+7
The Air Force Falcons struggled all game long to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This will not make an Air Force highlight reel.
The Air Force Falcons will need to mount a second half comeback if they hope to overcome the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. At halftime, the Irish lead the Falcons, 42-16. As Frank Schwab of the Colorado Springs Gazette points out, the 42 points are the most the Falcons have allowed in one quarter since Troy Calhoun took over as coach in 2007.
Air Force showed better signs of life in the second quarter. After allowing three Tommy Rees touchdown passes in the first quarter, the Falcons were able to put two touchdowns on the board. Quarterback Tim Jefferson picked the first one up on a three-yard run to the right, but it was the offside penalty on 4th-and-2 one play earlier that let Jefferson do that.
The Falcons scored the second touchdown on a Jefferson six-yard pass to Ty MacArthur. However, it was David Baska's 19-yard run on a fake punt that turned that drive around. Still, Notre Dame's offense couldn't be stopped. Rees threw his fourth touchdown pass of the game, as he found Theo Riddick for a 24-yard touchdown. Rees has thrown each of his touchdowns to a different receiver.
Air Force running back Asher Clark has seven rushes for 73 yards, but he did miss a portion of the game after hitting into the Notre Dame bench. He also had the ball forced from his possession in the first quarter, eventually resulting in a Rees touchdown pass.
Here's this week's college football TV schedule, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub and for Notre Dame coverage head over to One Foot Down.
The Air Force Falcons started the second quarter of play against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with better results than the first quarter. The Falcons were about to settle for their second field goal of the day before Notre Dame went offside on the 4th-and-2 attempt. Instead, the Falcons received a new set of downs. However, quarterback Tim Jefferson needed only one play, a three-yard rush to the right, to put the Falcons on the board. Parker Herrington had his point-after attempt blocked, leaving the Irish in the lead by 12 points, 21-9.
The Falcons, though, were unable to hold Notre Dame on the following drive. Tommy Rees continued to throw the ball down the field, and running back Jonas Gray also had a few runs. His five-yard touchdown run sealed the drive. The Irish now lead by 19 points, 28-9.
Here's this week's college football TV schedule, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub and for Notre Dame coverage head over to One Foot Down.
The Air Force Falcons are having possibly the worst first quarter they could have against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Falcons are down, 21-3, in the first quarter and there's roughly four minutes left on the clock.
Notre Dam'es Tommy Rees has been shredding the Air Force pass defense the entire time. He has three touchdown passes. The first was a 30-plus yard touchdown catch by Michael Floyd. After Air Force turned the ball over on the next drive, Rees converted that into a five-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Eifert.
Air Force struck back for a field goal after it failed to convert on 3rd-and-11. Parker Herrington kicked a 33-yard field goal. But Rees answered that with a 10-yard pass to Robby Toma, the first touchdown grab in Toma's three-year career.
Air Force running back Asher Clark appears to have bruised his hip after running into Notre Dame's bench.
Here's this week's college football TV schedule, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub and for Notre Dame coverage head over to One Foot Down.
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish struck first in their game against the Air Force Falcons. Quarterback Tommy Rees started the Irish on their own 19-yard line and jump-started the drive with a 23-yard pass to Theo Riddick. Riddick started the play in the backfield and was the man-in-motion when Rees snapped the ball. Wide receiver Michael Floyd delivered the block that made that play possible.
A few plays later, Rees threw a deep pass to Floyd, who came down with his 32nd career touchdown reception and the 7-0 lead. The play was reviewed and it looked like Floyd was out of bounds before the ball crossed the plane, but the referee upheld the call of a touchdown on the field.
Air Force turned the ball over on the following drive. Asher Clark broke off a big run, but during contact he lost control of the ball.
Here's this week's college football TV schedule, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub and for Notre Dame coverage head over to One Foot Down.
This is Air Force's second consecutive game on broadcast television which is a first for the program as the Falcons travel on the road to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This is the first matchup between the two schools since 2007 when Air Force defeated Notre Dame 41-24, also on the road. That Air Force win happened to be the most lopsided loss Notre Dame suffered when going up against a service academy since a 41-7 loss to Navy in 1948. That 2007 win was also the first season for current Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun.
