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

[BDawg35]

CLASS OF 2025 PRESEASON RECRUITING BOARD



CLASS OF 2025 RECRUITING BOARD
George Hunt, MLB-1, Nacogdoches, Texas, 80 OVR
Corey Lloyd, CB-1, Henderson, Texas, 79 OVR
Brandon Smart, FB-1, Mt. Carmel, Tenn., 79 OVR
Brandon Hester, ATH-28, Louisville, Colo., 78 OVR
John Gorman, HB-2, Lauderdale Lakes, Fla., 77 OVR
Steven Hawthorne, QB-5, Green River, Wyo., 76 OVR
Nick Potts, MLB-5, Pharr, Texas, 76 OVR
Benn Huff, TE-4, Sapulpa, Okla., 76 OVR
Marque Sanders, TE-7, Coconut Creek, Fla., 75 OVR
Anthony Anderson, TE-6, Fort Stewart, Ga., 75 OVR
Rich Johnson, De-16, Fort Stockton, Texas, 75 OVR
B.J. Stewart, FB-2, Madisonville, Ky., 74 OVR
Mike Simmons, OLB-12, Billings, Mont., 73 OVR
Dan Chambers, DT-13, Stephenville, Texas, 73 OVR
Rashad Moore, DE-45, Eunice, La., 73 OVR
Simon Shelton, ATH-54, Norwalk, Calif., 73 OVR
Jeff Latimer, SS-15, N. Kingman-Butler, Ariz., 71 OVR
Kevin Greco, De-30, Glendale, Ariz., 70 OVR
Brandon Samuel, DE-69, Glenwood Springs, Colo., 70 OVR
Obadiah Muhammad, C-20, Martha Lake, Wash., 69 OVR
Tim Bonner, DE-50, Mount Juliet, Tenn., 69 OVR
Jim Lumpkin, FS-29, Clarksville, Ind., 68 OVR
Jordan Ingram, DT-28, Highland, Calif., 68 OVR
Akeem Taylor, OG-8, Mason, Mich., 68 OVR
Clint Bennett, CB-54, Parker, S.C., 67 OVR
Greg Wagner, CB-45, Stockton, Calif., 66 OVR
Jesse Richards, TE-21, North Fort Myers, Fla., 66 OVR
Joe Sparks, OG-25, Timberlane, La., 65 OVR
Jermaine White, HB-43, Alamosa, Colo., 65 OVR
Carl Nelson, HB-36, Jerome, Idaho, 65 OVR
Hunter Barnes, OG-46, Paris, Texas, 65 OVR
Akim Amos, OT-35, Vidalia, Ga., 65 OVR
Dennis Owens, MLB-24, West Augusta, Ga., 65 OVR
Travis Landrum, CB-46, Belton, Texas, 64 OVR
Elgin Simpson, FB-27, Weslaco, Texas, 60 OVR

Team needs: 1 FB, 1 CB
No. 1 school: 22
Top 3 school: 58
Top 5 school: 74
Top 10 school: 82

[BDawg35]

AIR FORCE 2024 PREVIEW




CHAD RICE

QUARTERBACKS
Assuming he stays healthy and sticks around Air Force for four years, sophomore Chad Rice should obliterate all the school’s passing records and possibly threaten some national marks. He threw for 3,225 yards and 16 touchdowns as a freshman and ran for 655 yards and three scores. He is already 93 OVR with 89 SPD, 91 THP and 84 THA. The Falcons have some quality backups in 88 OVR redshirt senior Ben Brittain, 87 OVR redshirt freshman Ben Blount and 83 OVR redshirt junior Kevin Moyer, but they are unlikely to see the field other than in mop-up duty as B-Dawg tries to milk every stat he can out of Rice. Blount has a 90 THA rating, so this could become a consideration in the event Rice has trouble with interceptions (he threw 12 last year).


JARED MANN

RUNNING BACKS
Speaking of players who could destroy school records, junior Jared Mann is coming off a season in which he ran 313 times for 1,424 yards and 18 touchdowns. Mann is 91 OVR with 87 SPD and 90 BTK. The running back corps gets pretty thin after that with 82 OVR Matt Howard (4 carries, 8 yards in 2023), 79 OVR Michael Freeman (9 carries, 21 yards in 2023) and 75 OVR freshman Marion Benjamin. Benjamin is an intriguing player whose 93 SPD could prompt B-Dawg to use him in the same manner he used Kadin Remsberg earlier in this dynasty as a deep-ball threat getting mismatches. The starting fullback will be senior Brad Tremblay, who is 84 OVR with 86 SPD, 81 BTK, 74 RBK and 72 PBK.


RYAN SAMPSON

WIDE RECEIVERS
The Falcons had problems with dropped passes early in this dynasty, but that shouldn’t be an issue this season. A young receiving corps features sophomore J.B. White with 98 CTH, redshirt junior Ryan Sampson with 96 CTH and sophomore Brian Brown with 88 CTH. Freshman Eric Peterson even has a 76 CTH rating that would’ve been at the top of the group on B-Dawg’s first team. This group will be taking advantage of its good hands to move the ball methodically, as speed isn’t a significant attribute. Of the top four receivers, the fastest is Sampson with 88 SPD. True freshmen David Joseph (92 SPD) and Cory Goode (91 SPD) will redshirt this year.


NATE ALLEN

TIGHT ENDS
After graduating two tight ends and losing another to transfer, this is one of the weakest spots on the roster. True freshman Ryan Mueller is the top-rated player at 67 OVR with 78 SPD, 66 CTH, 65 PBK and 69 RBK. In order to have enough tight ends on the roster, B-Dawg moved former offensive tackle Nate Allen to tight end. That gives Air Force a potentially devastating blocker on the outside edge in its running game. Allen is 56 OVR at tight end with 64 SPD, 53 CTH, 71 PBK and (yes!) 82 RBK. He will be formation-subbed into running formations.


JOSH WATSON

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Try as they might, the Falcons can never put together a highly rated offensive line. Junior left tackle Josh Watson, at 82 OVR, is the only lineman above 75. He has 89 STR, 79 PBK and 89 RBK. He will be paired on the left side with guard Chris Holt, who is 75 OVR with 82 PBK and 84 RBK. Air Force will run behind them the majority of the time. The other starters are 74 OVR center Phillip Nicholas, 74 OVR right guard Mark Fine and 75 OVR true freshman right tackle Brandon Mitchell.


PATRICK DOWDELL

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Air Force graduated two of the top sack masters in the country in defensive end Quinton Sanders (13 sacks) and defensive tackle Josh Green (12). Their production could be picked up by 84 OVR junior left end Jason Pratt and 84 OVR senior tackle Patrick Dowdell. Pratt had 2.5 sacks and Dowdell 4.5 sacks last year, as both ironically combined for the only assisted sack ever in a B-Dawg dynasty. The other starters are 78 OVR senior right end Tim Mangum and 79 OVR true freshman tackle Ashton Hogan. Hogan has 51 SPD, 79 STR and 76 TAK.


DANIEL ANDREWS

LINEBACKERS
Linebacker is a position B-Dawg hasn’t recruited well, with 79 OVR junior outside linebacker Daniel Andrews the highest-rated player in this year’s group. Andrews has 80 SPD and 79 TAK. Kory Williams, a 78 OVR fifth-year senior, will start at middle linebacker with 82 SPD and 67 TAK. An intriguing player is 74 OVR redshirt sophomore Grant Hayden, who brings 91 SPD to the outside.


MARK MONROE

DEFENSIVE BACKS
The highest-rated player on the team is senior cornerback Mark Monroe, who is 96 OVR with 96 SPD, 99 AWR, 71 CTH and 72 TAK. Monroe led the team with four interceptions and seven deflections last season. The future (and perhaps current) star of this group is sophomore strong safety DeAndre McCollum, who was third on the team with 76 tackles as a freshman. McCollum is 85 OVR with 81 SPD, 79 AWR, 94 ACC, 74 STR, 80 TAK and 93 hit power. The other starters will be 79 OVR cornerback Phil Riggs and 77 OVR free safety Nick Lindsey.


