2023 Air Force Falcons football team

The 2023 Air Force Falcons football team represent the United States Air Force Academy in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season will be the team's 69th overall, 25th as a member of the Mountain West Conference, and 10th in the Mountain West's Mountain Division. The team plays their home games at Falcon Stadium and are led by 17th-year head coach Troy Calhoun.[1]

2023 Air Force Falcons football
ConferenceMountain West Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 19
Record7–0 (4–0 MW)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMike Thiessen (14th season)
Offensive schemeTriple option
Defensive coordinatorBrian Knorr (2nd season)
Base defense3–4
Home stadiumFalcon Stadium
(capacity: 46,692)
Uniform
2023 Mountain West Conference football standings
ConfOverall
Team W L  W L 
No. 19 Air Force  4 –0   7 –0  
UNLV  3 –0   6 –1  
Wyoming  2 –1   5 –2  
Fresno State  2 –1   6 –1  
Boise State  2 –1   3 –4  
San Jose State  2 –2   3 –5  
Colorado State  1 –2   3 –4  
New Mexico  1 –2   3 –4  
Nevada  1 –2   1 –6  
San Diego State  1 –3   3 –5  
Utah State  1 –3   3 –5  
Hawaii  0 –3   2 –6  
Championship: December 2, 2023
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of October 27, 2023
Rankings from AP Poll

Preseason

Mountain West media poll

The 2023 Mountain West preseason media poll was released on July 19. The Falcons were predicted to finish second in the conference.[2]

Mountain West Conference media poll
Predicted finish Team Votes (1st place)
1Boise State433 (28)
2Air Force364 (2)
3Fresno State351 (5)
4San Diego State338 (1)
5San Jose State293
6Wyoming281
7Colorado State201
8Utah State194
9UNLV177 (1)
10Hawaii102
11Nevada92
12New Mexico60

Schedule
DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 211:00 a.m.Robert Morris*
AltitudeW 42–730,142
September 96:00 p.m.vs. Sam Houston*
CBSSNW 13–325,121
September 156:00 p.m.Utah State
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
CBSSNW 39–2118,400
September 228:30 p.m.at San Jose State
FS1W 45–2016,124
September 306:00 p.m.San Diego State
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
CBSSNW 49–1024,869
October 145:00 p.m.Wyoming
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
CBSSNW 34–2728,311
October 2110:00 a.m.at Navy*No. 22
CBSW 17–638,803
October 285:00 p.m.at Colorado StateNo. 19
CBSSN
November 412:30 p.m.vs. Army*
CBSSN
November 119:00 p.m.at Hawaii
SPEC PPV, MW Network
November 181:30 p.m.UNLV
  • Falcon Stadium
  • Colorado Springs, CO
CBSSN
November 242:00 p.m.at Boise State
FS1

[3]

Personnel

Coaching staff
2023 Air Force Football Coaching Staff
Name Position Season College
Troy Calhoun Head Coach 17th Air Force (1989)
Marc Bacote Tight Ends 2nd James Madison (2000)
Jake Campbell Slot Backs 12th Air Force (1996)
Tim Horton Running Backs, Special Teams Coordinator 3rd Arkansas (1989)
Charlie Jackson Asst. head coach/defensive backs coach 2nd Air Force (2000)
Brian Knorr Defensive Coordinator 1st Air Force (1986)
Ken Lamendola Inside Linebackers 2nd Air Force (2011)
Steed Lobotzke Offensive Line 9th Air Force (1992)
Matt McGettigan Director of Speed - Strength & Conditioning 17th Luther College (1987)
Alex Means Defensive Line 2nd Air Force (2013)
Brett Skene Specialists/Assistant Offensive Line 2nd Air Force (2011)
Taylor Stubblefield Wide Receivers Coach 1st Purdue (2005)
Mike Thiessen Off. Coordinator, Quarterbacks 17th Air Force (2001)
Nick Toth Safeties 2nd Ohio (1999)
E.J. Whitlow Defensive Ends 2nd Findlay (2010)
Kale Pearson Director of Recruiting 2nd Air Force (2015)
Chuck Petersen Football Executive/Assistant Recruiting Director 1st Air Force (1985)
Anthony Wright Defensive Assistant 2nd Air Force (2012)

