FISHER'S IMPACT. Entering the Army game AFA's all-time record
stands at
293-241-13(.547)
in 547 games. Fisher's tenure as head coach spans
44%
of the total number of games the Falcons have played in their history, yet has
produced
53%
of the academy's victories. Another mark of Fisher's success is that his teams
have registered only
35%
of the academy's all-time losses while having played
44%
of the total number of games in AFA's football history. DeBerry has already won
17 more games than all other head football coaches in AFA's history
combined.
DEE-FENSE, DEE-FENSE? From November 18, 1999, through this
season's Utah game, Air Force has played forty-five games against division 1-A
opponents. In
29 (64.4%)
of those games Air Force has allowed 24 or more points to the opposition. In
those 29 games when allowing 24 or more points AFA has gone
12-17(.413).
In the sixteen games in which the defense has allowed fewer than twenty-four
points AFA has gone
14-2(.875).
When AFA limits the opposition to fewer than 24 points it wins. When AFA allows
twenty-four points or more its chances to win decrease rapidly and the figures
support this assessment.
In these forty-five games against division 1-A opponents Air Force has
compiled a
26-19(.577)
record. The last time AFA allowed a team to score at least twenty-four points
and still posted a victory was September 20, 2003, at home, against Wyoming when
AFA beat the Cowboys, 35-29.
On October 19, 2002, Notre Dame became the first team to defeat AFA when
scoring fewer than 24 points since Utah beat the Falcons, 21-15, in the Snow
Bowl on October 16, 1999. The only other game Air Force has lost since November
18, 1999, when allowing fewer than twenty-four points is the 2002 San Francisco
Bowl to Virginia Tech by a, 20-13, score.
A CHANCE TO ADVANCE. Here is a look at the leading rushers
in AFA history through the Utah game of the 2003 season. While playing the CSU
Rams, harridge became the sixth player in AFA football annals to surpass the
2,000 yard mark in career rushing. With his eighty-three yards against Utah he
climbed past the 2,100 yard mark. Chance will play the final home game of his
career next wekend against Army and stands 145 yards in back of the tandem of
Pat Evans and Brian Bream for fourth place on the all-time AFA rushing list.
1. 3612 Dee Dowis
2. 3379 Beau Morgan
3. 2726 John Kershner
4. 2284 Brian Bream
4. 2284 Pat Evans
6. 2139 Chance Harridge <==
7. 1993 Greg Johnson
8. 1860 Marty Louthan
9. 1762 Jason Jones
10. 1760 Rodney Lewis
11. 1702 Rob Perez
12. 1677 Bart Weiss
13. 1633 Terry Issacson
14. 1630 Ken Wood
15. 1551 Shelby Ball
16. 1534 Mike Thiessen
17. 1478 Jake Campbell
18. 1470 Leotis Palmer
19. 1406 Qualario Brown
20. 1400 Scotty McKay
21. 1371 Mike Quinlan
22. 1354 Spanky Gilliam
23. 1347 Larry Thomson
24. 1296 Nakia Addison
25. 1242 Keith Boyea
26. 1233 Johnny Smith
27. 1129 Blane Morgan
28. 1091 Curtis Martin
29. 1088 Anthony Butler <==
30. 1074 Bill Berry
31. 1005 Joel Carlson
Anthony Butler continues his climb up the chart of career rushing leaders
at the academy. He added 59 yards against Utah to pass Bill Berry and now stands
in twenty-ninth place, a mere three yards away from reaching Curtis Martin. In
his career Butler has carried the ball 198 times for 1,088 yards, 10 TDs and a
5.49 yards per carry average.
The player most likely to become the next to reach the 1,000 yard
threshold is Darnell Stephens. After chipping in with 8 carries for 20 yards in
the Utah game, the junior now totals 170 carries for 950 yards and a 5.58 yards
per carry average in his career. Stephens needs to gain 50 yards this season to
become the 32nd AFA player to rush for 1,000 yards in his career. He would join
Butler in having cracked the 1,000 watershed for his career. Stephens was
injured early in the CSU game and missed nearly three quarters of the contest
and still showed the lingering effects of that injury when playing against Utah.
AFA AGAINST THE POINTS. From 2001 to the present here's
look at how the Falcons have fared against the point spread. Bear in mind that
Las Vegas does not set a line for a game matching a division 1-A team against a
division 1-AA team. In 2001, Air Force went 3-8 against the spread. In 2002, AFA
went 9-4 against the point spread. The Falcons are 3-5 against the spread this
year. The Falcons were 3 1/2 point favorites against Utah and did not cover the
spread.
TAKING THE OFFENSIVE. Chuck Petersen has been the offensive
coordinator for the Falcons from the outset of the 2000 season. Since Petersen
has assumed the reins to the Air Force attack the Falcons have posted a record
of 28-17(.622) in forty-five games through the team's effort versus CSU.