KYLE STEGALL

SPECIAL TEAMS
After losing his starting job early last season, sophomore kicker Kyle Stegall faces no competition from the punter position. Stegall, whose longest field goal in four tries last year was from 32 yards, is 88 OVR with 89 KPW and 89 KAC. Freshman punter Matt Jackson is 75 OVR with 80 KPW and 71 KAC.

2024 AIR FORCE FOOTBALL ROSTER
#	OFFENSE	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	OVR
3	Chad Rice	QB	6-1	194	So.	93
15	Ben Brittain	QB	6-1	232	rSr.	88
9	Brandon Blount	QB	5-11	196	rFr.	87
6	Kevin Moyer	QB	6-5	242	rJr.	83
5	Jared Mann	HB	5-9	212	Jr.	91
20	Matt Howard	HB	6-1	207	Sr.	82
43	Michael Freeman	HB	6-0	236	rJr.	79
39	Marion Benjamin	HB	5-10	201	So.	75
35	Brad Tremblay	FB	6-2	262	Sr.	84
26	Anthony Kelly	FB	5-11	257	Fr.	62
80	Ryan Sampson	WR	6-3	217	rJr.	89
85	Brian Brown	WR	6-1	198	So.	86
86	J.B. White	WR	6-0	202	So.	81
83	Eric Peterson	WR	6-3	196	Fr.	77
82	Lamar Hunter	WR	5-11	193	Fr.	74
81	Ben Charles	WR	6-1	212	So.	72
87	David Joseph	WR	6-4	196	Fr.	68
88	Cory Goode	WR	5-11	187	Fr.	67
89	Ryan Mueller	TE	6-4	259	Fr.	67
76	Nate Allen	TE	6-4	283	Jr.	56
69	Josh Watson	LT	6-8	272	Jr.	82
70	Jeff Gallagher	LT	6-5	335	So.	73
73	Chris Holt	LG	6-5	280	Sr.	75
77	Austin Parks	LG	6-4	266	Jr.	71
61	Joe Talley	LG	6-6	296	rSo.	60
67	Phillip Nicholas	C	6-2	297	So.	74
78	Reggie Gallagher	C	6-2	296	Fr.	59
63	Mark Fine	RG	6-5	280	Jr.	74
66	Jonathan Bailey	RG	6-0	299	Fr.	67
71	Cornelius Booker	RG	6-2	315	Fr.	63
72	Brandon Mitchell	RT	6-4	315	Fr.	75
74	Matt Keyes	RT	6-3	301	So.	65
#	DEFENSE	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	OVR
64	Jason Pratt	LE	6-5	255	Jr.	84
98	Clarence Johnson	LE	6-2	248	rJr.	76
91	Victor Dukes	LE	6-4	266	rSo.	69
62	Tim Mangum	RE	6-1	231	Sr.	78
94	Alex Hemphill	RE	6-3	250	rJr.	75
90	Willie Andrews	RE	6-2	296	So.	66
99	Patrick Dowdell	DT	6-3	279	Sr.	84
96	Ashton Hogan	DT	6-5	247	Fr.	79
92	Paul Kenney	DT	6-1	275	rJr.	76
93	Brian Hubbard	DT	6-2	247	Fr.	73
95	Larry Cruz	DT	6-0	320	rFr.	71
58	Matt Payne	LOLB	6-4	236	Jr.	73
53	Fred DeLuca	LOLB	6-4	225	Fr.	70
55	Jason Prince	LOLB	6-0	220	rJr.	69
4	Daniel Andrews	ROLB	6-1	237	Jr.	79
59	Grant Hayden	ROLB	6-4	227	rSo.	74
56	Kory Williams	MLB	6-2	255	rSr.	78
2	Jason McGill	MLB	6-2	242	Jr.	77
54	Craig Hunt	MLB	6-5	236	rSr.	76
57	Brent Avery	MLB	6-2	260	rJr.	74
29	Mark Monroe	CB	5-10	167	Sr.	96
36	Phil Riggs	CB	6-0	185	rJr.	79
30	Alan Richards	CB	6-0	175	rSo.	75
46	Scott McKenzie	CB	6-0	195	rFr.	74
37	Willie Davis	CB	6-1	178	rSo.	73
38	Nick Lindsey	FS	6-0	216	rSo.	77
42	Matt Humphrey	FS	6-1	220	rJr.	69
22	Frank Sharp	FS	6-1	178	rSo.	69
7	DeAndre McCollum	SS	6-3	190	So.	85
48	Kevin Leonard	SS	5-11	199	So.	74
25	Danny Rush	SS	6-6	212	rFr.	72
#	SPECIAL TEAMS	POS	HT	WT	CLASS	OVR
13	Kyle Stegall	K	5-10	174	So.	88
19	Matt Jackson	P	5-10	210	Fr.	75

2024 AIR FORCE SCHEDULE

Air Force rankings: B OVR, B+ offense, B- defense, B- special teams; 86 OVR, 88 offense, 83 defense, 6 stars

AUG. 24 — SOUTH CAROLINA
Preseason ranking: 5
Team ratings: 91 OVR, 90 offense, 90 defense

AUG. 31 — at MICHIGAN
Preseason ranking: 7
Team ratings: 93 OVR, 91 offense, 95 defense

SEPT. 7 — FRESNO STATE
Preseason ranking: 29
Team ratings: 83 OVR, 81 offense, 87 defense

SEPT. 14 — at BOY-Z STATE
Preseason ranking: 33
Team ratings: 88 OVR, 90 offesne, 87 defense

SEPT. 21 — at COLORADO STATE
Preseason ranking: 68
Team ratings: 77 OVR, 79 offense, 76 defense

SEPT. 28 — at NAVY
Preseason ranking: 69
Team ratings: 83 OVR, 86 offense, 82 defense

OCT. 12 — UTAH STATE
Preseason ranking: 105
Team ratings: 77 OVR, 77 offense, 78 defense

OCT. 19 — at NEW MEXICO
Preseason ranking: 34
Team ratings: 79 OVR, 77 offense, 82 defense

OCT. 26 — ARMY
Preseason ranking: 60
Team ratings: 83 OVR, 84 offense, 82 defense

NOV. 9 — at HAWAII
Preseason ranking: 92
Team ratings: 79 OVR, 79 offense, 80 defense

NOV. 16 — SAN JOSE STATE
Preseason ranking: 114
Team ratings: 77 OVR, 79 offense, 78 defense

NOV. 23 — WYOMING
Preseason ranking: 117
Team ratings: 74 OVR, 74 offense, 76 defense

[BDawg35]

2024 PRESEASON AWARDS, RANKINGS


South Carolina running back, who will face Air Force in the season opener,
is No. 4 on the 2024 preseason Heisman list.



1. BRADY COOK, Missouri, QB, rSr.
2. CHRIS McDONALD, West Virginia, HB, rSr.
3. JARED MANN, Air Force, HB, Jr.
4. MARSHAWN LLOYD, South Carolina, HB, rSr.
5. JERRY JOHNSON, Iowa, QB, rSr.




