2020 Air Force Falcons football team
American college football season
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The 2020 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW) during 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by 14th-year head coach Troy Calhoun, the Falcons compiled an overall record of 3–3 with a mark of 2–2 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for fifth in the MW. The team played home games at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colorado
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Record3–3 (2–2 MW)
Headcoach
- Troy Calhoun (14th season)
OffensivecoordinatorMike Thiessen (12th season)
| 2020 Air Force Falcons football | |
|---|---|
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| Conference | Mountain West Conference |
| Record | 3–3 (2–2 MW) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Mike Thiessen (12th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Triple option |
| Defensive coordinator | John Rudzinski (3rd season) |
| Base defense | Multiple |
| Captain | Game captains |
| Home stadium | Falcon Stadium |
Uniform | |
 | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 24 San Jose State y$ | 6 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Boise State y | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nevada | 6 | – | 2 | 7 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 4 | – | 2 | 4 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hawaii | 4 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 3 | – | 3 | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force | 2 | – | 2 | 3 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 2 | – | 4 | 2 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 2 | – | 5 | 2 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 1 | – | 3 | 1 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah State | 1 | – | 5 | 1 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UNLV | 0 | – | 6 | 0 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: San Jose State 34, Boise State 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Schedule
Air Force announced its 2020 football schedule on February 27, 2020.[2] The original 2020 schedule consisted of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season. On August 10, 2020, the Mountain West Conference announced the suspension of the football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[3][4] Due to the nature of their institutions and rivalries, Air Force kept scheduled games with Army and Navy in order to play for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy in the fall.[5] Scheduled games against Duquesne and Purdue from the original schedule were canceled and Mountain West Conference play was suspended. On September 25, the Mountain West announced that their Board of Directors had met and approved plans to resume the football season.[6] The revised schedule was announced on October 1, with conference play beginning on October 24.[7] The Falcons had six conference games scheduled, two less than their MW counterparts to account for their service academy match-ups. The Army game, originally scheduled for November 7, was postponed indefinitely on November 5 with both schools saying they would reschedule the game if possible.[8][9] The Wyoming game, originally scheduled for November 14, was canceled on November 8.[10] The Colorado State game, originally scheduled for November 26, was canceled on November 25.[11] On that same day, the Air Force-Army game was rescheduled for December 19 at Michie Stadium.[12]
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 3 | 4:00 p.m. | Navy* | CBSSN | W 40–7 | 5,000 | |
| October 24 | 8:30 p.m. | at San Jose State | FS1 | L 6–17 | 0 | |
| October 31 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 25 Boise State |
| CBSSN | L 30–49 | 500 |
| November 14 | 8:00 p.m. | at Wyoming | CBSSN | No contest | ||
| November 20 | 7:30 p.m. | New Mexico |
| FS1 | W 28–0 | 100 |
| November 26 | 12:00 p.m. | Colorado State |
| CBSSN | No contest | |
| December 3 | 7:30 p.m. | at Utah State | CBSSN | W 35–7 | 3,025 | |
| December 19 | 1:00 p.m. | at Army* |
| CBSSN | L 7–10 | 1,306 |
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Preseason
Award watch lists
Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lott IMPACT Trophy[14] | Demonte Meeks | LB | SR |
| Davey O'Brien Award[15] | Donald Hammond III | QB | SR |
| Outland Trophy[16] | Parker Ferguson | OL | SR |
| Nolan Laufenberg | OL | SR | |
| Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award[17] | Donald Hammond III | QB | SR |
Mountain West media days
The Mountain West media days were originally scheduled to take place from July 27–29, 2020, virtually, but were canceled.[18]
Media poll
The preseason poll was released on July 21, 2020. The Falcons were predicted to finish in third place in the MW Mountain Division.[19] The divisions were later suspended for the 2020 season.
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boise State | 125 (20) |
| 2 | Wyoming | 90 (1) |
| 3 | Air Force | 86 |
| 4 | Utah State | 60 |
| 5 | Colorado State | 59 |
| 6 | New Mexico | 21 |
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego State | 122 (19) |
| 2 | Nevada | 100 (2) |
| 3 | Hawaii | 74 |
| 4 | Fresno State | 73 |
| 5 | San Jose State | 43 |
| 6 | UNLV | 29 |
Preseason All−Mountain West Team
The Falcons had three players selected to the preseason All−Mountain West Team; two from the offense and one from the defense.[20]
|
Offense Parker Ferguson – OL Nolan Laufenberg – OL |
Defense Demonte Meeks – LB |
Game summaries
Navy
Navy Midshipmen at Air Force Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midshipmen | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Falcons | 3 | 13 | 3 | 21 | 40 |
at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: October 3, 2020
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
- Game weather: Temperature: 64 °F (18 °C) • Wind: SSE 8 mph • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 5,000
- Referee: Luke Richmond
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst) & Jenny Dell (sideline)
- ESPN – Air Force kicker, defense pave way to 40–7 win over Navy[21] /// Box Score, Navy at Air Force[22] /// Pregame Notes[23] /// Postgame Notes[24]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | NAVY | AF |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 10 | 25 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 5–13 | 2–9 |
| 4th down efficiency | 1–3 | 0–0 |
| Plays–yards | 54–241 | 62–410 |
| Rushes–yards | 36–90 | 53–369 |
| Passing yards | 151 | 41 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 8–18–1 | 4–9–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 4–30 | 3–23 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 25:52 | 34:08 |
At San Jose State
Air Force Falcons at San Jose State Spartans
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Spartans | 0 | 0 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA
- Date: October 24, 2020
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. PDT
- Game weather: Temperature: 62 °F (17 °C) • Wind: NNW 7 mph • Weather: Clear
- Game attendance: 0
- Referee: Scott Campbell
- TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) & Petros Papadakis (analyst)
- ESPN – Air Force Falcons at San Jose State Spartans[25] /// Box Score, Air Force at San Jose State[26] /// Pregame Notes[27] /// Postgame Notes[28]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | AF | SJSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 17 | 19 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 9–16 | 5–12 |
| 4th down efficiency | 1–2 | 0–1 |
| Plays–yards | 66–298 | 59–294 |
| Rushes–yards | 49–206 | 30–68 |
| Passing yards | 92 | 226 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–17–0 | 22–29–1 |
| Penalties–yards | 4–55 | 6–45 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:24 | 30:36 |
Boise State
No. 25 Boise State Broncos at Air Force Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. 25 Broncos | 7 | 21 | 7 | 14 | 49 |
| Falcons | 14 | 3 | 0 | 13 | 30 |
at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: October 31, 2020
- Game time: 4:00 p.m. MDT
- Game weather: Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C) • Wind: N 17 mph • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 500
- Referee: Brandon Cruse
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (analyst) & Jenny Dell (sideline)
- ESPN – No. 25 Boise State Broncos at Air Force Falcons[29] /// Box Score, No. 25 Boise State at Air Force[30] /// Pregame Notes[31] /// Postgame Notes[32]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | BSU | AF |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 23 | 28 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 2–4 | 4–12 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0–0 | 3–3 |
| Plays–yards | 49–459 | 73–484 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–179 | 66–415 |
| Passing yards | 280 | 69 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–20–0 | 4–7–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–40 | 6–43 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 22:29 | 37:31 |
At Wyoming
CANCELLED – Air Force Falcons at Wyoming Cowboys
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |||
| 0 |
at War Memorial Stadium, Laramie, WY
- Date:
November 14, 2020 - Game time:
8:00 p.m. MST - TV:
CBSSN ESPN – Air Force Falcons at Wyoming Cowboys[33]
New Mexico
New Mexico Lobos at Air Force Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lobos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Falcons | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: November 20, 2020
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. MST
- Game weather: Temperature: 37 °F (3 °C) • Wind: S 6 mph • Weather: Mostly Cloudy
- Game attendance: 100
- Referee: C. Watson
- TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) & Petros Papadakis (analyst)
- ESPN – New Mexico Lobos at Air Force Falcons[34] /// Box Score, New Mexico at Air Force[35] /// Pregame Notes[36] /// Postgame Notes[37]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | NM | AF |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 23 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 4–13 | 9–13 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0–1 | 1–2 |
| Plays–yards | 67–304 | 68–422 |
| Rushes–yards | 25–83 | 63–356 |
| Passing yards | 221 | 66 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–42–1 | 4–5–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 8–70 | 5–42 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 23:31 | 36:29 |
Colorado State
CANCELLED – Colorado State Rams at Air Force Falcons
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | |||
| 0 |
at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO
- Date:
November 26, 2020 - Game time:
12:00 p.m. MST - TV:
CBSSN ESPN – Colorado State Rams at Air Force Falcons Preview[38]
At Utah State
Air Force Falcons at Utah State Aggies
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 7 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Aggies | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
- Date: December 3, 2020
- Game time: 7:30 p.m. MST
- Game weather: Temperature: 25 °F (−4 °C) • Weather: Clear and Chilly
- Game attendance: 3,025
- Referee: Mike Cuttone
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Ed Cohen (play-by-play) & Ross Tucker (analyst)
- ESPN – Air Force runs over Utah State 35–7 behind Daniels[39] /// Box Score, Air Force at Utah State[40] /// Pregame Notes[41] /// Postgame Notes[42]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | AF | USU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 24 | 14 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 5–10 | 9–14 |
| 4th down efficiency | 3–4 | 0–2 |
| Plays–yards | 64–461 | 58–232 |
| Rushes–yards | 55–334 | 26–109 |
| Passing yards | 127 | 123 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 7–9–0 | 17–32–2 |
| Penalties–yards | 6–67 | 6–65 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 34:54 | 25:06 |
At Army
Air Force Falcons at Army Black Knights
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Black Knights | 0 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 10 |
at Michie Stadium, West Point, NY
- Date: December 19, 2020
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
- Game attendance: 1,306
- Referee: Brad Van Vark
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Dave Ryan (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst) & Tina Cervasio (sideline)
- ESPN – Army beats Air Force 10–7, wins Commander-in-Chief's Trophy[43] /// Box Score, Air Force at Army[44] /// Pregame Notes[45] /// Postgame Notes[46]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
|
| Statistics | AF | ARMY |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 11 | 21 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 4–8 | 9–17 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0–0 | 2–3 |
| Plays–yards | 40–261 | 73–290 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–154 | 71–290 |
| Passing yards | 107 | 0 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 6–14–3 | 1–2–0 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–15 | 2–15 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:34 | 37:26 |
Roster
| 2020 Air Force Falcons football team roster | |||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||
Offense
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Defense
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Special teams
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