AFA football: BYU not looking past Falcons

Air Force’s game with BYU this Saturday falls one week before the Cougars’ annual clash with arch rival Utah.

But don’t expect the 19th-ranked Cougars to be looking past the Falcons. Especially after their performance in Albuquerque.

After flattening Wyoming 52-0 on Nov. 7, the Cougars had to hold on to beat winless New Mexico 24-19 last Saturday. BYU quarterback Max Hall told Utah reporters the close call against the Lobos will be “motivating.”

“We kind of got a kick in the butt,” he said. “Now we gotta get better. … We will get better from it. I’m actually kind of happy because I think we are going to learn from it, and we are going to finish off strong.”

Even if the Cougars had pounded New Mexico, however, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall would have his team focused on the Falcons.

“They coach them, both sides of the ball, to respect our kids,” Air Force defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said.

“They come in and most games we get their best shot, where sometimes we sneak up on people. But I think that there’s a healthy respect on both sides, and so I think that definitely helps them that way.”

BYU has won 23-of-29 meetings between the teams, including the last five.

“It’s always a very physical football game,” Mendenhall said. “It’s one that I think our players have a special place for, and it’s one that certainly isn’t easy, not only from a scheme standpoint but from just the execution that you have to be ready for.”