Houston vs. Air Force Football
2009 Armed Forces Bowl Preview
But the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl really isn't a half-bad matchup. In fact, it's a pretty intriguing one — even if the teams will be playing for the the third time in two seasons.
The nation's top-ranked passing offense will face the No. 1 pass defense when Houston and Air Force square off Thursday, Dec. 31, at Fort Worth, Texas. The Noon EST game, which is scheduled for telecast by ESPN, will also match one the country's top rushing attacks against one of the worst run defenses.
Houston (10-3) has what is statistically the best offense in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Coach Kevin Sumlin's Cougars are first in total offense (581.2 yårds per game), first in passing offense (450 yards) and second in scoring offense (43.9 points).
But the Cougars are 108th in total defense, allowing 442.7 yards per game. And they're really, really bad against the run, yielding 213.1 yards for 111th in the nation.
Air Force (7-5) is an option team that runs repeatedly and utilizes the forward pass like other teams use trick plays. Coach Troy Calhoun's Falcons are third nationally in rushing offense (273.5 yards) and 118th in passing offense (48.2 yards). Defensively, Air Force is first against the pass (148.7 yards) and 10th overall (284.8 yards).
But in their last game, the Falcons met Brigham Young — the best passing team in the Mountain West. The result? BYU recorded 377 passing yards and 498 total yards in a 38-21 victory.
Houston and Air Force will meet for the first time since ... well, last year's Armed Forces Bowl The Cougars defeated the Falcons 34-2 to end an eight-game bowl losing streak. Earlier in 2008, Air Force beat Houston 31-28 in the teams' first-ever matchup,
Air Force will be making its third consecutive Armed Forces Bowl appearance, and is still seeking its first win. The Falcons lost to Cal 42-36 in the 2007 contest. Both Air Force and Houston own all-time bowl records of 8-10-1.
Keenum, Cleveland Rank Among FBS Leaders
In its last game, Houston lost 38-32 to East Carolina in the CUSA championship game. Quarterack Case Keenum continued to record eye-popping statistics, passing for 527 yards and five touchdowns, while James Cleveland came up with a remarkable 19 catches for 241 yards and three TDs.
Keenum has passed 669 times this season, completing 71 percent for FBS highs of 5,449 yards and 43 touchdowns and is fifth in passing efficiency. The junior's been intercepted nine times — three vs. East Carolina. Cleveland has made 101 catches for 1,182 yards. The junior is second in the FBS with 9.2 receptions per game, tied for second with 14 touchdown catches, and sixth with 107.5 receiving yards per contest.Houston is likely to have three receivers top 1,000 yards. Cleveland's already done it, and Tyron Carrier (86 catches, 998 yards, 7 TDs) and Patrick Edwards (81 receptions, 985 yards, 5 TDs) are close Carrier is also a special-teams threat, with three kickoff returns for touchdowns.
The Cougars' spread attack also includes two effective running backs. Freshman Charles Sims has rushed for 632 yards and nine touchdowns, and caught 64 passes for 702 yards and one TD. Sophomore Bryce Beall. has run for 669 yards, and seven touchdowns, and brought in 31 passes or 302 yards and three scores.
Houston Forcing Plenty of Turnovers
Houston's extremely movable defense has been effective creating turnovers, as the Cougars are tied for ninth in the FBS with 29 takeaways. That's nine more times than they've turned the ball over.
The Cougars also have three players with more than 100 tackles. Sophomore linebacker Marcus McGraw has racked up 133, senior linebacker C.J. Cavness has posted 126 and
safety Nick Saenz has 101.
Other pivotal performers on defense include linebacker Philip Seward (84 tackles), cornerback Brandon Brinkley (73 tackles, 4 interceptions, 12 pass breakups), end Tyrell Graham (58 tackles, 7 sacks) and cornerback Jamal Robinson (55 tackles, 5 interceptions).
Air Force Quarterbacks Hampered by Injuries
Air Force has forced 28 turnovers and committed only 11, and its turnover ratio of plus-17 ranks third in the FBS. On the other hand, the Falcons committed four turnovers vs. BYU.
The youthful Falcons average 28.2 points and 355.9 yards per game — figures that would likely be higher if they had healthier quarterbacks. Tim Jefferson was knocked out of BYU game because of a back injury and Connor Dietz was already out with a broken hand. So third-stringer Ben Cochran played most of the game.
Jefferson has missed three full games because of injury, but is expected to play vs. Houston. The situation is less optimistic for fellow sophomore Dietz, who has sat out five games, including the last four in a row.
Twenty different Falcons have run the ball in the 2009. The most-utilized rusher is fullback Jared Tew, who's picked up 797 yards and scored seven TDs. Other options include Ahser Clark (736 yards, 5 TDs) and Savier Stephens (417 yards, 3 TDs).
Jefferson has completed 43 of 79 passes for 687 yards and five touchdowns. The sophomore's also run for three scores. Dietz has rushed for 369 yards and a touchdown and passed for 197 and a score. The top receivers are Kevin Fogler (21 catches, 478 yards, 5 TDs) and Jonathan Warzeka (15 catches, 201 yards, 1 TD).
Cornerbacks Help Carry Air Force Defense
Air Force is yielding 15.3 points per game, ranking 10th in the FBS. The ball-control offense helps by giving the defense extra rest. So does the presence of big-play cornerbacks Anthony Wright and Reggie Rembert.
Wright's come up with four interceptions, and returned two for touchdowns. Rembert, the only Falcon to gain first-team all-conference recognition in 2009, has made three interceptions, and returned one of his two fumble recoveries for a TD.
The Falcons' defensive line features Ben Garland (10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 2 blocked kicks) and Rick Ricketts (51 tackles, 4 sacks). Linebacker John Falgout is the team's leading tackler with 96. He's followed by fellow LBs Justin Moore (75) and Andre Morris (59). DB Jon Davis has added 56 tackles and two interceptions.
Case Keenum vs. Air Force in 2008
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