Coaching Staff Source: [4]

Roster

(Please note that the Air Force football team rarely lists freshman players on their official roster)

2023 Air Force Falcons Football Roster

Quarterback

  •   5 – Jensen Jones, Senior (6'2, 215)
  •   9 – Zac Larrier, Senior (6'0, 195)
  • 12 – John Busha, Sophomore (6'2, 205)
  • 15 – Ben Brittain, Senior (6'1, 190)
  • 17 – Cannon Turner, Senior (6'0, 215)

Running back

  •   8 – Christopher Frew, Sophomore (5'9, 190)
  • 10 – Jalen Johnson, Senior (5'8, 185)
  • 20 – Dylan Carson, Sophomore (6'0, 210)
  • 24 – John Lee Eldridge III, Senior (5'9, 200)
  • 25 – Tylor Latham, Sophomore (5'8, 180)
  • 26 – Owen Burk, Senior (5'11, 200)
  • 27 – Kaden Cloud, Sophomore (5'9, 185)
  • 28 – Aiden Calvert, Junior (5'10, 205)
  • 30 – Kale Gibbs, Junior (5'8, 175)
  • 33 – Jet Harris, Senior (6'1, 225)
  • 34 – Darius Stone, Sophomore (5'11, 205)

Wide receiver

  •   2 – Brandon Engel, Junior (6'2, 210)
  •   6 – Cameron Breier, Junior (6'2, 195)
  • 11 – Wyatt Wilson, Senior (6'3, 195)
  • 13 – Jared Roznos, Junior (6'0, 190)
  • 16 – Dylan Evans, Sophomore (5'11, 185)
  • 18 – Kendin Alexander, Junior (5'10, 165)
  • 21 – Cade Harris, Junior (5'8, 180)
  • 23 – Dane Kinamon, Senior (6'0, 205)
  • 29 – Evan Rau, Sophomore (5'9, 170)
  • 32 – Jordan Scarbrough, Sophomore (5'8, 185)
  • 80 – Tre Roberson, Sophomore (6'2, 205)
  • 87 – Quin Smith, Sophomore (6'1, 190)
  • 89 – Parker St. John, Junior (6'2, 190)

Tight end

  • 81 – James Bryant, Senior (6'4, 230)
  • 82 – Connor McIntee, Senior (6'3, 235)
  • 83 – Chances Carter-Hill, Sophomore (6'2, 230)
  • 84 – Caleb Rillos, Senior (6'5, 255)
  • 85 – Parker Menefee, Sophomore (6'6, 240)
  • 88 – Bruin Fleischmann, Sophomore (6'3, 220)

Specialist

  • 43 – Matthew Dapore, Junior (6'0, 195)
  • 95 – Carson Bay, Junior (5'11, 165)
  • 96 – Reagan Tubbs, Sophomore (6'0, 175)
  • 97 – Luke Freer, Sophomore (6'4, 220)
  

Fullback

  •   4 – Emmanuel Michel, Senior (5'10, 210)

