First quarter update: Air Force 7, San Diego State 3

Both offenses moved the ball without much resistance in the first quarter Thursday night, but host Air Force had a 7-3 lead after 15 minutes.

San Diego State started well, moving the ball downfield easily, led by Ronnie Hillman’s 39 rushing yards. But Air Force tightened inside the 20-yard line and held the Aztecs to a field goal.

Air Force’s defense has been struggling, but the offense has been just fine. The Falcons responded with a great drive of their own, with Asher Clark picking up a first down on fourth and 1, then capped by a 26-yard touchdown catch by Jonathan Warzeka.

Here's a quick breakdown of Thursday night's football between Air Force and San Diego State at Falcon Stadium:

Spotlight player

Asher Clark

Tailback

Ht: 5-8, Wt: 190, Class: Sr., No: 17

Hometown: Lawrenceville, Ga.   

High School: Peachtree Ridge

2011 stats: 52 carries, 484 yards, three touchdowns

Notable: Clark continues to creep up the Falcons’ all-time list in rushing yards. Clark ranks third, behind quarterbacks Dee Dowis and Beau Morgan. Clark is 411 yards behind Morgan for second place, and 644 yards behind all-time leader Dowis.

Why to watch him: Clark has averaged 9.3 yards per carry this season, which is almost a full yard better than the single-season Air Force record of 8.5 set by Mike Brown in 1983. Clark has only 52 carries in five games, however. Falcons coach Troy Calhoun said his team wants to continue to spread the ball around, which could mean Clark’s carries will still be limited.  

Coach’s quote: “He’s been better this year, and I think it correlates with being able to practice.” – Calhoun

Three things to watch

1 - Tackling Hillman

San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman is hard to bring down. He has great balance when he’s hit, and an array of moves that can make a defender flat out miss. The Falcons’ defense, which has struggled against the run, has to be fundamentally sound and not let Hillman make them grasp for air when he gets in the open field.

2 - Simple but effective

One of the edges the Falcons usually have is installing a complicated game plan during the week. That wasn’t possible this week, with two fewer days to prepare. Perhaps a simpler plan on defense will allow the players – many of which are replacing injured starters – to play faster and be more effective.

3 - Keep the offense moving

The Falcons are capable of winning a shootout. Lost in Air Force’s loss at Notre Dame was that the offense moved the ball well and scored 33 points. Quarterback Tim Jefferson is throwing the ball well, and the running game has been effective, as normal. The Falcons can also keep the defense fresh by sustaining drives.

Key matchup

Falcons’ pass rush vs. San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley

San Diego State has a balanced offense, with star running back Hillman and quarterback Ryan Lindley, who is a likely NFL draft pick next year. Lindley has a great arm and can find his receivers downfield. The Falcons’ pass rush hasn’t been very good since the season opener, with just four sacks in four games, and if Lindley has time, that’ll put a lot of pressure on the secondary

Quote to note

“It’s part of the game and it does hurt our team when starters aren’t in there, but guys have to step in and we can’t miss a beat with those guys. We are hurting, the injury bug has gotten us a bit, but that’s no excuse.” – cornerback Anthony Wright.

Note to quote

Over San Diego State’s past 13 games, it has defeated all three service academies – Army, Navy and Air Force.

By the numbers

19: Receivers who have caught a touchdown pass from San Diego State quarterback Ryan Lindley in his career.

2-1: Air Force’s record in Thursday night games under Calhoun. They have won both home games.

5-6: San Diego State coach Rocky Long’s record against Air Force when he was New Mexico’s coach from 1998-2008.