FIRST TEAM
HB, Jared Mann, Jr., 91 OVR
CB, Mark Monroe, Sr., 96 OVR
SS, DeAndre McCollum, Soph., 84 OVR




FIRST TEAM
QB, Chad Rice, Soph., 91 OVR
HB, Jared Mann, Jr., 91 OVR
WR, Ryan Sampson, rJr., 88 OVR
DT, Patrick Dowdell, Sr., 84 OVR
CB, Mark Monroe, Sr., 96 OVR
SS, DeAndre McCollum, Soph., 84 OVR

SECOND TEAM
HB, Marion Benjamin, Soph., 75 OVR
MLB, Kory Williams, rSr., 77 OVR
K, Kyle Stegall, Soph., 88 OVR




2024
1. Notre Dame
2. Auburn
3. Georgia
4. Texas
5. South Carolina
6. Missouri
7. Michigan
8. The U
9. Penn State
10. Michigan State
11. West Virginia
12. USC
13. UCLA
14. Nebraska
15. Florida
16. Ohio State
17. Florida State
18. Clemson
19. Alabama
20. Baylor
21. Iowa
22. Syracuse
23. Stanford
24. Washington
25. TCU
26. Oklahoma
27. San Diego State
28. AIR FORCE
29. Fresno State
30. LSU
31. Vanderbilt
32. Texas A&M
33. Boy-Z State
34. New Mexico
35. California
36. Arizona
37. Miami (Ohio)
38. Tulsa
39. Virginia Tech
40. Mississippi State
41. Northern Illinois
42. Central Michigan
43. Tulane
44. Arkansas State
45. Mississippi
46. Rutgers
47. Ball State
48. Ohio
49. Boston College
50. Rice
51. Central Florida
52. Utah
53. Washington State
54. Southern Mississippi
55. Oregon
56. North Carolina State
57. Iowa State
58. Minnesota
59. Brigham Young
60. Army
61. Colorado
62. Louisiana Tech
63. Illinois
64. Pittsburgh
65. UNLV
66. Tennessee
67. Duke
68. Colorado State
69. Navy
70. Kansas State
71. Oklahoma State
72. Texas Tech
73. Western Kentucky
74. Oregon State
75. Wisconsin
76. Toledo
77. Marshall
78. South Florida
79. Kentucky
80. North Carolina
81. Georgia State
82. Florida International
83. Southern Methodist
84. Kansas
85. Indiana
86. Troy
87. South Alabama
88. Houston
89. Florida Atlantic
90. Cincinnati
91. Maryland
92. Hawaii
93. Akron
94. Western Michigan
95. Virginia
96. Middle Tennessee State
97. East Carolina
98. Wake Forest
99. Georgia Tech
100. Purdue
101. Northwestern
102. Buffalo
103. Louisville
104. Arkansas
105. Utah State
106. Idaho
107. Eastern Michigan
108. Texas-San Antonio
109. Old Dominion
110. Kent State
111. Louisiana-Monroe
112. Bowling Green
113. Temple
114. San Jose State
115. Nevada
116. Arizona State
117. Wyoming
118. North Texas
119. Massachusetts
120. Memphis
121. Alabama-Birmingham
122. Louisiana
123. Texas-El Paso
124. Texas State
125. New Mexico State
126. Connecticut

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON, GAME 1


Kyle Stegall kicks the game-winning 30-yard field goal as time expires.

MANN DOWN!
Falcons lose star halfback for year
in walk-off win over South Carolina

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Well, it’s Chad Rice’s team now.

Rice was expected to split leadership duties of the Air Force offense with junior running back Jared Mann in 2024, but the sophomore quarterback will have to do it alone.

Mann, a preseason Heisman Trophy contender, suffered an extremely rare season-ending injury only 49 seconds into the Falcons' season-opening 37-34 victory over fifth-ranked South Carolina.

It's the first season-ending injury in the seven-year history of this dynasty. Given it happened so early in the first game of the year, it's probably the one that will cost a player the most playing time in the history of any NCAA dynasty.

"You want realism," Air Force coach B-Dawg said. "You want actual injuries and you pretend to be upset that you don't get enough of them in user-controlled dynasty games. Then you have a top player go down at the start of your very first game and suddenly realism doesn't seem like such a good idea any more."

Mann sustained a torn shoulder on only his second carry of the season. After rushing 313 times for 1,424 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, Mann's final stat line for 2024 will read: two carries, 15 yards, no touchdowns.

Mann was the first Falcon to go down, but certainly not the last. His injury gave sophomore Marion Benjamin an opportunity to seize the reins at running back, but Benjamin missed two quarters with a strained back sustained later in the first quarter. That meant third-stringer Matt Howard was thrust into duty. All he did was fumble on third-and-goal from the 2-yard line, a miscue that resulted in a 97-yard return by Greg Lane.

Before the end of the first quarter, Air Force had four injuries of varying severity.

"I guess these SEC teams hit harder than other teams," B-Dawg said. "I can't explain it any other way. I lowered a lot of my coaching attributes to make it harder to win, so maybe lowering the injury prevention impacted this game. I was starting to think I wouldn't have anyone left to finish the game."

With Mann gone, Rice had to take over the game with his arm and legs.

Rice went 26-for-41 for 348 yards and two touchdowns while running 16 times for 118 yards and a score.

"We will have to be all Chad Rice all the time this year," B-Dawg said. "I hope he doesn't get hurt next."


Walk-off victory

The victory over South Carolina was an impressive display of fortitude by the Falcons, who trailed 17-0 late in the first half.

Air Force got on track by scoring 10 points in the last 1:38 of the first half, triggering a run of 24 straight points.

After taking a 31-20 lead with 7:56 left in the game, the Falcons gave up a game-tying 11-yard touchdown run by Sylvester Walker on third-and-7 and 2-point catch by Sam Reynolds with 1:35 remaining.

Air Force got the ball at its own 22-yard line with 1:31 remaining. Rice connected on passes of 17 yards to J.B. White, 19 yards to Ryan Sampson, 9 yards to Ben Charles and 8 yards to Eric Peterson to get the Falcons in field goal range.

Benjamin ran up the middle to make it an easier kick before Air Force called timeout with two seconds to go. South Carolina called three timeouts in an attempt to ice kicker Kyle Stegall, but he kicked the 30-yard game-winner straight down the middle to end the game.


R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Can we just stop disrespecting Air Force?

Can we?

First, the Falcons were leapfrogged by Auburn for the last spot in the BCS championship game last year. Then, after finishing second in the final poll and with many key players returning, Air Force was ranked 28th in the 2024 preseason poll.

The Falcons just keep making statements against the big boys. This is the second year in a row that they've opened the season with a victory over the defending national champion, having won at Michigan State last season. They also beat a highly ranked Michigan team in the Sugar Bowl to end 2023.

"I don't know what we need to do to get some love, other than going independent and scheduling nothing but top-25 teams," B-Dawg said. "Haters gon' hate, I guess."



Quarterback Chad Rice scores on a 10-yard run.

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS at AIR FORCE FALCONS
Aug. 24, 2024	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#5 South Carolina Gamecocks (0-1)	14	3	3	14	34
Air Force Falcons (1-0)	0	10	14	13	37

Team Stats Comparison
	SCAR	AFA
Total Offense	378	537
Rushing Yards	19-18	43-189
Passing Yards	360	348
First Downs	18	30
Punt Return Yards	0	14
Kick Return Yards	0	151
Total Yards	378	702
Turnovers	1	2
3rd Down Conversion	7-12	14-18
4th Down Conversion	0-0	1-1
2-Point Conversion	1-2	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-3-2	8-4-3
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Possession Time	10:45	25:15

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		SCAR	AFA
4:39	(SCAR) S. Walker 15 run (S. Talley kick)	7	0
:00	(SCAR) G. Lane 97 fumble return (S. Talley kick)	14	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		SCAR	AFA
6:32	(SCAR) S. Talley 30 field goal	17	0
1:38	(AFA) M. Howard 2 run (K. Stegall kick)	17	7
:00	(AFA) K. Stegall 28 field goal	17	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		SCAR	AFA
5:07	(AFA) E. Peterson 14 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	17	17
3:06	(AFA) C. Rice 10 run (K. Stegall kick)	17	24
:47	(SCAR) S. Talley 28 field goal	20	24
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		SCAR	AFA
7:56	(AFA) J. White 8 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	20	31
6:16	(SCAR) G. Meyer 15 pass from R. Arnold (pass failed)	26	31
2:30	(AFA) K. Stegall 38 field goal	26	34
1:35	(SCAR) S. Walker 11 run (S. Reynolds catch)	34	34
:00	(AFA) K. Stegall 30 field goal	34	37