LOOKING
BACKWARD AND FORWARD. Wofford is 8-1 on the year. Northwestern is 4-5;
North Texas 6-3; Wyoming 4-5; BYU 4-6; Navy 6-3; UNLV 5-4; CSU is 5-4 and Utah
is 7-2. The aggregate record of the teams Air Force played through the first
nine games of its schedule is
49-33(.597).
Here are the records of AFA's remaining regular season opponents in 2003:
Army 0-9; New Mexico 5-4 and San Diego State is 4-5. These teams' composite
record is
9-18(.333).
Thus far the combined records of teams on AFA's schedule in 2003 is
58-51(.532).
Only one of the Falcons three remaining regular season opponents has a record of
.500 or better.
IS LESS MORE...or is it really less? Here's a brief
comparative look at Chance Harridge's offensive production through the first
nine games of the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
2002 Rushing: 178 carries for 852 yards 17 TDs and a
4.78
yards per carry average.
2003 Rushing: 136 carries for 729 yards 12 TDs and a
5.36
yards per carry average.
2002 Passing: 45 for 96 and 636 yards/ 3 ints/ 6 TDs and a
46.8%
completion mark.
2003 Passing: 57 for 116 and 744 yards/ 5 ints/ 6 TDs and a
49.1%
completion mark.
2002 Total offense: 1,488 yards and 23 TDs with a team record of
6-3.
2003 Total offense: 1,473 yards and 17 TDs with a team record of
6-3.
In 2002 Harridge ran 234 times for 1,159 yards in the regular season and
carried the ball, on average, 19.5 times a game. In 2003, Harridge is averaging
15.1 carries a game through the team's first nine contests and is on a pace to
register 181 rushing attempts in the regular season, or about four and a half
fewer carries per game.
ANOTHER MOUNTAIN TO CLIMB. It might be too much of a
challenge for him to move into the top rungs of this list, but have a look at
where Chance Harridge stands in relation to the all time total offense leaders
at AFA.
1. 6,627--Beau Morgan 1994-96
2. 6,482--Dee Dowis 1986-1989
3. 5,511--Dave Ziebart 1976-1979
4. 4,997--Marty Louthan 1980-1983
5. 4,740--Rich Haynie 1971-1973
Entering the Army game on November 8th, Harridge has amassed
2,139
yards rushing and
1,924
yards passing for a total offensive output of
4,063
yards. He would need to account for
677
yards over the course of the remainder of his career to tie Rich Haynie for
fifth place on the total offense chart in AFA football history. Assuming a best
case scenario--that Harridge remains healthy and that AFA earns a bowl bid--he'd
need to average
169.25
yards a contest over the next fiour games to move into a fifth place tie with
Haynie.
OUTPACING THE OPPOSITION. Since the start of the 2001
season and before facing Army this coming weekend, the Air Force Falcons have
played thirty-four games. AFA has compiled a
20-14 (.588)
in those games. Here's a game by game look at the yards gained and allowed by
the Falcons in this time and a look at how this perfomance correlates to AFA's
record over the time span.
2001
AFA 249 Oklahoma 398 Loss 44-3
AFA 379 Tenn Tech 268 Win 42-0
AFA 427 S.D. State 403 Win 45-21
AFA 371 Navy 412 Win 24-18
AFA 524 Wyoming 516 Win 24-13
AFA 502 BYU 611 Loss 63-33
AFA 278 New Mex. 620 Loss 52-33
AFA 282 Army 486 Win 34-24
AFA 481 CSU 300 Loss 28-21
AFA 336 UNLV 353 Loss 34-10
AFA 603 Hawaii 572 Loss 52-30
AFA 274 Utah 543 Win 38-37
2002
AFA 523 N'western 221 Win 52-3
AFA 360 New Mex. 362 Win 38-31 (OT)
AFA 317 California 335 Win 23-21
AFA 287 Utah 290 Win 30-26
AFA 536 Navy 347 Win 48-7
AFA 463 BYU 304 Win 52-9
AFA 161 N. Dame 447 Loss 21-14
AFA 424 Wyoming 484 Loss 34-26
AFA 250 CSU 341 Loss 31-12
AFA 531 Army 330 Win 49-30
AFA 468 UNLV 469 Win 49-32
AFA 538 S.D.State 398 Loss 38-34
AFA 318 Va. Tech 278 Loss 20-13 (S.F. Bowl)
2003
AFA 469 Wofford 175 Win 49-0
AFA 409 N'western 452 Win 22-21
AFA 427 N. Texas 260 Win 34-21
AFA 510 Wyoming 486 Win 35-29
AFA 328 BYU 306 Win 24-10
AFA 362 Navy 326 Loss 28-25
AFA 324 UNLV 250 Win 24-7
AFA 430 CSU 564 Loss 30-20
AFA 362 Utah 459 Loss 45-43 (3OT)
In their past thirty-four games the Falcons have outgained their
opponents 17 times and posted a
12-5 (.705)
record in doing so. In the remaining 17 games the Falcons have been outgained
and posted a record of
8-9 (.470).