Offensive Lineman

  • 51 – Kaleb Holcomb, Senior (6'4, 270)
  • 53 – Steven Iles, Senior (6'2, 285)
  • 54 – Jackson Kohal, Junior (6'4, 305)
  • 55 – Nick Blessing, Sophomore (6'4, 250)
  • 56 – Mark Hiestand, Senior (6'5, 285)
  • 57 – Gabriel Averitt, Sophomore (6'3, 270)
  • 59 – Adam Karas, Senior (6'4, 285)
  • 60 – John Gordon, Jr., Junior (6'2, 205)
  • 61 – Costen Cooley, Sophomore (6'4, 279)
  • 62 – Matthew Heitmann, Junior (6'4, 290)
  • 64 – Luke Hallstrom, Senior (6'2, 270)
  • 65 – Samuel Floysand, Sophomore (6'3, 275)
  • 66 – Jace Sutulovich, Sophomore (6'3, 285)
  • 68 – Thor Paglialong, Senior (6'4, 300)
  • 69 – Wesley Ndago, Senior (6'2, 300)
  • 71 – Michael McAninch, Junior (6'3, 300)
  • 72 – Christien Hawks, Sophomore (6'3, 290)
  • 73 – Luke Vonderhaar, Sophomore (6'4, 270)
  • 74 – Mason Carlan, Senior (6'3, 290)
  • 75 – Ethan Jackman, Senior (6'4, 310)
  • 76 – Alex Moore, Junior (6'3, 270)
  • 77 – Cameron Collins, Sophomore (6'3, 260)
  • 78 – Trevor Tate, Sophomore (6'2, 270)

Defensive Lineman

  •   8 – Bo Richter, Senior (6'2, 250)
  • 13 – PJ Ramsey, Senior (6'2, 260)
  • 48 – Jayden Thiergood, Senior (6'3, 250)
  • 55 – Kupono Blake, Senior (6'2, 270)
  • 57 – Colin Stewart, Sophomore (6'2, 240)
  • 62 – James Tomasi, Junior (6'0, 310)
  • 87 – Caden Blum, Senior (6'5, 265)
  • 90 – Brian Bradley, Sophomore (6'2, 230)
  • 92 – Jackson Garrett, Sophomore (6'3, 270)
  • 93 – Andrew BoisD'Enghien, Senior (6'3, 280)
  • 94 – Kaleb Tompkins, Junior (6'4, 260)
  • 95 – Daniel Grobe, Sophomore (6'7, 270)
  • 96 – Payton Zdroik, Junior (6'0, 275)
  • 97 – Brent Winfree, Sophomore (6'4, 275)
  • 99 – Aidan Swartz, Sophomore (6'4, 270)
  

Linebacker

  •   6 – Matthew Malloy, Senior (6'3, 215)
  • 18 – Elijah Sanders, Junior (6'3, 240)
  • 24 – Robert Mbroh, Junior (6'3, 220)
  • 27 – Julian Williams, Junior (6'2, 230)
  • 35 – Jack Curtis, Sophomore (6'5, 245)
  • 32 – Osaro Aihie, Junior (6'1, 225)
  • 38 – Ty Hubert, Sophomore (5'11, 200)
  • 40 – Alec Mock, Senior (6'3, 240)
  • 41 – Jackson Adams, Sophomore (6'4, 240)
  • 44 – Johnathan Youngblood, Senior (5'11, 225)
  • 45 – Matt Devine, Junior (6'0, 225)
  • 46 – Zach Juckel, Sophomore (6'2, 210)
  • 47 – Kyler Orr, Sophomore (6'1, 210)
  • 50 – Grant Uyl, Junior (5'11, 225)
  • 51 – Victor Dubuclet, Sophomore (6'0, 210)
  • 52 – Matthew Reddick, Sophomore (6'2, 230)
  • 54 – Are'an Burr, Sophomore (6'3, 220)
  • 56 – Cole Palmer, Junior (6'4, 235)

Defensive back

  •   0 – Trey Williams, Junior (5'10, 175)
  •   3 – Jamari Bellamy, Junior (6'2, 185)
  •   5 – Corey Collins, Senior (5'11, 185)
  •   7 – Trey Taylor, Senior (6'0, 210)
  •   9 – Levi Brown, Sophomore (6'1, 175)
  • 10 – Jalen Mergerson, Senior (5'11, 210)
  • 11 – Camby Goff, Senior (6'1, 215)
  • 12 – Patrick Dahlen, Senior (6'3, 210)
  • 14 – K.C. Beard, Junior (6'1, 200)
  • 15 – Jake Martin, Junior (6'2, 200)
  • 16 – Jayden Goodwin, Senior (6'1, 195)
  • 17 – Zion Kelly, Senior (5'10, 190)
  • 19 – C.J. Boyd, Junior (6'1, 200)
  • 20 – Jake Smith, Senior (6'1, 210)
  • 21 – Aidan Plate, Junior (6'2, 200)
  • 22 – Jerome Gaillard, Jr., Junior (6'4, 200)
  • 28 – Terrance Cullivan, Sophomore (5'10, 185)
  • 30 – Tyme Collins, Junior (6'0, 210)
  • 42 – Jakobi McGowan, Junior (6'1, 205)