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ryan Arnold 28/42 360 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Sylvester Walker 4 36 9.0 2 Marshawn Lloyd 6 5 0.8 0 Ryan Arnold 9 -23 -2.5 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Greg Meyer 10 100 10.0 1 Mark Lee 7 79 11.2 0 Marshawn Lloyd 4 81 20.3 0 Sam Reynolds 2 25 12.5 0 Sylvester Walker 2 20 10.0 0 Maurice Love 1 29 29.0 0 Chris King 1 20 20.0 0 Reggie Bennett 1 6 6.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Zach Parker 5 1 Greg Meyer 3 0 Aaron Hall 2 0 Sam Reynolds 1 0 Peter Carey 1 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Seth Carter 13 2 0 0 Greg Lane 10 2 0 0 Dustin Matthews 8 0 0 0 Luke Coleman 6 1 0 0 Daniel Yates 6 1 0 0 Scott Sullivan 6 0 0 0 Ben Webb 5 1 0 0 Daniel Turner 5 2 0 0 Jonathan Walker 2 0 0 0 Nathan Brown 2 0 0 0 Jason Dixon 2 0 0 0 Tommy Smith 1 0 0 0 Trent Wilson 1 0 0 0 Reggie Robinson 1 0 0 0 E.J. Gordon 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Steve Talley 2/2 2/2 8 31 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Eric Mills 3 127 42.3 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Team 0 0 0.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Team 0 0 0.0 0

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chad Rice 26/41 348 2 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Chad Rice 16 118 7.3 1 Marion Benjamin 13 41 3.1 0 Jared Mann 2 15 7.5 0 Matt Howard 9 11 1.2 1 Brad Tremblay 1 4 4.0 0 Michael Freeman 2 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J.B. White 9 155 17.2 1 Brian Brown 5 64 12.8 0 Eric Peterson 4 41 10.3 1 Ryan Sampson 3 53 17.7 0 Ryan Mueller 2 29 14.5 0 Ben Charles 2 9 4.5 0 Marion Benjamin 1 -3 -3.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Brandon Mitchell 3 0 Chris Holt 2 0 Matt Keyes 1 0 Josh Watson 1 0 Jeff Gallagher 1 0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT DeAndre McCollum 6 0 0 0 Mark Monroe 6 1 0 0 Phil Riggs 5 1 0 0 Kory Williams 5 1 0 0 Nick Lindsey 5 0 0 0 Daniel Andrews 5 0 0 0 Jason Pratt 3 2 1 0 Matt Payne 3 2 0 0 Alan Richards 2 1 0 0 Fred DeLuca 1 1 1 0 Craig Hunt 1 1 1 0 Tim Mangum 1 1 1 0 Ashton Hogan 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Kyle Stegall 3/3 4/4 13 39 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Jackson 2 72 36.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 5 151 30.2 44 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 2 14 7.0 9

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON, GAME 2


Air Force receiver J.B. White is tackled short of the end zone to end the game.


Michigan running back Donovan Edwards ran 23 times for 279 yards and three touchdowns against Air Force.

FALLING SHORT
Receiver tackled short of end zone
to end Falcons' close loss at U-M

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Someone should measure the football fields in Michigan to see if they're up to specs.

For the second time in his coaching career, B-Dawg had a visiting team come up just short on the final play of a game played in the Great Lakes State.

The latest heartbreak came when receiver J.B. White was tackled just short of the goal line on a fourth-and-one pass from the 2-yard line, allowing fourth-ranked Michigan to hold on for a 35-31 victory over 24th-ranked Air Force on Aug. 31, 2024.

A catch by Brian Brown got the ball to the 2-yard line with seven seconds left. Little-used receiver Ben Charles had the gaffe of the game, dropping the game-winning touchdown pass in the end zone with four seconds to go on third down.

That left the Falcons with one more shot at the end zone and a second victory over Michigan in the past two seasons. White ran a drag route in the end zone, but he came back out to catch the ball at the 3-yard line. He was immediately brought down by Roddy McKinney at the 2 to end the game.

"I should have called for a toss left out of a goal-line formation," B-Dawg said. "The CPU always bunches up the middle when you call goal line down there and a toss play is probably 80% effective. Too much can go wrong throwing the ball. Either someone drops the ball like Charles or someone doesn't run a deep enough route like White."

It was shades of B-Dawg's NCAA '14 Western Michigan dynasty.

On Oct. 12, 2019, the Broncos were on the verge of a great comeback as they had the ball at Michigan State's 3-yard line and eight seconds remaining. A field goal would have sent the game to overtime, but B-Dawg called for a pass with no timeouts remaining. Jeremy King caught the pass, but was immediately tackled at the 4-yard line. The clock drained out from there, as Western lost 30-27.

"I immediately thought back to that game," B-Dawg said. "Both were questionable coaching decisions and not the best routes."


Creating a monster

Michigan running back Donovan Edwards was in beast mode, running 23 times for 279 yards and three touchdowns against a defense that typically ranks No. 1 in the nation against the run.

Edwards' 75-yard run with 16 seconds left in the third quarter gave the Wolverines a 35-21 lead before the Falcons got within striking distance by scoring a touchdown and field goal in the fourth quarter.

It's really B-Dawg's fault that Edwards was so impossible to stop.

In real life, Edwards is an incredible running back who led West Bloomfield to the 2020 Michigan Division 1 state championship. Against defending-champion Davison, a team known for its defense, Edwards ran 14 times for 257 yards and three touchdowns in the Lakers' 41-0 victory. He will begin his Michigan football career in 2021.

B-Dawg renamed one of Michigan's players after Edwards a couple seasons back. When Air Force drew Michigan for the Sugar Bowl last season, he wanted Edwards to get on the field, so he jacked up his attributes in an attempt to move him to No. 1 on the depth chart. Edwards has progressed to a 99 OVR red-shirt junior.

It didn't work, as Edwards never touched the ball in a 16-12 loss to Air Force. But he was definitely No. 1 on the depth chart entering this season and ready to inflict damage.


Critical 2 points

For all the yards Edwards racked up, the play that might have been the most crucial was his 2-point run following his 61-yard touochdown run early in the third quarter. The Wolverines went for two to lead 21-14 instead of 20-14.

As the game unfolded, Air Force could have simply gone for a game-winning field goal at the end instead of having a pass play end inbounds had the Falcons stopped Edwards on that play.


Air Force fullback Brad Tremblay scores a touchdown.

