Passing Fancy

I know. You see the title and you think I'm talking about Air Force throwing 32 times against Wyoming. However I am referring to this Saturdays game against Georgia State in Atlanta, because I think its a true test for the Falcons. Last weeks win by Wyoming was a result of the Cowboys getting out of character and throwing the football a lot. That's how they drove down the field to score the game winning touchdown with 58 seconds remaining. Passing teams simply killed Air Force last year. The Falcons didn't help themselves with a prevent defense mindset a season ago. So Saturday, here come the Panthers, with a quarterback who threw 73 touchdowns, (yes 73) in 2 years of junior college play. His name is Nick Arbuckle. In 2 games this year he is averaging 353 yards passing. How much better is Air Force on defense and specifically against the pass? This matchup will prove to be a good indicator of what we can expect going forward. Both Troy Calhoun and Outside Linebackers Coach Matt Weikert told me this week the Falcons gave a little too much cushion on the last drive to the Wyoming wide receivers. Saturday, Georgia State will toss the ball all over the place, including to their tight end Joel Ruiz who is very good. Can Air Force slow down the Panthers passing attack? Can they get pressure on Arbuckle and force him into some poor throws? Will the Falcons be able to tighten up the coverage, especially without Safety Jamal Byrd who will miss the game because of an injury? With the exception of Navy and Army, the rest of the teams Air Force will play this year throw the football to varying degrees. How well the Falcons play the pass Saturday against Georgia State may go a long way to telling us how this season will turn out. Injury notes: In addition to Byrd, LB Joey Nichol will miss the game because of a groin injury, and FB Shane Davern could miss up to 6 weeks because of a knee injury. The Falcons do hope to have LT Matt Rochell back in the lineup. He went out during the Wyoming game with a concussion. But he has felt better this week, and if he passes the safety protocols, will play Saturday. Listen to the game live at 12p on Colorado's 740 KVOR.