Air Force Falcons
2010 Record: 9-4 (5-3), Tied 3rd Mountain West
2010 Bowl Game: Independence Bowl, Defeated Georgia Tech 14-7
2010 marked yet another succesful run under Troy Calhoun, and thankfully for Falcon fans, he was not taken away by another school yet again. Calhoun has the Falcons flying in the right direction, and in many ways, they surpassed expectations last fall.
Tim Jefferson, a junior, was the man running the option last fall at the QB spot. Jefferson was as good as anyone in recent memory. He finished the season having passed for 1459 yards and 10 TDs, but he did toss 6 picks on the season. His real value came in the run game, and his handling of the option based system. Jefferson managed to rush for 794 yards and an outstanding 15 TDs on the season.
Asher Clark was a tremendous spark in the run game to go alkong with Jefferson last fall, as Clark rushed for 1031 yards and 5 TDs of his own. Clark averaged 5.66 yards per carry, while carrying the ball 14 times per game. Jared Tew was basically the FB in the option, and proved to be a very good one indeed. Tew rushed for 599 yards and 4 scores, but had some incredible single games, specifically against Wyoming and Navy. Nathan Walker added 470 yards and 4 TDs as well. Tew and Walker were both seniors.
The receiving game is nullified in option offenses, but this group was led bby Jonathon Warzeka (18-406-3) and Kyle Halderman (18-290-2). Zach Kauth led the Falcons with 4 TD receptions on the season.
The Falcons were extremely stout against the pass in 2010, as they only allowed 156.7 yards per game through the air. They were extremely weak against the run, as they allowed 195.1 yards per game rushing. Consider this when you look at those numbers, as the Falcons played option teams in 3 games against Navy, Army, and Georgia Tech.
Air Force had five defenders average 5 tackles or more per game last fall, and it was junior LB Jordan Waiwaiole that led them all with 96. Junior DB Jon Davis was right behind him in second place with 93 tackles on the year. They were followed by Brady Amack (82), Rick Ricketts (71), and Patrick Hennessey (60). Andre Morris, Zach Payne, Reggie Rembert, and Anthony Wright all busted the 50 tackle barrier as well.
Ricketts and Hennessey were solid up front, as both broke into double figure in TFLs. Both players collected 10 TFLs last fall, but both were seniors and graduated after the season. Waiwaiole was next in line with 7.5. The Falcons collected 61 TFLs as a team last fall, while the offense gave up 54. The Falcons were very poor when it came to sacking the QB, and nobody had more than 2.5 sacks on the team.
Reggie Rembert had a very solid senior season, as he collected 10 passes defended on the season. He was twice as productive as the next Falcon in line, and that was Wright with 5. Rembert and Jon Davis each had 3 picks to lead the team, and the Falcons picked off 12 passes as a team last fall.
Erik Soderberg was the primary PK last fall, but he was not good. Soderberg only hit on 5 of his 10 FG attempts, and Zack Bell was given a chance as well, and he hit on 2 of his 3 attempts. Keil Bartholomew was dependable on punts, but was not great, having averaged 40.39 yards per punt. He was not used often, as he only averaged 2.3 punts per game. Jonathon Warzeka only returned 22 kicks last season, but he made the most of it, averaging 28.73 yards per return, and he took one in for a score. The Falcons only returned 17 punts as a team, but only allowed 12 on the season.
Final Notes
The Falcons are on a good track to compete and stay in the upper half of the Mountain West, but they do not have the guns to own it and win it. That's ok for Air Force fans, as they know that they are at a disadvantage due to academy requirements, so winning is all relative, and the Falcons do win. The Falcons also are guaranteed to always do things the right way, so scandal is never an issue (thankfully). Air Force will be a top 3 or 4 team in the conference once again in 2011, so another good season awaits.
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