AIR FORCE FALCONS at MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Aug. 31, 2024	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#24 Air Force Falcons (1-1)	0	14	7	10	31
#4 Michigan Wolverines (1-0)	3	10	22	0	35

Team Stats Comparison
	AFA	MICH
Total Offense	508	378
Rushing Yards	39-188	30-263
Passing Yards	320	115
First Downs	27	11
Punt Return Yards	57	13
Kick Return Yards	108	24
Total Yards	673	415
Turnovers	3	0
3rd Down Conversion	3-12	3-11
4th Down Conversion	3-4	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	1-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-4-0	2-1-1
Penalties	1-15	0-0
Possession Time	21:49	14:11

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		AFA	MICH
4:26	(MICH) C. Hussung 27 field goal	0	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		AFA	MICH
8:06	(MICH) D. Edwards 31 run (C. Hussung kick)	0	10
5:57	(AFA) M. Howard 2 run (K. Stegall kick)	7	10
4:11	(MICH) C. Hussung 52 field goal	7	13
:01	(AFA) M. Benjamin 1 run (K. Stegall kick)	14	13
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		AFA	MICH
7:01	(MICH) D. Edwards 61 run (D. Edwards run)	14	21
6:35	(MICH) S. Irvin 1 run (C. Hussung kick)	14	28
:26	(AFA) B. Tremblay 7 run (K. Stegall kick)	21	28
:16	(MICH) D. Edwards 75 run (C. Hussung kick)	21	35
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		AFA	MICH
6:22	(AFA) C. Rice 7 run (K. Stegall kick)	28	35
2:56	(AFA) K. Stegall 43 field goal	31	35

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chad Rice 29/45 320 0 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Marion Benjamin 18 128 7.1 1 Chad Rice 14 41 2.9 1 Brad Tremblay 2 11 5.5 1 Matt Howard 5 8 1.6 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J.B. White 8 71 8.8 0 Brian Brown 5 74 14.8 0 Ben Charles 4 30 7.5 0 Marion Benjamin 4 26 6.5 0 Eric Peterson 3 51 17.0 0 Ryan Sampson 3 30 10.0 0 Ryan Mueller 2 38 19.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Phillip Nicholas 2 0 Chris Holt 1 0 Jeff Gallagher 1 1 Brandon Mitchell 1 1 Josh Watson 1 0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Mark Monroe 7 1 0 0 Nick Lindsey 6 0 0 0 Alan Richards 6 3 1 0 Matt Payne 4 1 0 0 Jason McGill 4 3 2 0 Daniel Andrews 3 1 0 0 Kory Williams 3 1 0 0 Phil Riggs 2 0 0 0 Tim Mangum 2 0 0 0 Brad Tremblay 1 0 0 0 Brandon Mitchell 1 0 0 0 Eric Peterson 1 0 0 0 Ryan Mueller 1 0 0 0 Fred Deluca 1 1 0 0 DeAndre McCollum 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Kyle Stegall 1/1 4/4 7 43 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Jackson 3 120 40.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 3 108 36.0 51 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 4 57 14.3 23

MICHIGAN WOLVERINES PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kennard Cain 13/20 115 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Donovan Edwards 23 279 12.1 3 Blake Corum 3 6 2.0 0 Sidney Irvin 1 1 1.0 1 Kennard Cain 3 -23 -7.7 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Mark Colbert 4 41 10.3 0 Craig Bracken 3 37 12.3 0 Donovan Edwards 3 21 7.0 0 D.J. Craft 2 4 2.0 0 Sidney Irvin 1 12 12.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Kellen Johnson 5 0 Ben Carlton 4 0 Antonio Haynes 2 0 Gene Howard 1 1 Andrew Taylor 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Ronald Reid 10 2 0 0 Jordan Vogel 8 0 0 0 Junior Colson 6 2 0 0 Brett Powell 6 0 0 0 Justin Covington 6 0 0 0 Lamar Leach 5 2 1 1 Andrew Lucas 4 2 1 0 Rodney Stanford 4 0 0 0 Bryan Simmons 4 1 0 0 Roddy McKinney 4 0 0 0 Darrell Dodd 2 1 0 0 Clarence Davis 2 2 1 0 Stephen Morris 2 0 0 0 Rob Salas 1 0 0 0 Omar Cook 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Cole Hussung 2/2 3/3 9 52 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Stanley Swain 5 229 45.8 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Jordan Vogel 1 24 24.0 24 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Jordan Vogel 2 13 6.5 13

[BDawg35]

B-DAWG FLASHBACK: COMING UP SHORT IN MICHIGAN



EDITOR'S NOTE: This is a B-Dawg Flashback to another loss in which one of his team's came up short of the goal line to end a game played in Michigan.


TOP: Jeremy King makes a one-handed catch at the 3-yard line on the final play.
BOTTOM: King is dragged down at the 4-yard line to end the game.

COMEBACK THWARTED
WMU receiver tackled inbounds at 4,
clock runs out in loss to Spartans

EAST LANSING — In the immortal words of Herm Edwards, “You play ... to win ... the game!”

Western Michigan coach B-Dawg took those words to heart to his own detriment on Oct. 12, 2019 at Michigan State’s Spartan Stadium.

Sometimes to win the game, you need to tie the game first. When it would’ve been more prudent to send the field goal unit onto the field to get a game-tying 3-pointer from the 3-yard line, B-Dawg called for a pass with eight seconds left and no timeouts remaining in an attempt to win in regulation time.

The result was disastrous. What could’ve been one of B-Dawg’s greatest comebacks ever turned out to be one of his most boneheaded mistakes ever, as wide receiver Jeremy King caught a pass and was tackled inbounds at the 4-yard line. The Broncos could only watch helplessly as the final seconds expired in their 30-27 loss to the Spartans.

Did B-Dawg get too cute?

“Maybe,” the veteran coach admitted. “You sometimes forget that this is football, not a video game. Not every play you try is going to be a money play. The other guys are on scholarship, too. They get paid to make plays. I thought we had time to run two plays, but when King caught the ball short of the end zone and couldn’t get out of bounds, we were screwed.”

It was pretty remarkable that this game came down to a final dramatic play.

Michigan State (3-3) appeared to have the game well in hand, holding a 30-7 lead late in the third quarter.

But true freshman quarterback John Nelson may have grown up in this game, leading Western to three touchdowns to get the Broncos back in the game. Nelson had a 6-yard run with 1:24 left in the third quarter, threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Marques Osborne with 5:43 to go in the game and hit Damien Morales with another 9-yard delivery with 1:47 left on the clock.

The Broncos (4-2) had all three timeouts left, so B-Dawg elected to kick it deep and play for a three-and-out.

On third-and-10, the Spartans completed a 4-yard pass to fullback Lee Dudley. Western used its final timeout with 1:37 to go, the defense having done its job.

The Broncos started at their own 25 with 1:30 left following a clipping penalty on Paul Vaughn on the punt.

Western appeared to be in great shape when Morales made a catch at the 4-yard line with 37 seconds left. But the clock started to drain on a scramble by Nelson that netted only one yard. Following an incomplete pass, the clock stopped at eight seconds.

On the final play of the game, King was bumped off his route, putting him in a bad position when he made a one-handed catch at the 3. His momentum carried him back to the 5 and he was tackled at the 4 before he could get out of bounds.

“You have these great comebacks all the time against the CPU and expect it’s going to happen again,” B-Dawg said. “You kind of sit there with your jaw on the ground when the CPU rises up and makes a big play when you’re on a roll like that. It’s actually kinda cool to lose a game like this; it makes the other comebacks that much sweeter.”

Nelson was 28-for-42 for 325 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions (both thrown to Pierre Jenkins). MSU red-shirt sophomore Austin Smith was 15-for-17 for 170 yards and a touchdown, while also running eight times for 68 yards and a score.

There were no sacks in the game.

Junior Courtney Williams was 3-for-3 on field goals for MSU, including a 54-yarder. He is 90 OVR.


MSU’s Pierre Jenkins grabs one of his 2 interceptions.

[johnstone1987]

Re: AIR FORCE CLASS OF 2024 RECRUITING



I'm just here to say that's a badass Picture!

[BDawg35]

Re: AIR FORCE CLASS OF 2024 RECRUITING

I'm just here to say that's a badass Picture!

Thanks. I wish I could take credit for it. I found it online while trying to find something for my banners and really liked it.

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON, GAME 3


Fresno State quarterback Brandon Williams had plenty to celebrate in a victory at Air Force.

CAUGHT NAPPING
Air Force falls behind 27-0
in loss to unheralded Fresno

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — When your last three football games have been against top-10 teams and you've been competitive in each, it's easy to overlook the little people in the Mountain West Conference.

