LOGAN, UTAH — It was early morning Sunday when Kale Pearson spoke with the media outside the visiting team’s locker room at Utah State.
His left shoulder was encased in ice, but the right-handed quarterback from Tulsa, Okla., wasn’t concerned about it after Air Force lost to the Aggies 34-16. Pearson had suffered a sprained shoulder before the season, so he knew the routine. He went to the locker room during the second quarter for an injection and returned as good as new for the second half.
The shoulder may not be providing the senior QB with anxiety, but for Pearson and the Falcons, two recurring issues are worth their attention. Air Force, which dropped to 4-2, averaged just 3 yards per carry against the Aggies, continuing a trend of trouble running the ball. Also, Utah State found ways to exploit the Falcons in the passing game, becoming the third consecutive non-option team to pass for at least 300 yards against them.
“We’re a running team,” Pearson said. “We’ve got to be able to run the ball.”
Running has been an issue — at least in extended spurts — for a while now. In the first half against Navy, the Falcons averaged fewer than 3 yards per carry. Against Boise State, they averaged 2.2 yards on 27 carries in the first and third quarters. And at Wyoming, they ran for 151 yards on 52 carries, almost identical to Saturday’s night’s production (155 yards on 51 attempts).
The Falcons rank 12th nationally in rushing. But if you take away a 539-yard effort against Nicholls State, Air Force would barely rank in the top 25 of a category it needs to be its primary strength.
“We’ve got to block a little better and we’ve got to run better,” said Falcons coach Troy Calhoun.
