, Calhoun’s team needs a shot of potent senior leadership.
The Falcons (5-5, 1-4 Mountain West) need to win their last two games to avoid falling off a cliff and into season oblivion. If they win against UNLV and at Colorado State next week, they’ll get to the seven victories they need to be bowl-eligible.
If not, they’ll have only the Commander- in-Chief’s Trophy as spoils to an otherwise disappointing season. The Falcons won the trophy for the second straight year by defeating Navy and Army.
“It’s a chance for our seniors to leave a lasting impression,” senior receiver Jonathan Warzeka said. “A lot of things haven’t gone our way, but we still can accomplish some things.”
Tailback Asher Clark, approaching his second 1,000-yard season, will “cherish the moment” of Senior Day but is setting his focus on the last two games.
“It kind if came out of nowhere,” senior linebacker Jordan Waiwaiole said of playing for the last time at Falcon Stadium. “I hadn’t thought much about it, and now everybody is talking about it.
“We’re capable of winning the rest of our games. We have to move on.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