Air Force gravely underestimated Fresno State and paid a dear price, losing 55-42 on Sept. 7, 2024.

This was an absolute mugging, as Fresno State jumped out to a 27-0 lead by the midway point of the second quarter.

Just when the Falcons appeared to get things moving in the right direction with two touchdowns, Brandon Williams hit Joe Booker with two touchdown passes in a 16-second span in the final minute of the first half. Air Force did respond with a 75-yard bomb to Eric Peterson with 11 seconds to go in the half, but it was obvious the Falcons were going to be playing a futile game of catch-up.

This is a game the Falcons should have had in the bag. After all, any team good enough to beat defending national champion South Carolina, 37-34, then follow it up with a close 35-31 loss at No. 4 Michigan — a team they beat in the Sugar Bowl last season — you have no business losing to Fresno State.

"There's a mindset you get going in to certain games, no matter how much you try to take them all the same," Air Force coach B-Dawg said. "Yes, you get pumped up for the big games; that part is easy. What's not always easy for young cyber players and their coach is to be completely focused going into a game against a team like Fresno State."

Fresno State quarterback Brandon Williams had himself a day. he was 26-for-42 for 374 yards and four touchdowns while running 14 times for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

"When a team does one thing well, you can focus on that and eventually figure out how to shut it down," B-Dawg said. "They threw well and ran the read option well. You never knew what was coming. We couldn't get stops on third-and-long either; that was another huge factor in the outcome."

It didn't help that Chad Rice threw three interceptions, one of which was the reason Fresno State had those two touchdowns 16 seconds apart late in the first half.


Fresno State's Joe Booker grabs a touchdown pass.

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS at AIR FORCE FALCONS
Sept. 7, 2024	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Fresno State Bulldogs (2-0)	17	24	14	0	55
Air Force Falcons (1-2)	0	21	14	7	42

Team Stats Comparison
	FRES	AFA
Total Offense	519	651
Rushing Yards	37-145	27-152
Passing Yards	374	499
First Downs	21	31
Punt Return Yards	25	33
Kick Return Yards	0	211
Total Yards	544	895
Turnovers	0	4
3rd Down Conversion	10-17	4-10
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-3
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-4-2	4-4-0
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Possession Time	16:41	19:19

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		FRES	AFA
5:15	(FRES) J. Henry 28 field goal	3	0
1:38	(FRES) D. Hale 6 pass from B. Williams (J. Henry kick)	10	0
:18	(FRES) B. Williams 6 run (J. Henry kick)	17	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		FRES	AFA
7:26	(FRES) J. Henry 41 field goal	20	0
5:51	(FRES) B. Williams 34 run (J. Henry kick)	27	0
4:27	(AFA) M. Benjamin 6 run (K. Stegall kick)	27	7
1:11	(AFA) C. Rice 7 run (K. Stegall kick)	27	14
:36	(FRES) J. Booker 37 pass from B. Williams (J. Henry kick)	34	14
:20	(FRES) J. Booker 9 pass from B. Williams (J. Henry kick)	41	14
:11	(AFA) E. Peterson 75 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	41	21
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		FRES	AFA
7:40	(FRES) D. Hale 3 pass from B. Williams (J. Henry kick)	48	21
5:51	(AFA) J. White 5 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	48	28
3:44	(AFA) B. Charles 26 pass from B. Blount (K. Stegall kick)	48	35
2:05	(FRES) J. Nobles 8 run (J. Henry kick)	55	35
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		FRES	AFA
8:57	(AFA) B. Blount 4 run (K. Stegall kick)	55	42

FRESNO STATE BULLDOGS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Brandon Williams 26/42 374 4 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Marcus Jude 19 69 3.6 0 Brandon Williams 14 65 4.6 2 Jonathan Nobles 4 11 2.8 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Billy Patrick 7 113 16.1 0 Joe Booker 5 90 18.0 2 Anthony Ingraham 5 77 15.4 0 Kareem Galloway 4 53 13.3 0 Marcus Jude 2 31 15.5 0 Darren Hale 2 9 4.5 2 Jack Palmer 1 1 1.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Shane Stanley 3 1 Junior Todd 3 0 Jason Harris 1 0 Justin Washington 1 0 Jared Miller 1 0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Jack Palmer 10 1 0 0 Marvin Tremblay 9 0 0 0 Lucas Bush 7 0 0 1 Jake Van 6 0 0 1 Aaron Carter 5 0 0 0 Bryan Morris 5 0 0 0 James White 4 1 0 0 Gary Perry 4 1 0 0 Allen McDonald 3 0 0 1 Jay McKnight 3 0 0 0 Rondell Jackson 2 0 0 0 Adam Stewart 2 0 0 0 Cole Owens 2 0 0 0 Brendan Moore 1 0 0 0 C.J. Hill 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Joe Henry 2/3 7/7 13 41 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Macklin 5 184 36.8 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Team 0 0 0.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Jonathan Nobles 2 25 12.5 15

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chad Rice 28/50 399 2 3 Brandon Blount 7/8 100 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Chad Rice 11 77 7.0 1 Marion Benjamin 13 43 3.3 1 Brandon Blount 2 16 8.0 1 Matt Howard 1 16 16.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Eric Peterson 9 164 18.2 1 J.B. White 6 72 12.0 1 Ryan Sampson 5 83 16.6 0 Ben Charles 5 53 10.6 1 Brian Brown 5 47 9.4 0 Ryan Mueller 2 40 20.0 0 Marion Benjamin 2 21 10.5 0 Lamar Hunter 1 19 19.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Chris Holt 2 0 Phillip Nicholas 2 0 Josh Watson 1 0 Jeff Gallagher 1 0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT DeAndre McCollum 12 1 0 0 Nick Lindsey 7 0 0 0 Kory Williams 5 2 0 0 Alan Richards 5 0 0 0 Daniel Andrews 4 1 0 0 Mark Monroe 3 0 0 0 Grant Hayden 3 1 1 0 Phil Riggs 3 1 0 0 Jason McGill 3 2 0 0 Ashton Hogan 2 1 0 0 Patrick Dowdell 2 1 0 0 Matt Payne 2 1 0 0 Jason Pratt 1 1 1 0 Craig Hunt 1 0 0 0 Tim Mangum 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Kyle Stegall 0/1 6/6 6 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Jackson 2 73 36.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 8 200 25.0 41 Mark Monroe 1 11 11.0 11 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 4 33 8.3 10

[johnstone1987]

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

Jesus rough loss to Fresno

[BDawg35]

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

Jesus rough loss to Fresno

Totally out of left field. Never expected to be down 27-0 in a game again to any team, much less a Mountain West Conference opponent. That kind of thing happened a few times early in this dynasty. It's been a couple months since I played that game, but I recall going in thinking it would be a nice relaxing easy game after playing tough against South Carolina and Michigan. Overconfidence can kill you in virtual football, as well as the real thing.

[BDawg35]

CLASS OF 2025 RECRUITING UPDATE



Air Force gets two quality insta-commits

After botching recruiting early in the season, Air Force coach B-Dawg is back on the right track after getting insta-commits from two players who could play big roles in the Falcons' future.

Brandon Hester, a 78 OVR athlete, and Ben Huff, a 76 OVR tight end, committed as soon as they were offered scholarships by the Falcons.

Hester could be a quarterback or a halfback. The 28th-rated athlete, Hester has 81 SPD, 86 THP, 86 THA and 74 CAR.

Huff's most impressive attribute is his 88 CTH rating, which is incredible for a tight end coming out of high school. He has 84 SPD, 70 PBK and 71 RBK ratings.

It's a nice turnaround in recruiting for B-Dawg, who forgot to fine-tune his recruiting the first two weeks of the season because he was in a hurry to play games. He was either all-in on guys to whom he'd dedicated 700 points or all-out by allocating zero points. He didn't check to see who needed to be given points or cut altogether.

