Bold call pays off for Air Force to start the season

Nine days before the season opener, Air Force’s coaches brainstormed and came up with the perfect play to start the game against South Dakota.

And when they scripted that play, a reverse to receiver Mikel Hunter, they couldn’t have imagined how perfect it would be.

Hunter took a pitch from Jonathan Warzeka and started left, getting behind a great block from quarterback Tim Jefferson. He continued to weave in and out of traffic, setting up blockers downfield, notably hustling offensive linemen A.J. Wallerstein and Michael Hester.

By the time Hunter was done, he had an 80-yard touchdown to start the season, the longest touchdown run for Air Force since Blane Morgan had an 80-yarder against New Mexico in 1998.

“I expected something big,” Hunter said. “There was a lot of anxiety built up. I’ve been thinking about it all week, actually.”

Air Force’s coaches decided on the reverse because they figured South Dakota would be charged up for the first play of the season. They were exactly right.

“You’re kids are so amped up and they’re so excited to run,” South Dakota coach Ed Meierkort said. “Air Force, they use your own anxiety against you. We talked about, all day long how we have to run to the football. And they run a reverse into the wind, and there’s your first seven points.”

There is some risk involved running a reverse to start a game, but Air Force trusted its veterans on offense to execute it well.

“If it doesn’t work, it’s a ‘What in the world were you thinking?’ ” coach Troy Calhoun said.

The Falcons use misdirection plays often in their offense, but rarely has one worked as well as Hunter’s run to open the 2011 season.

“It was a little different to do it the very first play of the game,” Jefferson said. “Obviously it worked out pretty well.”