Long snapper

  • 41 – J. Frank Melgarejo III, Senior (6'0, 225)
  • 48 – Anthony DeBerardino, Junior (6'1, 210)
  • 49 – Kurt Chesney, Sophomore (6'0, 195)

Roster Source: [5]


Game summaries

vs Robert Morris
See also: 2023 Robert Morris Colonials football team
Robert Morris Colonials (0–0) vs Air Force Falcons (0–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Colonials 0 0 077
Falcons 14 14 7742

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

Game information
StatisticsRMUAF
First downs924
3rd down efficiency3–116–10
4th down efficiency0–11–3
Plays–yards50–15659–469
Rushes–yards26–4356–374
Passing yards11395
Passing: Comp–Att–Int18–24–02–3–0
Penalties–yards9–612–10
Turnovers21
Time of possession27:4932:11

vs Sam Houston
See also: 2023 Sam Houston Bearkats football team
Air Force Falcons (1–0) vs Sam Houston Bearkats (0–1)
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 0 3 01013
Bearkats 0 0 303

at NRG Stadium, Houston, TX

Game information
StatisticsAFSAM
First downs186
3rd down efficiency5–133–13
4th down efficiency0–11–1
Plays–yards62–25844–80
Rushes–yards59–24430–36
Passing yards1444
Passing: Comp–Att–Int1–3–08–14–0
Penalties–yards2–202–25
Turnovers10
Time of possession36:3823:22

vs Utah State
See also: 2023 Utah State Aggies football team
Utah State Aggies (1–1) vs Air Force Falcons (2–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Aggies 0 7 7721
Falcons 22 10 7039

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

Game information
StatisticsUSUAF
First downs2024
3rd down efficiency3–119–13
4th down efficiency2–31–1
Plays–yards61–30268–428
Rushes–yards26–5464–344
Passing yards24884
Passing: Comp–Att–Int20–35–13–4–0
Penalties–yards4–176–60
Turnovers20
Time of possession21:2038:40

at San Jose State
See also: 2023 San Jose State Spartans football team
Air Force Falcons (3–0) at San Jose State Spartans (1–3)
Period 1 2 34Total
Falcons 3 14 72145
Spartans 6 14 0020

at CEFCU Stadium, San Jose, CA

Game information
StatisticsAFSJS
First downs2518
3rd down efficiency10–153–8
4th down efficiency3–30–2
Plays–yards75–42852–354
Rushes–yards73–40017–115
Passing yards28239
Passing: Comp–Att–Int2–2–024–35–1
Penalties–yards4–436–48
Turnovers01
Time of possession39:0520:55

vs San Diego State
See also: 2023 San Diego State Aztecs football team
San Diego State Aztecs (2–3) vs Air Force Falcons (4–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Aztecs 0 10 0010
Falcons 0 21 21749

