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Airforce is a very tough team to prepare for. No one in the country runs straight triple option like the Falcons do. Even teams like Navy that try to duplicate it run other variations. The Falcons run 100% triple option. Even when they do pass, they throw out of the running formations. The more you have seen the Falcons and played against them the better prepared you are for their style. A few key things for the Cougars to win.
1. Defensive ends: Jan and Denney are going to have very difficult assignments, probably the most difficult on the field. The good part about this is that they are two of the best defensive players we have. First of all they will have to play assignment football. When the option is ran to their side they will have to play the qb. This is very difficult because you have to keep him contained if he gets a step on you he is gone, if he puts a move on you and cuts it up you dont have much help, it is pretty much you and the qb on an island. Your job is to force him to pitch the ball and to string the play out. If the option is ran to the opposite side you still have to be careful not to pursue to quickly down the line because with all the misdirection they run you do not want to get sucked inside on a reverse.
2. Middle linebackers: Face it our defense is set up for our middle backers to make all the plays. We dont have great MLBs this year, so we need Bauman and Doman to have huge games. We cant afford any mistakes like we have seen in previous games against fast guys on direct snaps. Doman and Bauman will be critical, one of them will have the dive man (most likely the fullback) and the other one will be counted on to make the tackle.
3. Utah had a great formula against Airforce, by replacing one of your corners with a safety who can tackle. BYU will do the same thing and play Rich, Tafuna and Fowler, as well as Bradley as the only starting corner. Bradley will have one job, stay with your man. He is not going to be required to help with the run defense at all, his job is to just not get sucked in on any play action passes and to contain the big play. However the other safeties will have huge responsibilities in stopping the pitchman, I worry a lot about Fowler.
4. I feel like BYU usually has a good scheme against Air Force but this is also a very good Air Force team with as mobile of a QB as I can remember, we are talking Beau Morgan and Dee Dowis ability. He is however a freshman and is not a very good passer. If we can mantain our assignments and not get greedy, I think BYU wins. Its hard as a player to see the qb 2 yard from you with the ball and realize that you can go get him, because the running back is 2 yards from him and if you commit he pitches it and is gone. You essentially have to tackle all 3 positions (QB, FB, RB) on every play.
Offensively we are going to score points, AF will get to Max so dont be surprised by that, they blitz a lot and play a lot of Cover 0, which is no safety help and essentially an all-out blitz. Look at the SDSU game where Collie scored that long td and tell me if you think that mentality will work.
1. Defensive ends: Jan and Denney are going to have very difficult assignments, probably the most difficult on the field. The good part about this is that they are two of the best defensive players we have. First of all they will have to play assignment football. When the option is ran to their side they will have to play the qb. This is very difficult because you have to keep him contained if he gets a step on you he is gone, if he puts a move on you and cuts it up you dont have much help, it is pretty much you and the qb on an island. Your job is to force him to pitch the ball and to string the play out. If the option is ran to the opposite side you still have to be careful not to pursue to quickly down the line because with all the misdirection they run you do not want to get sucked inside on a reverse.
2. Middle linebackers: Face it our defense is set up for our middle backers to make all the plays. We dont have great MLBs this year, so we need Bauman and Doman to have huge games. We cant afford any mistakes like we have seen in previous games against fast guys on direct snaps. Doman and Bauman will be critical, one of them will have the dive man (most likely the fullback) and the other one will be counted on to make the tackle.
3. Utah had a great formula against Airforce, by replacing one of your corners with a safety who can tackle. BYU will do the same thing and play Rich, Tafuna and Fowler, as well as Bradley as the only starting corner. Bradley will have one job, stay with your man. He is not going to be required to help with the run defense at all, his job is to just not get sucked in on any play action passes and to contain the big play. However the other safeties will have huge responsibilities in stopping the pitchman, I worry a lot about Fowler.
4. I feel like BYU usually has a good scheme against Air Force but this is also a very good Air Force team with as mobile of a QB as I can remember, we are talking Beau Morgan and Dee Dowis ability. He is however a freshman and is not a very good passer. If we can mantain our assignments and not get greedy, I think BYU wins. Its hard as a player to see the qb 2 yard from you with the ball and realize that you can go get him, because the running back is 2 yards from him and if you commit he pitches it and is gone. You essentially have to tackle all 3 positions (QB, FB, RB) on every play.
Offensively we are going to score points, AF will get to Max so dont be surprised by that, they blitz a lot and play a lot of Cover 0, which is no safety help and essentially an all-out blitz. Look at the SDSU game where Collie scored that long td and tell me if you think that mentality will work.
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