B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

[BDawg35]

Eian Castonguay (10) is one of Air Force’s latest commits.

Three defensive backs commit to Air Force

There are reinforcements coming for an Air Force secondary that has had trouble defending the pass this season.

But, as has been the case with many of the Falcons’ commits from the Class of 2019, this group doesn’t look capable of upgrading a porous defensive backfield.

Commiting to Air Force during the Week 12 bye week were 64 OVR strong safety Nate Wilson, 61 OVR free safety Jalen Mergerson and 61 OVR cornerback Eian Castonguay. All are three-star commits, but on the lower end of that rating.

Wilson ranks 51st among strong safeties, Mergerson 24th among free safeties and Castonguay 95th among cornerbacks.

“They must’ve been impressed we didn’t give up a passing yard during our bye week,” B-Dawg said. “I’m scared to death thinking these guys could be starters in our secondary in a few years.”

Air Force has 11 players committed from the Class of 2019. The needs remaining to be filled are for two wide receivers, one middle linebacker and one cornerback.

The most promising prospect on the board is Andy Bean, the 10th-ranked wide receiver in the country. The 74 OVR Bean has Air Force ranked No. 1 on his board by 1,040 points over Boston College and 1,265 over Georgia Tech. In an odd quirk, all three teams have full green bars, despite the disparity in points.

[BDawg35]

Cleveland finalist for Best Returner

Receiver Ronald Cleveland is the only Air Force player among the finalists for the 2018 college football awards, with running back Kadin Remsberg failing to crack the top three for three awards.

Cleveland ranks first for Best Returner, having returned 55 kickoffs for an average of 27.9 yards.

“He’s nothing special,” Air Force coach B-Dawg said. “In the future, I may have to split up kick and punt return duties between two players or switch return specialists at midseason to prevent unworthy players from winning this award. He doesn’t even have a touchdown, for crying out loud.”

Remsberg finished fourth for the Doak Walker, fifth for the Walter Camp and eighth for the Maxwell. He has 57 catches for 936 yards and six touchdowns, while carrying the rock 166 times for 612 yards and nine touchdowns.

“His receiving numbers are sick for a running back, but his rushing numbers are pedestrian,” B-Dawg said.

[BDawg35]

1. Alabama (10-0), 1.000
2. Georgia (9-1), .995
3. Washington (9-1), .989
4. Arizona (9-1), .979
5. Oklahoma (9-1), .979
6. Georgia Tech (9-1), .979
7. Virginia Tech (10-1), .963
8. West Virginia (9-2), .963
9. Ohio State (9-2), .951
10. Clemson (8-2), .948
11. Utah (8-2), .936
12. Texas A&M (8-2), .928
13. Texas (7-3), .925
14. Central Florida (8-2), .918
15. Michigan (8-2), .918
16. Penn State (7-3), .902
17. Missouri (8-2), .897
18. Auburn (7-3), .890
19. Notre Dame (7-3), .883
20. Purdue (8-2), .875
21. Stanford (7-3), .875
22. LSU (7-3), .874
23. USC (6-4), .845
24. North Carolina State (10-1), .842
25. South Carolina (7-3), .832




1. KHALIL TATE, QB, Arizona, Jr.
Stats: 189-for-335, 2,770 yards, 28 TD, 0 int.; 107 carries, 465 yards, 7 TD

2. RYAN FINLEY, QB, North Carolina State, rSr.
Stats: 200-for-286, 2,823 yards, 31 TD, 5 int.; 147 carries, 619 yards, 6 TD

3. ZACK MOSS, HB, Utah, Jr.
Stats: 201 carries, 1,249 yards, 17 TD; 16 catches, 207 yards, 1 TD

4. JOSH JACKSON, QB, Virginia Tech, rSoph.
Stats: 153-for-309, 2,243 yards, 22 TD, 10 int.; 147 carries, 763 yards, 8 TD

5. WILL GRIER, QB, West Virginia, rSr.
Stats: 229-for-393, 3,143 yards, 40 TD, 8 int.; 118 carries, 279 yards, 1 TD

[djp73]

big deal getting to 6 wins year one! looks like recruiting is going fairly well
super simming a play seems to fix the rb fatigue thing, if you're willing to risk it

[BDawg35]

Quote: Originally Posted by djp73

big deal getting to 6 wins year one! looks like recruiting is going fairly well super simming a play seems to fix the rb fatigue thing, if you're willing to risk it

The risk would be to my own psyche. I have to play every ... single ... play in my games. I want every single stat to be something generated with me at the sticks.

In my Western Michigan dynasty, I accidentally simmed a game against Purdue because I thought I had a bye week. I had autosave on. Even though I won, it destroyed my soul.