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON, GAME 4


Air Force linebacker Fred DeLuca tackles Boy-Z State running back Shannon Paris for a safety.

BACK ON TRACK
Air Force rebounds from loss
by dismantling Boy-Z State

BOY-Z, Idaho — It's obvious that Air Force plays to the level of its competition.

The Falcons' three best performances of the season have come against ranked teams, the latest being a 40-13 rout of No. 20 Boy-Z State on Sept. 14, 2024.

The victory comes one week after a stunning 55-42 loss to unranked Fresno State. Air Force split two close games with South Carolina and Michigan, both ranked in the top five, to begin the season.

"This looks more like the team I expect," Air Force coach B-Dawg said. "What happened last week was a fluke. It's a fluke that could cost us down the road, but a fluke nonetheless. We're back! You don't want to see Air Force on your schedule from here on out."

After getting lit up by Fresno State last week, there was cause for concern when Boy-Z State began its first drive from its own 9-yard line and had second-and-two at the Air Force 6-yard line. A sack by strong safety DeAndre McCollum on third-and-three force the Broncos to settle for a 29-yard field goal by Erick Newman.

Boy-Z State attempted a 56-yard field goal on its next drive, badly missing way right. After two straight three-and-outs to start the game, Air Force took a 7-3 lead on a 10-yard pass from Chad Rice to Brian Brown.

Rice wound up with three touchdown passes in the first half, the others being a 74-yarder to Eric Peterson and a 13-yarder to J.B. White in the second quarter. The touchdown pass to White with 20 seconds left came right after Boy-Z State scored its only touchdown of the game to cut the Falcons' lead to 17-10.

"We've been pretty good scoring late in halves," B-Dawg said. "That touchdown pass to White got us back on track."

The Broncos managed only three points in the second half, while Marion Benjamin had two touchdown runs and linebacker Fred DeLuca had a safety for the Falcons.


Daniel Andrews sacks Boy-Z quarterback Kevin Pearson.

AIR FORCE FALCONS at BOY-Z STATE BRONCOS
Sept. 14, 2024	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Air Force Falcons (2-2)	7	17	7	9	40
#20 Boise State Broncos (2-1)	3	7	3	0	13

Team Stats Comparison
	AFA	BSU
Total Offense	387	291
Rushing Yards	36-130	32-82
Passing Yards	257	209
First Downs	17	15
Punt Return Yards	26	19
Kick Return Yards	11	0
Total Yards	424	310
Turnovers	2	2
3rd Down Conversion	9-14	5-12
4th Down Conversion	0-0	0-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	5-4-1	3-1-2
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Possession Time	18:55	17:05

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		AFA	BSU
5:19	(BSU) E. Newman 29 field goal	0	3
1:37	(AFA) B. Brown 10 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	7	3
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		AFA	BSU
7:24	(AFA) K. Stegall 36 field goal	10	3
5:53	(AFA) E. Peterson 74 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	17	3
1:53	(BSU) E. Taylor 2 run (E. Newman kick)	17	10
:20	(AFA) J. White 13 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	24	10
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		AFA	BSU
5:07	(AFA) M. Benjamin 1 run (K. Stegall kick)	31	10
:49	(BSU) E. Newman 19 field goal	31	13
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		AFA	BSU
4:02	(AFA) M. Benjamin 5 run (E. Stegall kick)	38	13
2:23	(AFA) Safety, DeLuca tackles Paris in end zone	40	13

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chad Rice 18/29 257 3 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Marion Benjamin 23 108 4.6 2 Matt Howard 4 13 3.3 0 Chad Rice 7 6 0.8 0 Michael Freeman 1 5 5.0 0 Brad Tremblay 1 -2 -2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J.B. White 6 76 12.7 1 Marion Benjamin 5 26 5.2 0 Eric Peterson 2 89 44.5 1 Ryan Mueller 1 20 20.0 0 Ryan Sampson 1 19 19.0 0 Brian Brown 1 10 10.0 1 Lamar Hunter 1 9 9.0 0 Ben Charles 1 8 8.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Chris Holt 3 0 Brandon Mitchell 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT DeAndre McCollum 9 2 1 0 Nick Lindsay 8 0 0 0 Alan Richards 7 3 0 1 Daniel Andrews 6 1 1 0 Kory Williams 5 3 1 0 Matt Payne 3 0 0 0 Tim Mangum 2 0 0 0 Paul Kenney 2 2 0 0 Patrick Dowdell 2 0 0 0 Brian Brown 2 0 0 0 Craig Hunt 1 0 0 0 Brad Tremblay 1 0 0 0 Mark Monroe 1 0 0 1 Phil Riggs 1 0 0 0 Fred DeLuca 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Kyle Stegall 1/1 5/5 8 36 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Jackson 3 140 46.7 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 1 11 11.0 11 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 2 26 13.0 16

BOY-Z STATE BRONCOS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Kevin Pearson 17/28 209 0 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Shannon Paris 17 76 4.4 0 Cole Johnson 1 11 11.0 0 Kevin Pearson 8 0 0.0 0 Joe Kelly 1 -1 -1.0 0 Erik Taylor 5 -4 -0.8 1 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Curtis Byrd 5 104 20.8 0 Shannon Paris 4 42 10.5 0 Cole Johnson 3 32 10.7 0 Joe Kelly 2 22 11.0 0 Clarence Reed 1 4 4.0 0 Craig Miles 1 3 3.0 0 Erik Taylor 1 2 2.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Scott Alvarez 3 0 Curtis Byrd 2 0 Dallas Rose 2 0 Joe Kelly 1 0 Mark Faulk 1 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Mason Anderson 7 2 0 0 Jonathon Bellamy 7 1 1 0 Tommy Ryan 6 1 0 0 Larry Johnson 6 0 0 0 Nick Marshall 4 3 1 0 Ray Brown 3 1 0 0 Patrick Greenwood 3 0 0 0 Sam Burke 3 0 0 0 Matt Sanchez 3 0 0 0 Justin Parker 2 0 0 0 Lonnie Williams 2 0 0 2 Ryan Martin 2 1 0 0 Roderick Wilson 1 0 0 0 C.J. Davis 1 0 0 0 Sean Smith 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Erick Newman 2/4 1/1 7 29 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Jamie Sparks 2 100 50.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Team 0 0 0.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Craig Miles 1 19 19.0 19

[BDawg35]

2024 HEISMAN UPDATE



1. CHRIS JONES, Michigan State, HB, rJr.
Stats: 56 carries, 413 yards, 8 TD; 3 catches, 71 yards, 0 TD

2. BRADY COOK, Missouri, QB, rSr.
Stats: 60-for-89, 847 yards, 11 TD, 0 int.; 38 carries, 145 yards, 0 TD

3. MATT WARD, Notre Dame, HB, Jr.
Stats: 48 carries, 330 yards, 6 TD; 9 catches, 71 yards, 1 TD

4. BOBBY PATTON, Penn State, QB, rSr.
Stats: 55-for-88, 757 yards, 10 TD, 2 int.; 33 carries, 163 yards, 3 TD

5. SAM PORTER, California, HB, rSr.
Stats: 61 carries, 505 yards, 6 TD; 10 catches, 146 yards, 2 TD

[BDawg35]

2024 SEASON, GAME 5


Matt Howard takes off for 65-yard touchdown run.

MATT WHO?
After languishing on depth chart,
senior blows up at Colorado State

FORT COLLINS, Colo. — If Jared Mann doesn't suffer a season-ending injury in the season opener, Matt Howard would never have had a day like the one he experienced on Sept. 21, 2024 at Colorado State.

Howard entered the season as the No. 3 running back on the Air Force depth chart, posing no threat to Mann — a preseason Heisman candidate — and speedy backup Marion Benjamin.

