Air Force opens 2015 season by hosting Morgan State

Game Notes 

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TELEVISION: ROOT Sports
Marc Stout (play-by-play), Sed Bonner (analyst), Tori Holt (sidelines)
 
RADIO: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, CO; The Fan 104.3 in Denver;
goairforcefalcons.com
Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

NOTES

• Air Force opens the season with consecutive home games.
• The Falcons are 38-19-2 overall in season openers, including a 33-8 mark at home.
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun is 8-0 in season openers.
• Air Force is 25-16 all-time in non-conference games under coach Troy Calhoun.
• Air Force has won seven straight home games dating back to 2013.
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun has led Air Force to five eight-win seasons.
• Air Force’s schedule has two teams that are nationally ranked. Michigan State is

    No. 5 while Boise State is No. 23.

• Air Force defeated Nicholls State, 44-16, in last season’s opener.

THE SERIES

Air Force and Morgan State are meeting for the first time.

ABOUT MORGAN STATE

Morgan State is an FBS member ... Morgan State was 7-6 overall last season and tied for first in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with a 5-2 mark ... The cconference title is the first since 1979 for the program ... The Bears were picked ninth in the Boxtorow FCS HBCU preseason poll ... Morgan State has a league-best 10 players on the preseason all-MEAC team ... Running back Herb Walker, Jr. and offensive lineman Dominique Woods were each selected to the 2015 Boxtorow Preseason All-American team ... Walker led the Bears in rushing last season with 1,408 yards on 233 carries while earning first-team all-league honors ... He was 12th nationally in rushing last season and was a nominee for the Walter Payton Award.

SEASON OPENERS

• Air Force is 38-19-2 overall in season openers, including a 33-8 mark in season openers at home.
• Air Force has won eight straight and nine of the last 11 season openers with the only losses coming at No. 11 Tennessee in 2006 and vs. No. 13 California in 2004.
• The Falcons have won 10 of the last 11 season openers at home with the only loss coming vs. No. 13 California in 2004.
• Air Force has won 17 straight season openers vs. unranked teams dating back to a 34-21 setback vs. Colorado State in 1994.
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun is 8-0 in season openers, all eight coming at home.

AIR FORCE VS. NON-CONFERENCE FOES UNDER CALHOUN

Air Force is 25-16 against non-conference opponents under head coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons are 15-3 at home, 6-9 on the road and 4-4 in neutral site games.

Air Force was 5-0 last season in non-conference games. The Falcons opened the season with a 44-16 win over Nicholls State in Falcon Stadium. Air Force snapped a nine-game road losing streak with a 48-38 win at Georgia State. The Falcons beat Navy 30-21 in Falcon Stadium Oct. 4, won at Army, 23-6, on Nov. 1 and beat Western Michigan, 38-24, Dec. 20 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Air Force has won six straight non-conference games dating back to 2013.

AIR FORCE VS. FCS TEAMS

Air Force is 19-0 all-time against teams from the Football Championship Subdivision. Head Coach Troy Calhoun is 9-0, including last season’s 44-16 victory over Nicholls State to open the season.

 AIR FORCE AT HOME

Air Force is 36-14 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun, including a 6-0 mark in 2014. The 2014 season was just the fourth time in school history and second under Calhoun, that Air Force has posted a 6-0 home mark.

LOOKING BACK AT LAST YEAR’S SEASON OPENER

Air Force defeated Nicholls, 44-16, to improve to 8-0 all-time in season openers under head coach Troy Calhoun. The Falcons ran wild, rushing for a nation’s-best 539 yards. Jacobi Owens led the way with 233 yards on 23 carries to set a school record for rushing yards by a player in his first-career start. Owens averaged 10.1 yards per carry and had three runs of 20 or more yards.

The Falcons broke open a 9-9 tie early in the second quarter with touchdown runs from Broam Hart and Devin Rushing to take a 23-9 halftime lead. Owens helped power the first half outbreak collecting 171 of his yards in the first two quarters. The Falcons made it 35 unanswered points with third quarter rushing touchdowns from Shayne Davern and Rushing, while Paco Solano closed the scoring for Air Force with an 11-yard rushing touchdown to make it 44-9 midway through the fourth quarter. Nicholls added a late touchdown to make up the final margin.

Rushing added 55 yards rushing while quarterback Kale Pearson chipped in with 46 yards. He also hit three of six passes for 19 yards as Air Force finished with 558 total yards. The defense was led by Connor Healy, who had eight tackles in his first-career start. Weston Steelhammer added two sacks, including one in the end zone for a safety to open the scoring for Air Force. The defense gave up just 263 total yards and had five quarterback sacks.

LOOKING BACK AT LAST SEASON

Air Force completed one of the most remarkable turnarounds in college football in 2014. The Falcons finished the season 10-3 overall and had a 5-3 mark in conference play after a 2-10 mark in 2013. The eight-game turnaround is the best in school history and tied with TCU as the best in the country. The Falcons qualified for their seventh bowl game in eight seasons, defeating Western Michigan, 38-24, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. Air Force defeated both Army and Navy to win a record 19th Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy title and its third in the last five years.

The Falcons entered the bowl season as one of just two teams nationally to have beaten two 10-win teams in the regular season. The Falcons beat Boise State and in-state rival Colorado State, who each won 10 or more games. Air Force’s 10-win season is just is sixth in school history. The victory over Boise State was historic, as the Falcons became the first team in the Mountain West’s Mountain Division to beat the Broncos. The victory over Colorado State, who was ranked 21st nationally, marked the highest ranked team Air Force has beaten since 1996. Air Force finished 6-0 at home for just the fourth time in school history.

COURTESY U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS