2024 Air Force Falcons football team
American college football season
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The 2024 Air Force Falcons football team represented the United States Air Force Academy as a member of the Mountain West Conference (MW) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by 18th-year head coach Troy Calhoun, the Falcons compiled an overall record of 5–7 with a mark of 3–4, placing in five-way tie for fifth in the MW. The team played home games at Falcon Stadium on the Academy grounds north of Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Troy Calhoun (18th season)
| 2024 Air Force Falcons football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Mountain West Conference |
| Record | 5–7 (3–4 MW) |
| Head coach |
|
| Offensive coordinator | Mike Thiessen (16th season) |
| Offensive scheme | Triple option |
| Defensive coordinator | Brian Knorr (3rd season) |
| Base defense | 3–4 |
| Home stadium | Falcon Stadium |
Uniform | |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Boise State y$^ | 7 | – | 0 | 12 | – | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 23 UNLV y | 6 | – | 1 | 11 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado State | 6 | – | 1 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fresno State | 4 | – | 3 | 6 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Jose State | 3 | – | 4 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Air Force | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hawaii | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Mexico | 3 | – | 4 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Utah State | 3 | – | 4 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| San Diego State | 2 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wyoming | 2 | – | 5 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nevada | 0 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Boise State 21, UNLV 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Despite a 1–7 start, the Falcons finished the season on a high note with four consecutive wins.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 31 | 1:30 p.m. | Merrimack* | CBSSN | W 21–6 | 31,658 | |
| September 7 | 5:00 p.m. | San Jose State |
| CBSSN | L 7–17 | 22,478 |
| September 14 | 5:30 p.m. | at Baylor* | FS1 | L 3–38 | 46,212 | |
| September 28 | 6:00 p.m. | at Wyoming | CBSSN | L 19–31 | 23,068 | |
| October 5 | 10:00 a.m. | Navy* |
| CBS | L 7–34 | 39,441 |
| October 12 | 5:00 p.m. | at New Mexico | TruTV | L 37–52 | 15,561 | |
| October 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Colorado State |
| CBSSN | L 13–21 | 27,598 |
| November 2 | 10:00 a.m. | at No. 21 Army* |
| CBS | L 3–20 | 30,046 |
| November 9 | 7:45 p.m. | Fresno State |
| FS1 | W 36–28 | 14,794 |
| November 16 | 1:30 p.m. | Oregon State* |
| CBSSN | W 28–0 | 21,385 |
| November 23 | 8:30 p.m. | at Nevada | FS1 | W 22–19 | 12,228 | |
| November 30 | 8:30 p.m. | at San Diego State | FS1 | W 31–20 | 18,045 | |
| ||||||
Preseason
Mountain West media poll
The Mountain West's preseason prediction poll was released on July 10, 2024.[3]
| Mountain West media poll | ||
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boise State | 543 (38) |
| 2 | UNLV | 471 (4) |
| 3 | Fresno State | 460 (4) |
| 4 | Air Force | 384 |
| 5 | Colorado State | 337 |
| 6 | Wyoming | 296 |
| 7 | Utah State | 285 |
| 8 | San Diego State | 251 |
| 9 | Hawaii | 214 |
| 10 | San Jose State | 185 |
| 11 | New Mexico | 85 |
| 12 | Nevada | 77 |
Game summaries
vs Merrimack
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors (FCS) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
| Falcons | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
at Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: August 31, 2024
- Game time: 1:33 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny, 83 °F (28 °C)
- Game attendance: 31,658
- Referee: Kenneth Ray
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (play-by-play) and Robert Turbin (analyst)
| Game information |
|---|
No scoring
|
| Statistics | MRMK | AFA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 10 | 15 |
| Total yards | 57–217 | 69–237 |
| Rushing yards | 27–114 | 55–166 |
| Passing yards | 103 | 71 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–30–0 | 6–14–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:56 | 33:04 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Merrimack | Passing | Malakai Anthony | 14/21, 74 yards |
| Rushing | Jermaine Corbett | 8 carries, 59 yards | |
| Receiving | Jalen McDonald | 5 receptions, 39 yards, 1 TD | |
| Air Force | Passing | John Busha | 6/14, 71 yards |
| Rushing | Owen Allen | 16 carries, 63 yards | |
| Receiving | Aiden Calvert | 1 reception, 21 yards |
vs San Jose State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spartans | 14 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: September 7, 2024
- Game time: 5:02 P.M.
