Air Force Season Summary and Position Grades

The Falcons finished with a 9-3 record for the second straight season. All three of their losses were by one score. They won over Navy and Army. The Falcons were ranked 129th in FBS in sack rate at 13.5%. The rushing offense was excellent, but the two subpar performances against Wyoming and Boise State sealed the fate of the Falcons in conference. The loss of Kyle Patterson and Dane Kinnamon made Coach Calhoun less likely to call for passing games. He also didn't air it out more than he did last year. I was wrong about the result of my predictions. It was a split between Army and Utah State.

Haaziq Daniels is a 21-9 as a starting quarterback. He has been able to distribute the ball well and has made good decisions on option plays. Sometimes he is hesitant to turn the football up the field. Calhoun never let the backup utilize the whole playbook. He gives the QB room a B grade. I might have gone higher if I could have seen a backup come in and run the full offense.

Brad Roberts was the offensive player of the year. John Lee Eldridge was a good running back.

The Falcons' passing game was down from last year. David Cormier had 13 receptions. Brandon Lewis and Geraud Sanders made a lot of big plays. The team's rushing average was boosted by Eldridge's blocking. The Falcons will throw 8.7 passes per game in 2021 and 6.8 in 2022.

Isaac Cochran became the fifth Falcon to become a Walter Camp All American. The offensive line performed well despite having many returning starters. Nolan Laufenberg and Parker Ferguson will improve the sack rate in 2019 and 2020.

Matthew Dapore has improved his kicking game this season. He hit three field goals over 50 yards and one over 30 yards. Kick return attempts were almost non existent. Punts were inconsistent. The kick return squad did a good job on containing any return tries.

Jordan Jackson left the team and the defensive line produced less sacks and TFLs than last year. The line played more in the back half of the season. Payton Zdroik played well in last game against San Diego State. Rush defense totals were stellar.

Air Force's defensive line was good, but the linebackers were not. Vince Sanford was double teamed a lot, while TD Blackmon and Alec Mock were rocks in the middle. The spur linebacker position was staffed by Camby Goff or Jayden Goodwin.

Trey Taylor, Camby Goff/Jayden Goodwin, Michael Mack and Eian Castonguay are the best defensive backs in the Mountain West. They performed well in pass coverage and rarely missed a tackle. Sophomore Jamari Bellamy also performed very well. The Falcons play Baylor in Armed Forces Bowl on December 22 at 6:30 PM EST.