Three years ago, it was a 48-10 loss to TCU - Air Force's opponent in Saturday's season finale - that prompted some infamous comments from then-coach Fisher DeBerry.

After watching the Horned Frogs fly around the field and make his Falcons look like they were wading through peanut butter, DeBerry said TCU had "a lot more Afro-American players than we did."

The comments made for a national story, put DeBerry in the center of a firestorm and, eventually, prompted a public apology from the longtime coach.

But strip away the dated racial language - and the subject of race altogether - and there was an important point made for a football team that was veering from mediocre to perennial doormat: If the Falcons were to have any chance of competing in the Mountain West Conference, they needed to get faster.

Desperately.

That was coach Troy Calhoun's assessment when he took over for DeBerry after the 2006 season.

"Acceleration and then top-end," speed, Calhoun said of where his team needed to improve. "Just so you have a chance to make a few more larger-sized plays."

While speed always has been important, Calhoun saw the attribute as becoming more necessary because of how the game had evolved.

"This game's an open-field game," Calhoun said. "I think as the game's gotten more and more spread out, it's necessitated the need to, one, defensively, converge to close up space, to close ground. And then, offensively, the days of having very many 14-play drives are - it still occurs, but rarely. You've got to have some double-digit (yardage) plays in there."

So while academic performance and character remain the initial factors in deciding if a potential recruit would be a good fit at the academy, Calhoun and his staff have made speed the most sought-after on-field commodity. When breaking down film, "the first thing we look at, doesn't matter if it's a lineman, linebacker, defensive back, is what is his speed," defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said.

"We're looking for speed more than anything else, and athleticism," secondary coach and recruiting coordinator Charlton Warren said. "If they're big, great, but that's why you'll see a 5-foot-7 (Reggie) Rembert (a cornerback) with some speed and quickness get recruited over maybe a 6-foot kid that's maybe pretty slow."

There is evidence the Falcons are bringing in faster recruits, as - by and large - the team's swiftest players are freshmen and sophomores.

Freshman quarterback Tim Jefferson is far faster than senior Shea Smith, the player he supplanted as starter midway through the season. Freshmen Jon Davis and Asher Clark probably move the best of the safeties and running backs, respectively. And freshmen Jonathan Warzeka and Jaquon Robinson are the fastest of the receivers.

"They've got a lot of speed, got a lot of athleticism," junior strong safety Chris Thomas said of the freshmen. "I think (the coaching staff has) done a great job of bringing in guys with speed."

As for the players already at the academy, Calhoun and his staff have taken steps to allow them to "play faster." Strength and conditioning coach Matt McGettigan's workouts are designed to build speed, lateral quickness and flexibility as much as strength, and - even when it comes to linemen - coaches have made it clear they prefer mobility to bulk.

"When I got here, we had huge guys - everyone was big," senior outside linebacker Hunter Altman said. "If you look at our (2008) offensive line, our defensive line, our linebackers, everyone's smaller. But I think we move a little better."

In addition, while the Falcons have an extensive offensive playbook and a complicated defense, Calhoun said game plans are "concise." And fast-paced practices give players plenty of chances to work different plays and sets.

"You've got to make sure your guys absolutely know what to do so they're extremely aggressive, so they're playing to their capability," Calhoun said.

While Air Force is closing the speed gap, it has a ways to go - especially when it comes to teams like TCU. This week in practice, scouts sometimes were given a step or two head start to help adjust for the Horned Frogs' speed.

"We're a little quicker - more so than we were 18 months ago," Calhoun said. "And yet just from a team standpoint, we're not even close to where we need to be."

Saturday in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs will provide a pretty good measuring stick.