It has been a crapshoot for AFA when being outgained since the start of the 2001
season. On the other hand it's clear that the Falcons' ability to pile up
yardage has led to an increased likelihood of victory.
IN A RUSH. Coaches speak at length about the importance of
establishing the rushing game as a means by which to secure victories. Here's a
look from the start of the 2001 season to the present at how AFA and its
opponents have done when one or the other has produced at least one back who's
rushed for 100 or more yards in a game.
OPPONENTS
Date Site Player
Production Result
1.Sept. 1, 2001 AFA Quentin Griffin
26-201-1TD Okla. 44-3
2.Sept. 29, 2001 @SDS Larry Ned 24-178-2TDs
AFA 45-21
3.Oct. 6, 2001 @Navy Brian Madden 27-110-1TD
AFA 24-18
4.Oct.13, 2001 AFA Nate Scott(Wyo) 22-148-0TD
AFA 24-13
5.Oct. 20, 2001 @BYU Luke Staley 14-134-2TDs BYU 63-33
6.Nov.3, 2001 AFA C.J. Young(Army) 25-104-2TDs
AFA 34-24
7.Nov. 8, 2001 @CSU Duan Ruff 19-108-2TDs CSU 28-21
8.Dec. 1, 2001 AFA Dameon Hunter 28-226-2TDs
AFA 38-37
9.
Dec. 1, 2001 AFA Adam Tate(Utah) 26-140-2TDs
SAME
10.Sept. 7, 2002 AFA Quincy Wright(NM) 25-145-0TD
AFA 38-31(OT)
11.Sept, 28, 2002 @Utah Brandon Warfield 30-193-3TDs
AFA 30-26
12.Oct. 12, 2002 AFA Ryan Grant(ND) 30-190-1TD N.D.
21-14
13.Oct. 31, 2002 AFA Cecil Sapp 29-132-2TDs CSU
31-12
14.Nov. 14, 2002 @UNLV Dominique Dorsey 11-101-0TD
AFA 49-32
15.Sept. 6, 2003 @N'wst. Jason Wright 22-108-1TD
AFA 22-21
16.Oct. 4, 2003 @Navy Kyle Eckel 33-176-1TD Navy 28-25
17.Oct. 16, 2003 @CSU Bradlee Van Pelt 17-125-2TDs CSU 30-20
In the past sixteen games in which AFA has allowed one of more back to
gain 100 yards the Falcons have posted a record of 9-7(.562).
AIR FORCE
Date Site Player
Production Result
1.Oct. 6, 2001 @Navy Keith Boyea 19-118-1TD
AFA 24-18
2.Oct. 13, 2001 AFA(Wyo) Keith Boyea 26-196-0TD
AFA 24-13
3.Oct.20, 2001 @BYU Anthony Butler 8-120-1TD BYU
63-33
4.Nov. 8, 2001 @CSU Keith Boyea 35-188-3TDs CSU
28-21
5.Nov. 24, 2001 @Hawaii Keith Boyea 18-132-1TD Hawaii
52-30
6.Nov. 24, 2001 @Hawaii Dan Shaffer 15-101-1TD Same
7.Dec. 1, 2001 AFA(Utah) Keith Boyea 19-110-2TDs
AFA 38-37
8.Sept.7, 2002 AFA(NM) Leotis Palmer 15-125-1TD
AFA 38-31 (OT)
9.Sept.21, 2002 @Cal Chance Harridge 25-124-3TDs
AFA 23-21
10.Oct. 5, 2002 AFA(Navy) Chance Harridge 19-164-4TDs
AFA 48-7
11.Oct.12, 2002 AFA(BYU) Chance Harridge 22-104-4TDs
AFA 52-9
12.Oct.31, 2002 AFA(CSU) Chance Harridge 26-115-1TD CSU 31-12
13.Nov. 16, 2002 @UNLV Chance Harridge 21-114-2TDs
AFA 49-32
14.Nov.23, 2002 AFA Chance Harridge 22-117-3TDs SDS 38-34
15.Nov.23, 2002 AFA Steve Massie 12-123-1TD Same
16.Sept.6, 2003 @Nwst. Anthony Butler 12-107-1TD
AFA 22-21
17.Sept.20, 2003 AFA(Wyo) Chance Harridge 15-117-0TD
AFA 35-29
18.Oct.4, 2003 @Navy Chance Harridge 21-129-2TDs Navy 28-25
19.Oct. 16, 2003 @CSU Chance Harridge 22-136-2TDs CSU 30-20
There are two interesting trends to note. AFA has compiled a 10-7(.588)
record in the last seventeen games in which it has produced at least one, one
hundred rusher. In the past seven games in which an AFA back has gained at least
100 yards, the Falcons have posted a disappointing 3-4 record. On the past two
occasions on which the Falcons have had two players gain more than 100 yards
rushing, Air Force has lost both contests (to Hawaii and San Diego State).