Air Force loses two more defensive starters to injury
Air Force will head into a difficult October without four defensive starters.
Cornerback Chris Miller will be out a month with a leg injury and defensive end Zach Payne might be out for the season with a knee injury, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. Both players suffered those injuries Saturday against Tennessee State. They join outside linebacker Patrick Hennessey (thumb) and nose guard Ryan Gardner (knee) on the sideline. Both of those players are probably out through mid-November, at least.
That leaves the Falcons’ defense pretty thin going into a tough game at Navy this week.
“We’ve gotta go,” Calhoun said. “That’s all there is to it.”
There’s also a question of whether safety Brian Lindsay will play, and whether Lindsay will be a starter when he is healthy. Lindsay has a groin injury that he aggravated last week, and it kept him out of Saturday’s game. He was replaced by Anthony Wooding, and Calhoun indicated that will be a permanent switch, even if Lindsay is healthy.
“I think there’s some separation with Anthony Wooding at strong safety,” Calhoun said.
Lindsay could return to practice later this week, Calhoun said.
The Falcons will replace Miller with Steffon Batts, who was a starter for most of training camp before Miller beat him out right before the season opener. To replace Payne, Harry Kehs will play one defensive end spot and Ben Kopacka will play the other. Those two players had split the snaps at the defensive end spot opposite Payne.
“They’re going to play well for us,” Calhoun said.
Also, linebacker Ken Lamendola has a hamstring injury, and Calhoun said he is doubtful this week. The timing of the injuries is certainly not ideal, with games at Navy, at Notre Dame, vs. San Diego State and at Boise State coming up the next four weeks.
“It is tough when you see, ‘Dang, our best defensive lineman just went down,’ or ‘Our cornerback just went down,’” safety Jon Davis said. “But we’ve got guys coming in off the bench that can make plays, too.”