But the loss of Mann automatically elevated Howard up one spot on the depth chart. The habit of starting running backs to fatigue out of games in the fourth quarter suddenly made Howard the main option when the Falcons were trying to put away the Rams.

Howard became the unlikeliest of heroes, scoring on runs of 65 and 31 yards in the fourth quarter to secure 25th-ranked Air Force's 51-37 victory over Colorado State.

Howard ran 18 times for 172 yards and three touchdowns, combining with Benjamin to make a little bit of history. Benjamin ran 18 times for 145 yards and a touchdown, making this only the second time in B-Dawg's NCAA career that he's had two rushers with at least 145 yards.

You have to go all the way back to NCAA 2004 when halfback Jerome Jackson had 328 yards and quarterback Antonio Haines had 161 in an 80-3 rout of Memphis on Sept. 3, 2005 to find the only other time that's happened.

"Anytime something happens that invokes the name of Antonio Haines, it brings a smile to my face," B-Dawg said. "He didn't make my list of top 10 all-time players, but he was my first dual-threat quarterback and one of the top players coming out of high school when I recruited him. I can only imagine what he would've done in NCAA '14 on All-American sliders with the read option being so deadly."

OK, enough for the trip down memory lane. Back to Matt Howard.

He had only 34 carries for 132 yards and no touchdowns in his first three seasons at Air Force, but he's got 220 yards and five touchdowns on 37 carries in the first four games of 2024. He is an 82 OVR senior.

"Matt Howard was that guy I would sub into a game in the final minutes to get him a carry just so there was evidence he actually played for this team when the final stats came out," B-Dawg said. "There is nothing special about his ratings that suggest he was capable of a game like this. I guess the other guys wore out their defense and he was the beneficiary. Chad Rice even ran 16 times for 53 yards, so Colorado State was getting beat down."

The Rams were down 27-3 early in the third quarter when they tried to make a game of it. Joel Bean threw four touchdown passes in the second half, getting Colorado State within seven points with 4:40 remaining.

"They were scoring quickly," B-Dawg said. "We weren't even making them milk the clock to score. It was getting pretty scary out there."

It didn't help that Rice got hurt while scrambling with 4:26 left in the game. Brandon Blount came in and hit Eric Peterson for a first down on third-and-seven. Rice returned for the next play and just handed off to Howard. Howard had an 18-yard run with 3:07 left on a play where he appeared to be bottled up at the line of scrimmage. On the next play, Howard went 31 yards to the house on strong stretch to cap a six-play, 75-yard scoring drive with 2:34 remaining.

Now it was just a matter of keeping the Rams from scoring quickly and having hope. Scott McKenzie's first career interception with 1:21 remaining sealed the victory.


Mark Monroe picks off a pass.

AIR FORCE FALCONS at COLORADO STATE RAMS
Sept. 21, 2024	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#25 Air Force Falcons (3-2)	10	10	14	17	51
Colorado State Rams (1-2)	0	3	13	21	37

Team Stats Comparison
	AFA	CSU
Total Offense	664	533
Rushing Yards	56-386	22-158
Passing Yards	278	375
First Downs	32	25
Punt Return Yards	8	14
Kick Return Yards	94	0
Total Yards	766	547
Turnovers	3	2
3rd Down Conversion	5-11	3-12
4th Down Conversion	1-1	0-0
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-4-0	5-4-1
Penalties	1-15	0-0
Possession Time	24:28	11:32

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER SCORING		AFA	CSU
5:00	(AFA) M. Benjamin 2 run (K. Stegall kick)	7	0
3:19	(AFA) K. Stegall 46 field goal	10	0
SECOND QUARTER SCORING		AFA	CSU
6:21	(AFA) E. Peterson 7 pass from B. Blount (K. Stegall kick)	17	0
3:26	(AFA) K. Stegall 45 field goal	20	0
:15	(CSU) A. Jackson 18 field goal	20	3
THIRD QUARTER SCORING		AFA	CSU
7:16	(AFA) E. Peterson 9 pass from C. Rice (K. Stegall kick)	27	3
6:14	(CSU) R. Rogers 4 pass from J. Bean (pass failed)	27	9
4:49	(CSU) P. Battle 5 pass from J. Bean (A. Jackson kick)	27	16
1:57	(AFA) M. Howard 3 run (K. Stegall kick)	34	16
FOURTH QUARTER SCORING		AFA	CSU
7:42	(AFA) K. Stegall 50 field goal	37	16
6:54	(CSU) J. Cameron 15 run (A. Jackson kick)	37	23
6:36	(AFA) M. Howard 65 run (K. Stegall kick)	44	23
5:59	(CSU) P. Battle 24 pass from J. Bean (A. Jackson kick)	44	30
4:40	(CSU) P. Battle 16 pass from J. Bean (A. Jackson kick)	44	37
2:34	(AFA) M. Howard 31 run (K. Stegall kick)	51	37

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Chad Rice 15/31 259 1 2 Brandon Blount 2/2 19 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Matt Howard 18 172 9.5 3 Marion Benjamin 18 145 8.0 1 Chad Rice 16 53 3.3 0 Brad Tremblay 3 12 4.0 0 Michael Freeman 1 4 4.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD J.B. White 7 163 23.2 0 Eric Peterson 5 58 11.6 2 Marion Benjamin 2 12 6.0 0 Ryan Sampson 1 28 28.0 0 Brian Brown 1 9 9.0 0 Ben Charles 1 8 8.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Austin Parks 1 0 Nate Allen 1 0 Josh Watson 1 0 Brandon Mitchell 1 2 Matt Keyes 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Kory Williams 9 3 0 0 Mark Monroe 8 1 0 1 Alan Richards 6 0 0 0 DeAndre McCollum 5 0 0 0 Phil Riggs 4 0 0 0 Daniel Andrews 4 1 0 0 Jason McGill 3 0 0 0 Brad Tremblay 2 0 0 0 Paul Kenney 2 2 2 0 Nick Lindsey 1 0 0 0 Jason Pratt 1 0 0 0 Fred DeLuca 1 0 0 0 Craig Hunt 1 0 0 0 Scott McKenzie 1 0 0 1 Ashton Hogan 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Kyle Stegall 3/4 6/6 15 50 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Matt Jackson 1 38 38.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 3 94 31.3 39 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG J.B. White 1 8 8.0 8

COLORADO STATE RAMS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Joel Bean 30/53 375 4 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD James Cameron 14 115 8.2 1 Joel Bean 7 46 6.5 0 Travis Bates 1 -3 -3.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Pat Battle 6 88 14.7 3 Kirby Kelly 6 85 14.1 0 Tyler Tyler 6 51 8.5 0 Colton Byers 5 69 13.8 0 Matt Owen 3 27 9.0 0 Dustin Moore 2 34 17.0 0 James Cameron 1 17 17.0 0 Roger Rogers 1 4 4.0 1 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Jordan Smith 2 0 Nick Walker 2 0 Pat Battle 1 0 Travis Bates 1 0 Tyler Mills 0 2 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Kelly Powell 9 0 0 0 Justin Ward 9 0 0 0 J.P. Mann 7 0 0 0 Jeremiah Tompkins 6 0 0 1 Ed Carter 6 1 0 0 Chris Perez 5 0 0 0 Earl Riley 4 0 0 0 Richard Hicks 4 1 0 0 William Justice 4 2 2 0 Mike Vickers 3 1 0 0 Mike Washington 3 0 0 1 Rashad Hines 3 0 0 0 Pat Battle 2 0 0 0 Mike Tate 1 1 1 0 Joseph Sims 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Aaron Jackson 1/4 4/4 7 18 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Kevin Foster 4 158 39.5 2 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Team 0 0 0.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LONG Mike Washington 1 14 14.0 14