Air Force looks to backups to move into bigger roles

The news that Air Force lost two defensive starters for 8-10 weeks was a tough blow, but the football season won’t wait for the Falcons’ injured players to heal.

Air Force has to elevate a couple of players from the second team to replace outside linebacker Patrick Hennessey and nose guard Ryan Gardner. That means a great opportunity for two backups, even if the circumstance isn’t ideal.

Jamil Cooks, a Sierra High School graduate, will take over for Hennessey, who has a broken thumb. Cooks didn’t win a starting job before Week 1, but the talented sophomore has his chance.

“I’ve got to make the most of my opportunity,” Cooks said. “I’ve got to look at it as a chance for me to grow as a player.”

Cooks’ inclusion in the starting lineup was an easy choice for the coaches. He had shown a lot of promise last year as a freshman, made Air Force’s best defensive play against TCU off the bench with a sack, forced fumble and fumble recovery on the same play, and almost won a starting job in August.

“He’s a guy you see in various moments does make some significant plays,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “There’s some things we have to clean up, some mistakes.”

Calhoun brought up Cooks being out of position when he allowed a short touchdown pass to the fullback against TCU. Cooks said he has to be more consistent as a starter, but he was excited for his new role, and said he was ready to play at a starter’s level.

“He’s one of those guys who will benefit by playing,” Calhoun said.

The nose guard spot will be a bit tougher to fill. Gardner, who suffered a knee injury, was a very effective player. He didn’t put up big statistics, because his job was to occupy blockers for the Falcons’ linebackers. His performance isn’t underestimated by Air Force, however.

“He’s very good,” inside linebacker Jordan Waiwaiole said. “He lets us run. He lets us second-level guys move around. Ryan Gardner is a good player who we’re going to miss.”

Nose guard candidates Nick DeJulio and Cody Miller have some experience, but most of that playing time came in Week 2 after Gardner went down. Miller played in three games as a sophomore last season. DeJulio, also a junior, spent his first two years on the junior varsity. Sophomore Daniel Vinson is also a candidate to start, but he also didn’t play with the varsity last year. Still, someone in that group is going to have to step in.

“Great kids,” Calhoun said about the nose guards. “Pretty good pad level, kids that like playing football, kids that got some stuff about them competitively. And we’ll need every bit of that.”

There is a reason Gardner and Hennessey were starters. They were trustworthy seniors who gave the defense its best chance at success. But injuries happen in football, and now, Air Force needs its backups to emerge.

“These guys will do a good job too,” Calhoun said.