Coach Troy Calhoun wants future Air Force Falcons to be bigger

Air Force kicker Parker Herrington reaches for the ball on a botched two-point try late in the Military Bowl. (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)

With the Air Force Falcons having completed the 2011 season, coach Troy Calhoun wants to see more time in the weight room for his players and a sharper eye by staff members while on the recruiting trail.

Air Force's 42-41 loss to Toledo in Wednesday's Military Bowl still fresh in his mind, Calhoun said Friday that changes are needed in the shape of future Falcons.

"It's evident that across the board in college football that the players are bigger and faster than they've ever been," said Calhoun, 41-24 in five years with the Falcons, including a 2-3 record in bowl games. "To meet that challenge, we have to become a bigger football team."

To start with, Calhoun talked of recruiting players with bigger body frames. More time in the Air Force weight room seems ensured to help achieve the necessary increase in player size. Calhoun also wants to see the Falcons develop better ball-handling skill.

But enough about the future. Calhoun piled on the praise for his 2011 team, which was 7-6.

"This group had a warrior spirit in them," Calhoun said. "They were great competitors that never detoured from wanting to win every single game we played. They embraced the challenges while playing a pretty sturdy schedule."

But for some, the Falcons were disappointing in 2011 because they didn't pull off one or two of their patented "big upsets." They lost 35-19 to Texas Christian, 59-33 to Notre Dame, 41-27 to San Diego State, 37-26 to Boise State, 25-17 to Wyoming and to Toledo in a wild bowl game. None of the seven wins came against teams that finished with a winning record.

Calhoun faces a significant rebuilding job, with 28 seniors awaiting graduation. They include quarterback Tim Jefferson, tailback Asher Clark, offensive lineman A.J. Wallerstein, receiver Jonathan Warzeka and defensive backs Anthony Wright Jr. and Jon Davis, all four-year mainstays. Brady Amack, another senior, was a force at middle linebacker.

"For some, coming here was their only chance to play Division I college football, and they proved they could," Calhoun said. "We'll enormously miss being around them day in and day out. We'll see a bunch of new faces next year that don't have a significant amount of game-playing experience. I think we went through more changes in personnel during the course of the season than before. We had a lot of different contributors."

The departure of Jefferson is eased somewhat by the return of QB Connor Dietz, who has played in 20 games. Dietz was granted an extra semester next fall because he missed academic and military requirements while recovering from a football-related injury.

Asked if he had any second thoughts about calling for a two-point conversion try with 52 seconds left against Toledo at RFK Stadium in Washington, Calhoun said, "No, sir."

The bold two-point try ? a run to the left by holder David Baska on a fake extra-point attempt ? failed after the Falcons scored a 33-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-3 pass play to pull within one point of the Rockets.

Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com

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AFA position breakdown

Quarterback

Starters back: None.

Starters lost: Tim Jefferson (6-foot, 205 pounds).

One to watch in 2012: Connor Dietz (6-0, 190), senior.

Running back

Starters back: None.

Starters lost: Asher Clark (5-8, 190).

One to watch in 2012: Anthony LaCoste (5-10, 190), sophomore.

Fullback

Starters back: Wes Cobb (5-9, 195), junior.

Starters lost: None.

One to watch in 2012: Mike DeWitt (6-1, 220), junior.

Wide receiver

Starters back: None.

Starters lost: Jonathan Warzeka (5-10, 180) and Zack Kauth (6-4, 210).

One to watch in 2012: Mikel Hunter (5-9, 170), junior.

Tight end

Starters back: None.

Starters lost: Joshua Freeman (6-3, 200).

One to watch in 2012: Austin Briehl (6-5, 240), junior.

Offensive line

Starters back: Tackle Jason Kons (6-4, 255), junior; Jordan Eason (6-3, 255), junior.

Starters lost: Center Jeff Benson (6-0, 250), guard A. J. Wallerstein (6-4, 285) and tackle Kevin Whitt (6-3, 260).

One to watch in 2012: Tackle Alex Huskisson (6-6, 235), sophomore.

Defensive line

Starters back: Nick Fitzgerald (6-4, 255), freshman.

Starters lost: Harry Kehs (6-4, 255) and Ryan Gardner (6-2, 260).

One to watch in 2012: Nick DeJulio (6-2, 230), junior.

Outside linebacker

Starters back: Alex Means (6-5, 230), junior.

Starters lost: Patrick Hennessey (6-2, 225).

One to watch in 2012: Jamil Cooks (6-4, 210), sophomore.

Inside linebacker

Starters back: None.

Starters lost: Brady Amack (6-0, 227) and Jordan Waiwaiole (6-3, 230).

One to watch in 2012: Austin Niklas (6-2, 230), junior.

Defensive back

Starters back: Anthony Wooding Jr. (6-2, 183), sophomore.

Starters lost: Anthony Wright Jr. (5-10, 200), Jon Davis (6-1, 210) and Josh Hall (6-0, 185).

One to watch in 2012: Steffon Batts (6-0, 180), sophomore.

Kicking game

Starters back: Place-kicker Parker Herrington (6-1, 185), junior; and punter David Baska (6-0, 182), sophomore.

Starters lost: None.

One to watch in 2012: Briceton Cannada (5-9, 170), sophomore.

Source: http://www.denverpost.com/afa/ci_19649826?source=rss

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