November 03, 2023

Air Force looking to clinch Commander-in-Chief's Trophy

By John Chuhran
News
Air Force looking to clinch Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy
Air Force looking to clinch Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy

The Falcons, who already beat Navy this season, can clinch the trophy with a win over Army on Saturday in Denver.

Rarely does a college football game in the middle of the season mean everything, but Saturday’s contest between Air Force and Army is an exception.

A victory by Air Force in the matchup at Empower Field at Mile High (2:30 p.m. ET, CBS Sports Network) would secure a second consecutive Commander-In-Chief’s (CIC) Trophy for the Falcons (8-0 and ranked 17th in both the USA Today coaches poll and the Associated Press media poll), who defeated Navy 17-6 on Oct. 21.

A win by Army (2-6) would put the Black Knights in position to claim the trophy for the next year, if they can also defeat Navy on Dec. 9. In the event of a three-way tie, Air Force would retain the trophy.

Since the CIC Trophy was created in 1972, Air Force has won it 21 times, followed by Navy (16) and Army (9). There have been 5 ties.

The game was scheduled for the Denver facility instead of Falcons Stadium in Colorado Springs, which is undergoing renovation with seating now limited to about 38,000 fans.

If Air Force can run the table, the Falcons would be the first service academy team to go undefeated since the 1949 squad from West Point that went 9-0.

“These games against the (other) service academies are just so intense,” said Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun, now in his 17th year leading the Falcons. “Because we use similar offenses, they tend to be really close games. So there’s some things in practice we try to resemble – where guys align, certain route combinations. But there are other things, like certain moves they may have as ball carriers, that you can’t replicate. You have to see those things in a game to get a good sense of how they play. That’s hard to produce in practice.

“In a much bigger picture, I think the feelings of respect that comes to the forefront in these games is seen in why we have service academies. You don’t get that feeling when you play anybody else.” 

If the Falcons win, it will probably be because of the run. The Falcons again have the top rushing attack in the country (300.4 yards per game) and the second-best rushing defense, yielding only 65.8 ypg. Falcons’ RB Emmanuel Michel leads the team with 696 rushing yards and nine rushing TDs.

The grind-it-out running game has also helped Air Force to top the nation in time of possession – 34:31 per game. Senior quarterback Zac Larrier has combined cool, poised leadership with balanced and accurate athleticism (533 yards rushing, 651 yards passing) to direct the Falcons’ attack.

“In the last few years, they’ve changed some rules (primarily about cut blocking),” Calhoun said, “so we altered our approach. For a long time, we relied heavily on zone runs, interior gap-blocking schemes, so it’s made us change some things on the perimeter. Army’s really, really talented. You look at their skill positions and see how many points they scored at San Antonio (a 37-29 Army win over UTSA on Sept. 15) against a really, really strong program there, that’s quite the indicator. They had the lead against Boston College and Syracuse at the Dome, well, that just shows you how capable they are.”

Army is rebuilding and has placed a greater emphasis on passing (averaging 132.6 ypg) and using a shotgun alignment than in the past. In last week’s 21-14 loss to Massachusetts, the Black Knights started four freshmen on offense: quarterback Champ Harris, fullback Kayne Udoh (who has rushed for 308 yards over the last 3 games), center Brady Small and wide receiver Tobi Olawole.

“It’s a great rivalry and it’s always been a really tough fight,” said Army head coach Jeff Monken. “Going back to 2016, they’ve been really close football games – mostly one-score games. Every one of these academy games are like that – close, hard-fought battles.

“Air Force is a great football team. They’re just so impressive with how well they run the ball and how well they stop the run. They have a lot of good senior players and that’s what they do – they find a way to win. Our players are fired up, their players are fired up and that’s what makes it such a great rivalry. We’re going to have to play really well and minimize our mistakes if we’re going to give ourselves a chance to win.”

 

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