[djp73]

Quote: Originally Posted by BDawg35

The risk would be to my own psyche. I have to play every ... single ... play in my games. I want every single stat to be something generated with me at the sticks. In my Western Michigan dynasty, I accidentally simmed a game against Purdue because I thought I had a bye week. I had autosave on. Even though I won, it destroyed my soul.

i get it, i remember that wmu game

[BDawg35]

Kadin Remsberg is in the clear to haul in one of his four touchdown catches against UNLV.


Defensive tackle Kyler Ehm stops UNLV quarterback Armani Rogers on a fourth-and-five scramble with 4:32 left.

Ehm makes A+ stop
Air Force stops fourth-and-5 scramble
to win wild 49-41 shootout with Rebels

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — In a game with 90 points on the scoreboard and 1,202 yards of total offense, Kyler Ehm seemed like the last person to don the hero’s cape.

First of all, Ehm plays defense, which seemed to rule him out automatically.

He’s also a 66 OVR junior defensive tackle, a low-rated player at a position which rarely has an impact on B-Dawg’s football teams.

But when Air Force desperately needed a defensive stop, it was the unheralded Ehm who made the play of the game to preserve a 49-41 victory over UNLV on Nov. 24, 2018.

The Rebels faced fourth-and-five deep in Falcons territory when quarterback Armani Rogers tried to scramble for the first down. Fearing Rogers’ wheels, B-Dawg kept a spy on him much of the game. On this particular play, he dropped Ehm into a spy to allow linebackers to drop into coverage.

When Rogers took off, Ehm stood him up and stopped him just inches short of the first down at the 16-yard line.

“He’s an unlikely hero, but it’s probably best he was the player in a position to make the stop,” B-Dawg said. “My linebackers and defensive backs seem to get pushed back on contact, but it’s hard to move a defensive tackle when you’re a quarterback. We couldn’t afford to lose many inches of ground on that play. Big play. The kid may not figure big into our future, but he will remember that for the rest of his life.”

Some love should also go the way of free safety Jeremy Fejedelem, who appeared to merely postpone the inevitable when he made a touchdown-saving tackle on a 51-yard run by Charles Williams with 5:34 left in the game. Williams finished with 149 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries.

After Ehm’s stop on fourth down, Air Force was able to grind out the clock and come away with its seventh victory in 11 games.


Records galore

Kadin Remsberg broke B-Dawg’s all-time record for receiving yards by a running back for the second time in three games, hauling in five passes for 264 yards and four touchdowns. He averaged a ridiculous 52.8 yards per catch.

“They couldn’t cover him,” B-Dawg said. “I know the numbers look cheesy, but what am I supposed to do — keep my best weapon under wraps and lose the game?”

Remsberg, a sophomore who has 95 SPD, caught touchdown passes of 67, 43, 79 and 66 yards from Donald Hammond. Ironically, it was his dropped short pass on fourth-and-five with 6:15 left in the game that gave UNLV a shot at a comeback.

Remsberg’s 66-yard catch with 1:20 left in the third quarter extended a 42-41 lead to 49-41 and wound up being the final points scored, as the offenses suddenly went silent in the fourth after scoring 90 points in the first three quarters.

He broke his own mark of 225 yards set against Army on Nov. 3. Before that, the record was 199 yards by Oregon State’s John Morton in NCAA 2009.

Having Remsberg as a target allowed Hammond to break the Air Force single-game passing mark for the second time in four games. Hammond was 16-for-26 for 414 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He broke his own record of 393 yards set Oct. 27 against Brigham Young. Bob Parker’s record of 391 stood since 1970.

“We’re playing a video game,” B-Dawg acknowledged. “Records are going to fall.”

Remsberg was named national Player of the Week. He has 62 catches for 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns, giving him a real shot of breaking the Air Force single-season record of 1,289 yards set by Ernie Jennings in 1970.


Backfield shakeup

To keep Remsberg fresh, B-Dawg initially had fullback Taven Birdow formation-subbed into packages that typically call for power runs.

But when Birdow had minus-1 yard on three carries, B-Dawg put him back on the bench and put Joseph Saucier in that role. Saucier was much more effective, gaining 94 yards and scoring two touchdowns on 19 carries. Remsberg ran only eight times, gaining 50 yards.

“We can’t have Kadin mysteriously disappear from our lineup with fatigue issues late in games,” B-Dawg said. “I’m confident that this move will keep him on the field for four quarters.”


Coming-out party

Big things are expected of sophomore defensive end Jordan Jackson, who is already rated 86 OVR.

He had his breakthrough performance against UNLV, getting two sacks, three tackles for losses and six total tackles. He was moved to left end in the previous game, the position from which B-Dawg traditionally gets most of his sacks.

