With the distinctive lightning bolt on the sides of their helmets, the Air Force Falcons return to Notre Dame Stadium this Saturday sporting a 3-1 record (losing just to TCU) after an emotional O.T. victory over Academy rival Navy last Saturday.
While ND leads the all-time series 22-6, those of us in attendance in 2007 watched in disgust as the Falcons butt-kicked the Irish on our home turf 41-24. My thesaurus does not show a better word for “embarrassing”.
Falcons soar over Jimmy C. and company in 2007
With a new Head Coach, staff and team, expectations are much higher now for ND and that 41-24 score may easily be reversed in our favor Saturday.
Air Force has tasted success in its Mountain West Conference and finished the season 9-4 in 2010 defeating Georgia Tech in the Independence Bowl. They also claimed the coveted “Commander in Chief’s Trophy”.
“Dubya” saluting Air Force grads
We have a few key players to watch on their side. Last week, AF linebacker Brady Amack was named the “Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week” after a big game against Navy. The Nagurski Award is named after Bronko…and not ND ’79 classmate Kevin (Bronko’s son).
LB Brady Amack wraps-up TCU ball carrier
Amack is a 6-2, 227-pound senior fromPleasanton, CA.—the same town that is the current home to Notre Dame All-American Ernie Hughes—#65 and the starting right guard on the 1977 National Championship team. Ernie helped lead the blocking for QB Joe Montana and lined-up to the right of All-American center #56 Dave Huffman. And the left guard was the Hungry Hungarian–#66 Teddy Horansky.
Ernie as a 49’er
Ernie now as an adult
Amack registered a career-high 23 tackles (11 unassisted), a sack and two tackles for loss in the Falcons’ 35-34 overtime victory at Navy. Amack’s tackle total ranks as the sixth-highest at Air Force in a game and tied for the most in Mountain West Conference history. His 23 tackles are tied for most in Division I Football Bowl Subdivision games this season and the most by an Air Force player in a game since 1988.
With Air Force running its famous Triple Option or Veer, we will also have to be very aware of Falcon QB Tim Jefferson.
Crafty and fleet-footed Falcon QB Tim Jefferson
Jefferson has close to 500 yards passing and more then 200 yards rushing through four games.
According to ND Coach Brian Kelly, “The Air Force quarterback (Tim Jefferson) is obviously a guy that can throw the ball very well, and so the receiving corps, it’s not off of play-action or crack-and-go, it’s a comprehensive passing game. So this incorporates a lot of principles, so quite different in that respect.”
The Falcons offense lines up in a variety of different formations, includingthe shotgun and spread, givingJefferson more time to read defenses. The senior quarterback has completed 70 percent of his passes (33-of-47) for 493 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions, and he has been sacked just once. Air Force ranks fourth in the nation in passing efficiency.
Just a Postscript to the romp over Purdue (38-10), it is remarkable what you can do with 500 yards of offense and no costly mistakes!
PICTURE of the GAME
Cierre Wood rushes for nearly 200 yards and leaps like Superman over a stunned Boiler defender. Boo-Yah!