What We Know after 3 Games

A mid September bye gives Air Force a chance to take a step back and for Troy Calhoun to look at his football team and plot for the rest of the season. Several Things stand out after their 2-1 start: 1) LB Jordan Pierce is the real deal. He was in Calhoun's doghouse for unspecified reasons, but since starting for the injured Joey Nichol, has been magnificent. He had 10 tackles against Georgia State and has 19 in 3 games along with an interception, 1 sack and 4 tackles for loss. Watching him play, he reminds me of Chris Gizzi. He must stay in the lineup even after Nichol comes back from injury. 2) Air Force is pretty good against the run, but their pass defense needs some work. I do think its better than last year. But the Falcons still must cover better and get some more pressure on the opposing teams quarterback. The linebackers must cover better, and Air Force may have to consider rushing 5 on passing downs consistently, and when you have a running quarterback that 5th rusher should be a linebacker who is a "spy", going wherever the qb goes. 3) I thought against Georgia State the Falcons finally showed the perfect blend of run plays versus pass plays. The Falcons threw it 15 times. That's enough to keep opposing defenses on their toes, and when they are not, look what happened. 2 touchdown passes from Kale Pearson to Garret Brown. Brown is a real weapon, catching the ball and getting handoffs in the backfield. He must touch the ball at least 10 times a game. He had 6 catches for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns...Jalen Robinette-get him the ball as well. He had 4 catches for 118 yards, and he stretched to haul one in to set up an Air Force score. He is a weapon, but only if you use him. A quick bubble screen to him is a 5-7 yard pass play, and if he breaks it, we move the chains. ......RB Jacobi Owens. He already has 431 yards rushing in only 3 games. Work Him-give him 20 carries a game. He turns 2 yard gains into 4 yard efforts....6 yard gains into 8 yard plays..The defense has to focus on him, which means when you want to throw play action, the Falcons have the advantage. 4) I know fans were bummed the Georgia State score was as close as it was, but the Panthers have a good passing attack. Moving forward I would love to see Air Force continue to find their play makers on offense, and try to improve their pass defense. After this weeks bye, its a gauntlet of tough teams...Boise State, Navy, and Utah State. How the rest of the season fares may well be determined over the next 3 weeks. But play to your strengths, and these Falcons could be better than people think.