Air Force vs. Buckness
Location: Colorado Springs, CO (Falcon Stadium)
Date/Time: Saturday, August 30th at 1:30 p.m. (MT)
Television: CBS Sports
Streaming: CBS Sports App
Radio: The Varsity Network
Head-to-Head: This will be the first matchup between the programs.
Three things to look for:
1. Chemistry from the Air Force Offense
There is no way around it, the offense has to start much faster in 2025 than it did last year. In their opener against Merrimack of the FCS last year, the Falcon offense never looked
right. Due to a history that would suggest the staff and team would figure things out, most weren’t quick to hit the panic button after a lackluster performance against a basement Patriot League opponent.
Unfortunately, that was just the beginning, as the offense bottomed out a few weeks later along the way to stumbling to a 1-7 record out of the gate. And while the season concluded with a four-game win streak that invokes optimism for this new season, last year’s early struggles could loom in the minds of many should Air Force struggle to find their rhythm, and the end zone against another FCS opponent in Bucknell.
The quarterback situation is unclear, which never lends to good offensive chemistry. But the offensive line and surrounding cast of skill positions certainly look to be a steadying force. Lean on those strong position groups and execute the offense. Carry over that late 2024 optimism through the opener against lesser competition than what awaits the balance of this schedule.
2. Division of Labor (Especially at QB)
In typical Troy Calhoun fashion, the Air Force depth chart does very little to clarify the starting line-up in advance of gameday. There are a lot of (or) notations on the depth chart, indicating multiple players are vying for the starting role still. And of course, most pronounced would be the quarterback position, which still appears unclear, at least publicly.
Both Josh Johnson and Liam Szarka are listed as potential starters for the season opener against Bucknell. Which means, for the third consecutive season, the Falcons will feature a new starter, irrespective of which of these guys are featured. It will be very interesting to see how much playing time each of them earns, and particularly in the game situations. If one of these players were to take a majority of the early game snaps, only to relinquish playing time and the end of a game that is at hand, there could be a lot to glean from that scenario.
Quarterback isn’t the only position with intriguing competition indicated at the depth chart. Linebacker and Cornerback also appear to have some jockeying playing out into the start of the season. I would expect to see a lot of different ball carriers, especially at fullback, as well. But that’s part of offense’s DNA.
Quarterback is where the highest level of scrutiny will be placed, relative to snap counts.
3. Communication
Air Force is breaking in an entirely new secondary essentially. Yes, there are guys who have seen plenty of playing time, even starts. But as a unit, the back of the defense is going to need to learn to gel as a completely new grouping. While acknowledging this is an FCS competition from Bucknell, they do feature the program’s most prolific passer returning as a fifth-year senior in Raph Rucker IV.
Rucker and the Bison were tops in the Patriot League last year in Passing Offense, Total Offense and Scoring Offense. It’s no wonder Rucker was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Their passing attack should be a nice opportunity for the Falcons to see what kind of air defense they provide.
Prediction:
I’ll get right to the point: Troy Calhoun (18-0) and Air Force (28-0) have never lost to an FCS opponent. While I expect a nice test early on relative to the FCS competition that the Bucknell Bison can provide, I’m not sure it will be risk of defeat.
This should be a team eager to carry late season success into the new year, and further themselves from the stank that was the first eight weeks of the 2024 season. Additionally, this is critically necessary game to work any kinks out before an unrelenting schedule kicks off for Air Force.
Look for a lot of fullback carries as a part of a plan to get the offense on track early. An unrelenting defensive front from Brian Knorr’s unit should make the production that Rucker and crew enjoyed last year a little more difficult than the competition they faced a year ago.
With the run game and defensive front leading the way, I look for Air Force to control this game and roll into early Mountain West Competition against Utah State with a 31-10 win over the Bison.
Air Force Sings Second.