- Game weather: Sunny, 81 °F (27 °C)
- Game attendance: 22,478
- Referee: Patrick Foy
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (play-by-play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
| Game information |
|---|
No scoring
No scoring
|
| Statistics | SJSU | AFA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 15 | 10 |
| Total yards | 67–312 | 66–197 |
| Rushing yards | 34–50 | 46–143 |
| Passing yards | 262 | 54 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 17–33–1 | 7–20–2 |
| Time of possession | 30:37 | 29:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose State | Passing | Emmett Brown | 17/32, 262 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT |
| Rushing | Floyd Chalk IV | 15 carries, 43 yards | |
| Receiving | Nick Nash | 7 receptions, 90 yards, 1 TD | |
| Air Force | Passing | John Busha | 7/20, 54 yards, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Cade Harris | 8 carries, 50 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Quin Smith | 3 receptions, 36 yards |
at Baylor
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bears | 3 | 3 | 17 | 8 | 31 |
at McLane Stadium • Waco, TX
- Date: September 14, 2024
- Game time: 5:30 p.m.
- Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
- Game attendance: 46,212
- TV announcers (FS1): Alex Faust (play-by-play) and Robert Smith (analyst)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | AFA | BAY |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Baylor | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at Wyoming
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
| Cowboys | 7 | 0 | 14 | 10 | 31 |
at War Memorial Stadium • Laramie, WY
- Date: September 28, 2024
- Game time: 6:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny, 78 °F (26 °C)
- Game attendance: 23,068
- Referee: Nolan Dumas
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Robert Turbin (analyst), and Amanda Guerra (sideline)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | AFA | WYO |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 19 | 19 |
| Total yards | 320 | 361 |
| Rushing yards | 205 | 173 |
| Passing yards | 115 | 188 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 6–13–0 | 16–22–0 |
| Time of possession | 28:32 | 31:28 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Passing | John Busha | 6/13, 115 yards |
| Rushing | Aiden Calvert | 3 carries, 54 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Cade Harris | 5 receptions, 106 yards | |
| Wyoming | Passing | Evan Svoboda | 15/21, 165 yards |
| Rushing | Sam Scott | 19 carries, 97 yards, 1 TD | |
| Receiving | Chris Durr | 3 receptions, 71 yards |
vs Navy
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midshipmen | 14 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 34 |
| Falcons | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: October 5, 2024
- Game time: 10:00 a.m.
- Game weather: Temperature: 72 °F (22 °C) • Wind: N/A • Weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 39,441
- Referee: Tim Rich
- TV announcers (CBS): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline reporter)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | NAVY | AFA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 14 |
| Total yards | 463 | 273 |
| Rushing yards | 329 | 158 |
| Passing yards | 134 | 115 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 9–15–0 | 5–9–1 |
| Time of possession | 30:34 | 29:26 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Navy | Passing | Blake Horvath | 9/15, 134 yards |
| Rushing | Blake Horvath | 18 carries, 115 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Eli Heidenreich | 5 receptions, 101 yards | |
| Air Force | Passing | Quentin Hayes | 5/6, 115 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Kade Frew | 4 carries, 29 yards | |
| Receiving | Tre Roberson | 1 reception, 45 yards, TD |
at New Mexico
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lobos | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
- Game time: 5:00 p.m. MDT
- TV announcers (TruTV): JB Long (play-by-play), Mike Golic Jr. (analyst), and Bridget Howard (sideline reporter)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | AFA | UNM |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Turnovers | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| New Mexico | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
vs Colorado State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rams | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
at Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: October 19, 2024
- Game time: 6:00 p.m.
- Game weather: Sunny
- Game attendance: 27,598
- Referee: Kenneth Ray
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (play-by-play) and Robert Turbin (analyst)
| Game information |
|---|
No scoring plays
|
| Statistics | CSU | AFA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 15 | 19 |
| Total yards | 406 | 348 |
| Rushing yards | 205 | 173 |
| Passing yards | 201 | 175 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 12–22–0 | 10–26–2 |
| Time of possession | 28:44 | 31:16 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado State | Passing | Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi | 11/21, 178 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Avery Morrow | 20 carries, 132 yards | |
| Receiving | Caleb Goodie | 3 receptions, 103 yards, TD | |
| Air Force | Passing | John Busha | 10/25, 175 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Rushing | Dylan Carson | 12 carries, 60 yards | |
| Receiving | Tylor Latham | 3 receptions, 51 yards, TD |
at Army
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 21 Black Knights | 3 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 20 |
at Michie Stadium • West Point, NY
- Date: November 2, 2024
- Game time: 10:00 a.m.
- Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 56 °F (13 °C) • Wind: NW 8 miles per hour (13 km/h)
- Game attendance: 30,046
- Referee: Cal McNeill
- TV announcers (CBS): Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Ross Tucker (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline reporter)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | AFA | ARMY |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 15 | 14 |
| Total yards | 209 | 255 |
| Rushing yards | 117 | 207 |
| Passing yards | 92 | 48 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 10–20–3 | 5–9–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:51 | 28:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Passing | Quentin Hayes | 7/14, 54 yards, INT |
| Rushing | Quentin Hayes | 22 carries, 61 yards | |
| Receiving | Cade Harris | 5 receptions, 52 yards | |
| Army | Passing | Dewayne Coleman | 5/8, 48 yards |
| Rushing | Kanye Udoh | 22 carries, 158 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Casey Reynolds | 1 reception, 24 yards |
vs Fresno State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 7 | 14 | 0 | 7 | 28 |
| Falcons | 7 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 36 |
at Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: November 9, 2024
- Game time: 7:45 p.m.
- Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 26 °F (−3 °C) • Wind: NW 7 miles per hour (11 km/h)
- Game attendance: 14,794
- Referee: Patrick Foy
- TV announcers (FS1): Chris Vosters (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | FRES | AFA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 14 | 24 |
| Total yards | 284 | 358 |
| Rushing yards | -5 | 344 |
| Passing yards | 289 | 14 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 23–26–1 | 2–6–0 |
| Time of possession | 14:52 | 45:08 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fresno State | Passing | Mikey Keene | 23/26, 289 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Rushing | Elijah Gilliam | 4 carries, 15 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Mac Dalena | 4 receptions, 89 yards. 2 TD | |
| Air Force | Passing | Quentin Hayes | 2/6, 14 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Dylan Carson | 33 carries, 120 yards, TD | |
| Receiving | Brandon Engel | 1 reception, 11 yards |
vs Oregon State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beavers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Falcon Stadium • Colorado Springs, CO
- Date: November 16, 2024
- Game time: 1:30 p.m.
- Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
- TV announcers (CBSSN): Jordan Kent (play-by-play), Logan Ryan (analyst), and Tina Cervasio (sideline)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | OSU | AFA |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon State | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Air Force | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at Nevada
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wolf Pack | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Mackay Stadium • Reno, NV
- Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
- Game time: 8:30 p.m.
- Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
- TV announcers (FS1): Trent Rush (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | AFA | NEV |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | ||
| Total yards | ||
| Rushing yards | ||
| Passing yards | ||
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | ||
| Time of possession | ||
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving | |||
| Nevada | Passing | ||
| Rushing | |||
| Receiving |
at San Diego State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falcons | 14 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 31 |
| Aztecs | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |
at Snapdragon Stadium • San Diego, CA
- Date: November 30, 2024
- Game time: 8:30 p.m.
- Game weather: Clear, 58 °F (14 °C), calm wind
- Game attendance: 18,045
- Referee: Jonathan Noli
- TV announcers (FS1): Evan Lepler (play-by-play) and Charles Arbuckle (analyst)
| Game information |
|---|
|
| Statistics | AFA | SDSU |
|---|---|---|
| First downs | 21 | 24 |
| Total yards | 54–404 | 68–356 |
| Rushing yards | 52–276 | 35–120 |
| Passing yards | 128 | 236 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 2–2–0 | 25–33–0 |
| Time of possession | 31:21 | 28:39 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air Force | Passing | Quentin Hayes | 1/1, 76 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Dylan Carson | 24 carries, 125 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Cade Harris | 1 reception, 76 yards, TD | |
| San Diego State | Passing | Danny O'Neil | 24/32, 230 yards, TD |
| Rushing | Marquez Cooper | 23 carries, 94 yards, 2 TD | |
| Receiving | Louis Brown IV | 3 receptions, 60 yards |