UNLV REBELS at AIR FORCE FALCONS
Nov. 24, 2018	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
UNLV Rebels (6-5)	10	21	10	0	41
Air Force Falcons (7-4)	0	35	14	0	49

Team Stats Comparison
	UNLV	AFA
Total Offense	567	635
Rushing Yards	39-235	40-221
Passing Yards	332	414
First Downs	26	21
Punt Return Yards	0	13
Kick Return Yards	186	196
Total Yards	753	844
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Conversion	6-12	7-10
4th Down Conversion	1-2	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-4-1	3-2-0
Penalties	2-19	1-5
Possession Time	15:43	20:17

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER		UNLV	AFA
5:01	(UNLV) C. Williams 11 run (H. Hicken kick)	7	0
:57	(UNLV) H. Hicken 38 field goal	10	0
SECOND QUARTER		UNLV	AFA
6:53	(AFA) J. Saucier 1 run (J. Koehnke kick)	10	7
5:30	(UNLV) N. Bean 6 pass from A. Rogers (H. Hicken kick)	17	7
4:28	(AFA) K. Remsberg 67 pass from D. Hammond (J. Koehnke kick)	17	14
4:14	(AFA) D. Sutton 36 interception return (J. Koehnke kick)	17	21
1:44	(AFA) J. Saucier 6 run (J. Koehnke kick)	17	28
1:03	(UNLV) C. Williams 7 run (H. Hicken kick)	24	28
:37	(UNLV) B. Presley 31 pass from A. Rogers (H. Hicken kick)	31	28
:15	(AFA) K. Remsberg 43 pass from D. Hammond (J. Koehnke kick)	31	35
THIRD QUARTER		UNLV	AFA
6:52	(UNLV) A. Rogers 4 run (H. Hicken kick)	38	35
4:36	(AFA) K. Remsberg 79 pass from D. Hammond (J. Koehnke kick)	38	42
2:40	(UNLV) H. Hicken 45 field goal	41	42
1:20	(AFA) K. Remsberg 66 pass from D. Hammond (J. Koehnke kick)	41	49

UNLV REBELS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Armani Rogers 27/32 332 2 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Charles Williams 18 149 8.2 2 Armani Rogers 10 23 2.3 1 Lexington Thomas 8 49 6.1 0 Xzaviar Campbell 3 14 4.6 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kendal Keys 7 98 13.9 0 Brandon Presley 5 76 15.2 1 Jamaal Neal 5 43 8.6 0 Charles Williams 4 24 6.0 0 Darren Woods 3 76 25.3 0 Giovanni Fauolo 2 9 4.5 0 Noah Bean 1 6 6.0 1 BLOCKING PC SK Noah Bean 0 1 Nathan Jacobson 0 1 Sid Acosta 0 1 Justin Polu 0 1 DEFENSE TKL SK INT TD Jocquez Kalili 7 0 0 0 Gabe McCoy 7 0 0 0 Dalton Baker 6 0 0 0 Ty'Jason Roberts 5 0 0 0 Farrell Hester 5 0 0 0 Salanoa-Alo Wily 4 0 0 0 Myles Plummer 4 0 1 0 Luca Vartic 4 0 0 0 Jameer Outsey 3 1 0 0 Nick Dehdastian 3 0 0 0 Kyle Moses 0 0 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Hayes Hicken 2/2 5/5 11 46 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Evan Pantels 2 94 47.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Darren Woods 7 186 26.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD None

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Donald Hammond 16/26 414 4 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Joseph Saucier 19 94 4.9 2 Donald Hammond 10 78 7.8 0 Kadin Remsberg 8 50 6.2 0 Taven Birdow 3 -1 -0.3 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kadin Remsberg 5 264 52.8 4 Marcus Bennett 4 74 18.5 0 Andrew Smith 3 18 6.0 0 Ronald Cleveland 2 37 18.5 0 Kade Waguespack 1 17 17.0 0 Geraud Sanders 1 4 4.0 0 BLOCKING PC SK Connor Vilkputz 1 0 Griffin Landrum 1 0 Parker Ferguson 1 0 Nolan Laufenberg 1 0 Scott Hattok 0 1 DEFENSE TKL SK INT TD Garrett Kauppila 8 0 0 0 Jeremy Fejedelem 7 0 0 0 Jordan Jackson 6 2 0 0 Zane Lewis 6 0 0 0 Kyle Floyd 6 0 0 0 Brody Bagnall 5 0 0 0 Dailen Sutton 4 0 1 1 Milton Bugg 3 0 0 0 Lakota Wills 3 0 0 0 Mosese Fifita 2 1 0 0 Jace Bobo 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LG Jake Koehnke 0/0 7/7 7 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Charlie Scott 2 78 39.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Ronald Cleveland 8 196 24.5 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Andrew Smith 1 13 13.0 0

[Careless Whisper]

Remsberg is ridiculous! It's almost like he's prime Reggie Bush if Bush were playing against NAIA teams.