Long odds but short memories

On Saturday, for the first time this season, Air Force's opponent will have history on its side.

BYU, the 16th-ranked team in the nation and the two-time defending Mountain West Conference champion, will bring a 22-6 head-to-head record against Air Force into the game at Falcon Stadium.

Other than TCU, which has a 4-2-1 record against Air Force, the Cougars are the Falcons' only annual opponent (a league team or service academy) that has beaten them more times than not. And only Notre Dame - which holds a 22-6 advantage - has as lopsided a record against the Falcons.

Recent history in the Air Force-BYU series has been especially gruesome. After winning five of seven games from 1995 through 2003, the Falcons have lost four straight to the Cougars, and none has been close. Last season BYU beat Air Force 31-6, which stands as the team's worst defeat - by far - in Troy Calhoun's 23 games as coach.

There are obvious reasons for BYU's success.

"They've got a heck of a program," Calhoun said.

"They've had tremendous players and tremendous coaches," defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter added.

But beyond that, there are other factors that have made BYU a tough matchup for Air Force.

The most obvious is the Cougars' size.

"Just physically, there's probably as big a difference in this game as any you can play at the academy," Calhoun said.
Consider this year: The average size of BYU's five starting offensive linemen is 6-foot-6, 326.4 pounds. That means Air Force's starting defensive linemen give up, on average, 61.4 pounds per player. And BYU's defensive linemen outweigh the Falcons' offensive linemen by an average of 5 pounds each.

"I just don't think we match up very well against them, position by position because of the size," defensive end Ryan Kemp said.
The Cougars' advantage in size - and strength - was evident last season, when BYU outgained Air Force 452-231.

"Physically, they pounded on us pretty well on both sides of the ball," Calhoun said. "I thought they mauled us."

Another problem for Air Force - especially when the Falcons ran the triple-option almost exclusively - has been preparing for BYU's passing attack in practice.

"For so many years when we were in a wishbone offense, it's hard to simulate what they do, so I think it was hard defensively," DeRuyter said. "It's like people getting ready for the wishbone, it was hard for them."

Some have argued that age is a factor too, as many BYU players serve two-year Mormon missions before or during their college careers and thus are older.

"There's probably a little bit of difference in birth certificates," Calhoun said.

Brett Pyne of BYU's athletic communications department said the school does not release the ages of its players because of "privacy issues" (Air Force players' birth dates are listed in the team's media guide). But according to BYU's pregame notes, 60 of the team's 105 players (57 percent) have served two-year Mormon missions.

One is junior tight end Dennis Pitta, who said this week he's 23. The Air Force player who often will line up against him - sophomore strongside outside linebacker Andre Morris Jr. - turned 19 in August.

But while players come back from missions older, they argue they return at a significant physical disadvantage and often need more than a year to get back into playing shape.

"When you're away from the sport for two years, you kind of lose your fire, lose your drive, lose the vision you had before on the field, the feel and comfort you had in the game," said Pitta, who served a mission in the Dominican Republic.

Junior receiver Austin Collie said there are no physical advantages to spending two seasons away, "and anyone who says there is hasn't served a mission." But he added that "mentally, it's a huge advantage."

Air Force's squad is especially young, with 17 sophomores and juniors on its two-deep chart for offense and defense.

But with the Falcons in their second season of a more balanced offense, the defense should have been able to prepare better at practices this week. And while the Falcons still are much smaller than the Cougars, this year's defensive front arguably is the best - and one of the bigger - the academy has had in recent years. In addition, the Falcons should be stronger in their second year under strength and conditioning coach Matt McGettigan.

As for the historical advantage the Cougars hold? Players have acknowledged it but not dwelled on it.

"Yesterday doesn't mean that's tomorrow," Calhoun said. "I don't think you're ever oblivious to yesterday, but I think if you're somebody that wants to live, then you work today and you pursue tomorrow."