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

Game information
StatisticsSDSUAF
First downs1424
3rd down efficiency4–134–8
4th down efficiency3–42–2
Plays–yards55–22759–476
Rushes–yards30–10552–287
Passing yards122189
Passing: Comp–Att–Int13–25–16–7–0
Penalties–yards5–341–5
Turnovers10
Time of possession27:5532:05

vs Wyoming
See also: 2023 Wyoming Cowboys football team
Wyoming Cowboys (5–1) vs Air Force Falcons (5–0)
Period 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 14 7 0627
Falcons 7 10 71034

at Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs, CO

Game information
StatisticsWYOAF
First downs1822
3rd down efficiency9–157–10
4th down efficiency1–21–1
Plays–yards60–32162–414
Rushes–yards35–10953–356
Passing yards21258
Passing: Comp–Att–Int15–25–06–9–0
Penalties–yards3–251–9
Turnovers02
Time of possession30:1329:49

at Navy
See also: 2023 Navy Midshipmen football team and Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
No. 22 Air Force Falcons (6–0) at Navy Midshipmen (3–3)
Period 1 2 34Total
No. 22 Falcons 0 7 3717
Midshipmen 0 0 066

at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, MD

Game information
StatisticsAFNAV
First downs810
3rd down efficiency1–133–17
4th down efficiency2–22–2
Plays–yards53–28864–124
Rushes–yards48–13735–22
Passing yards151102
Passing: Comp–Att–Int4–5–015–29–2
Penalties–yards5–304–50
Turnovers12
Time of possession31:4428:16

The Air Force Falcons honored the Doolittle Raiders with this year's edition of the Air Power Legacy Series uniforms.

The Doolittle Raiders were 80 pilots and crew of sixteen B-25B Mitchell bombers who launched the Doolittle Raid during World War II on April 18, 1942. They were led by United States Army Air Force Lt. Col. James H. "Jimmy" Doolittle.

The uniform featured a chrome helmet with an image of a B-25 aircraft on the right while the left has the Raiders squadron patch designed by the Doolittle Tokyo Raiders Association. The jersey featured letters and numbers of steel and rivets like on the B-25 aircraft the Raiders flew in the World War II mission. The left sleeve features another Raiders squadron patch. The pants featured the roundel logo on the left front, which includes the star that appeared on the B-25 aircraft. The Raiders mantra, "Ever into Peril", appears down the right side of the pants, while the French version of the saying "Toujours au Danger" is on the left leg.[20]

at Colorado State
See also: 2023 Colorado State Rams football team and Air Force–Colorado State football rivalry
No. 19 Air Force Falcons (7–0) at Colorado State Rams (3–4)
Period 1 2 34Total
No. 19 Falcons 0 0 000
Rams 0 0 000

at Canvas Stadium, Fort Collins, CO

  • Date: October 28, 2023
  • Game time: 5:00 p.m. MDT
  • TV: CBSSN
Game information
StatisticsAFCSU
First downs
3rd down efficiency
4th down efficiency
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Penalties–yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Rankings
Further information: 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
— = Not ranked. RV = Received votes.
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP————RVRVRV2219
CoachesRVRVRVRVRVRVRV2219
CFPNot releasedNot released

References
  1. "https://fbschedules.com/2023-air-force-football-schedule/". Fbschedules.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  2. "Mountain West Football Media Predicts 2023 Order Of Finish". July 19, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  3. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/2005". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 29, 2023.
  4. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/coaches". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  5. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/roster". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  6. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401532570". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  7. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/stats/2023/robert-morris/boxscore/15278". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved September 2, 2023.
  8. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/293652005". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  9. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/stats/2023/sam-houston/boxscore/15279". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved September 10, 2023.
  10. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401532581". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  11. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/stats/2023/utah-state/boxscore/15280". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  12. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401532584". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  13. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/stats/2023/san-jose-state/boxscore/15281". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  14. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401532589". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  15. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/stats/2023/san-diego-state/boxscore/15282". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved October 3, 2023.
  16. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401532598". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  17. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/stats/2023/wyoming/boxscore/15283". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved October 17, 2023.
  18. "https://www.espn.com/college-football/recap/_/gameId/401531434". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  19. "https://goairforcefalcons.com/sports/football/stats/2023/navy/boxscore/15284". Goairforcefalcons.com. Retrieved October 21, 2023.
  20. https://goairforcefalcons.com/news/2023/8/15/air-force-to-honor-doolittle-raiders-with-air-power-legacy-series-in-2023


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