AIR FORCE ACADEMY — David Baska always has relied on a good set of wheels to take him through the twists and turns on the athletic field.
He’s always been able to run fast. Strong legs enabled him to become a good pitcher in baseball. And they took him to the top of the depth chart as a punter last season for the Air Force football team. A junior from Overland Park, Kan., Baska is ready to do the Falcons’ punting chores again this season, but he also is taking on additional duty. He’s playing cornerback on Air Force’s defense and finding out that good legs are just part of the deal.
“You can run the 40-yard dash in 4.4 and if your eyes aren’t in the right spot, it doesn’t matter how fast you can run,” Baska said as he nears the end of his first preseason camp as a position player. “I’m learning the chess game of football. I didn’t know anything about that before.”
Changing positions in football isn’t unusual. But going from just punting to playing cornerback is a big jump. In addition, Baska also is the Falcons’ holder on place-kicking.
“I’ve been able to learn from the veteran players we have on the team and we have a great teacher in Coach (Steve) Russ,” Baska said. “I’ve spent a lot of time in the film room. It has been a lot of fun.”
Russ, a former Air Force and Broncos player and a newcomer to the Falcons’ coaching staff this year, admitted that Baska has a lot to learn in his attempt to play defense.
“Going from punting to showing he could play cornerback is impressive,” Russ said, noting that Baska is adapting to the task of tackling as a defensive player. “He has a long way to go, but he’s making progress. He really has good eye-hand coordination and that helps a lot. There’s no lack of wanting to succeed in his makeup. He’s learning that you have to have a short memory when you’re a cornerback.”
Baska knows the importance of having a short memory from his experience last year. Head coach Troy Calhoun utilized Baska’s speed with several fake field-goal and extra-point attempts during the season. He scored a touchdown and chalked up two first downs on fake kicks.
But there is a time when it didn’t work that still sticks in Baska’s mind. Late in the Military Bowl game against Toledo in December, the Falcons scored a touchdown and trailed 41-40. With kicker Parker Herrington all but a sure thing on an extra-point kick that would have tied the score, Calhoun called a fake.
Baska started to his left, but the play was doomed when a Toledo linebacker caught up with Baska a couple of yards outside of the end zone.
“I should have made the play,” Baska said. “I think about it occasionally, but you have to move on. That’s especially important for us here at the academy as young men.”
Baska the punter was already expecting a lively spring and preseason camp. Calhoun had mentioned that the Falcons’ punting had to improve in both distance and hang time. Baska averaged 40.8 yards on 32 punts last season, with six pinning opponents inside the 20-yard line. But the net punting yardage wasn’t to Calhoun’s liking.
But the 6-foot, 182-pound Baska now has more to do.
“I’ve never gone through anything like this preseason practice,” Baska said. “It has been something I’ve had to get used to. I played some on the scout team my first two years. But I’ve never played defense or been involved this much in practice.”
Why not just be a punter and live a less hectic life?
“The coaches always have known that I wanted to do more,” Baska said. “I saw this as an opportunity and I jumped at it. I hope I’ve done a good enough job so the coaches have confidence to put me out there.”
Does he hope that Calhoun keeps the fake kick in the Falcons’ playbook?
“I hope so,” Baska said. “If I didn’t want the ball, I wouldn’t be here.”
Quotable. “I hope there’s balance in our offense. That has to be our bread and butter. We have to throw the ball effectively and still be able to run it effectively as well. We have to do a better job holding on to the ball.” — Calhoun, whose team committed 18 turnovers on fumbles last season
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
