Air Force football relishes opportunity to prove something against Baylor in Armed Forces Bowl
Trey Taylor’s reaction to learning the Armed Forces Bowl matchup pretty well sums up Air Force’s mood as it prepares to face Baylor on Thursday.
“I was jumping around like a monkey, everywhere, all across my room, swinging,” said Taylor, a second-team All-Mountain West selection at safety. “That was really fun.”
Taylor’s jubilation came from various places. He’s a native of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, so earning a fourth game near home in 14 months provided a jolt to the system.
But there’s also something special about playing Baylor, a team that ghosted him on the recruiting trail.
“It was one of those things where the coach says 'I need you to do this thing, this thing and this thing when you come to camp.' I did all those things,” Taylor said. “Then coach gives you a nice tour of the facilities. Nice tour of the business school, then at the last second pulls out.
“It was tough to deal with at the time, but looking back on it, I wouldn’t have made a different decision. … It would be really good to come back and get a little revenge on them.”
For most of Air Force’s players, the excitement is just as palpable for the 6:30 p.m. game in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday if not for such specific reasons. The Falcons’ roster, in general, comprises players not offered opportunities from major college programs. Baylor is as major as it gets, finishing 12-2 in 2021 and spending time in the Top 10 early in 2022 before a series of — mostly close — losses derailed the season.
“I think a lot of our guys, we really wanted a big-time opponent, because we really believe we can stack up with how complex our offense is,” said fullback Brad Roberts, the Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year. “We wanted as big of opponent as we could get, and we got that.”
Baylor, on the other hand, has seen multiple players hit the transfer portal — including safety Devin Neal Jr. and offensive lineman Micah Mazzccua — and has fired its defensive and special teams coordinators since the end of the season.
That’s not to suggest the Bears won’t be motivated, and the fan base in nearby Waco, Texas (it is fewer than 100 miles from Baylor to TCU) quickly bought out the team’s ticket allotment for the game.
It will be one team trying to prove something, another trying to avoid the optics of losing to a team of lesser means.
That doesn’t always play much of a factor. Air Force is a perfect 26-0 against teams from the Football Championship Subdivision. That may not be a 1-to-1 equivalency with a team from the Mountain West playing a team from the Big 12, but it’s the same general concept.
“It’s a really good chance,” said Air Force lineman Isaac Cochran, a first-team All-Mountain West selection and second-team Walter Camp All-American. “I’m looking forward to it; to play against some really good bodies and really show what we have. But we can’t start slow. We can’t come out like sloths. We’ve got to really start quick and play well the entire game.”
Oddsmakers have set Baylor as 4-point favorites, making this the first time this season Air Force will enter a game as an underdog.
It’s a mentality Air Force embraced immediately.
“Being able to play them and show what Air Force is all about, I think a lot of guys will try to rise to the occasion. Not that they wouldn’t take practice serious before, but really prepare with everything they’ve got.”
Because, as Taylor said, “We have a bunch of people on this team who were overlooked. But in a way I’m glad that we’re overlooked, because we get to come to this program and get developed in the way that we are. You see the way we’re turning out now.
“That chip (on my shoulder) is definitely still there.”
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The Armed Forces Bowl will provide Air Force with a fourth game in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex in 14 months.
Nov. 6, 2021: A 21-14 overtime loss to Army at Globe Life Park (Arlington)
Dec. 28, 2021: A 31-28 win over Louisville in the First Responder Bowl (Dallas)
Nov. 5, 2022: A 13-7 win over Army at Globe Life Park (Arlington)
Dec. 22, 2022: vs. Baylor in the Armed Forces Bowl (Fort Worth), 5:30 p.m. Thursday
