Thursday, November 20, 2014

Qualcomm Quagmire

Air Force is at San Diego State Friday night at 730 on KVOR. The Falcons still cling to an outside shot of winning the Mountain Division title. The Aztecs have plenty riding on this game too. They are in a 3 way tie for first in the West Division, and at 5-5, they still are not bowl eligible. Rocky Long is their head Coach and he has seen the Falcons offense for a number of years as head coach of both San Diego State and New Mexico. Long is a defensive coach and his Aztecs have not allowed a team to get more than 400 yards of offense in the last 6 games. That's very impressive. What makes this game more troubling is several things...1) Air Force usually does not play well in San Diego. Qualcomm is almost as old as Falcon Stadium and is only slightly prettier because they have real grass. 2) Donnell Pumphrey. He is one of the top running backs in the west and has given everyone nightmares. He has 7-100 yard rushing games and has rushed for 15 touchdowns. Slippery does not even come close to describing him. It's like trying to catch a comet. Troy Calhoun and Steve Russ have had sleepless nights trying to slow him down. But on the bright side, the Falcons continue to find ways to win. Yes the Aztecs defense is pretty good, but they have not faced the likes of Kale Pearson and company. Expect the Falcons to run bulldozer fullbacks Shayne Davern and DJ Johnson straight at San Diego State. And, with Jacobi Owens very questionable with a foot injury, we will see a lot more of Devin Rushing, and Pearson, who seems to be getting stronger running the ball as the season wears on. And don't forget those wide receivers. Too many teams have, and the Falcons have made them pay. There's a good chance the bad run of games at Qualcomm for Air Force ends Friday Night.

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