Game date, time: 1:30 p.m. MT, Saturday, Oct. 8, 2011
Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.
TV: NBC
Spread: Notre Dame is favored by 17 points.
Here's this week's college football TV schedule, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub and for Notre Dame coverage head over to One Foot Down.
Air Force takes on Notre Dame this Saturday on the road and the Falcons are the underdog; however the run-option offense is difficult to defend and this game should be close due to that run-based offense. Turnovers could be key to this game since Notre Dame sits at minus nine in turnover margin, whereas Air Force is at minus two. Whoever can protect the ball better should win this game.
Here are some predictions from various outlets about this matchup.
The Irish lead the series 22-6, but Air Force won the most recent meeting, in 2007. Before that, though, Notre Dame had won 11 of 12. The Irish have allowed just one rushing TD this season; Air Force has 15 of those.
The pick: Notre Dame 34-21
What Will Happen: It's Notre Dame. There will be turnovers. However, there won't be enough of them for Air Force to overcome good, balanced day from the Irish offense and a huge day from Michael Floyd. He might not come up with the 12 catches for 137 yards and a score he had against Purdue, but he'll have his fourth double-digit catch day of the season.
The pick: Notre Dame 34, Air Force 16
Hmm, this is a bad spot for Notre Dame. They're riding a three game win streak, have been on the road the last two weekends, and are only 60 minutes from a bye with rival USC the following Saturday.
Can you say trap game?
The pick: Notre Dame 28, Air Force 24
The Fighting Irish have a decided advantage on paper in this matchup, especially on the Offensive and Defensive lines, where they'll have anywhere between a 30 and 50 pound weight advantage over the Falcons. The Irish Offense will have to avoid the turnovers, like against Purdue, and let their playmakers take over. The key for the Irish defense will be the defensive line getting off of the cut blocks that will come on most plays, filling their correct hole, and getting to the QB when Air Force does decide to pass. The secondary will also need to play mistake free, as one bad step can lead to an easy 7 points going the other way.
The pick: Notre Dame 34, Air Force 24
My prediction is that this game will be close to the end, but ultimately I am going to predict Notre Dame to win a close game, 27-24.
The Air Force Falcons take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in Game 2 of their difficult October stretch. This is the first meeting between these two schools since they played in 2007; the Falcons defeated the Irish, 41-24. Notre Dame is on a three-game winning streak after their 0-2 start and have turned around their play during the past three games by protecting the ball. In the Irish's first two games they turned the ball over 10 times, but during their current three-game winning streak only five turnovers. On the year they are at a minus-nine and are 118 out of 120 in the nation in turnover margin. The only turnover-free game the Irish had was in last week's win over Purdue.
Notre Dame brings in one of the best players in the country, wide receiver Michael Floyd. For the year, Floyd has 47 catches for 561 yards and three touchdowns. The Air Force secondary is questionable and can give up a lot of yards, so the Falcon defense will need to find a way to either get pressure on quarterback Tommy Rees and add additional coverage on Michael Floyd. However, Air Force also needs to pay attention to running back Cierre Wood, who averages 116 yards per game, so Air Force will have their hands full with a defense that has had question marks at times this year.
Notre Dame has not fared well against the run-option offenses as they have lost the past two games against Navy. This Air Force team is at least on par with those Navy teams, if not better. Air Force will use the combination of quarterback Tim Jefferson and running back Asher Clark in the running game. Notre Dame is 19th in the nation against the run, allowing 91 yards per game. Meanwhile, Air Force is ranked third in the nation rushing for 364.5 yards per game. Something has to give on either end and with a run-option they are usually going to get their yards, even going up against elite defenses. This rushing attack allows teams with lesser talent to be able to compete against teams that have better talent. Notre Dame will also need to pay attention to quarterback Tim Jefferson, who is an efficient passer and can beat the Notre Dame defense if the secondary cheats up on the run.
This game kicks off at 1:30 p.m. MT and will be broadcast on NBC.
For more on Notre Dame check out One Foot Down.
Air Force Vs. Notre Dame Final Score: Irish Dominate Falcons From Beginning To End, 59-33
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish avenged their 2007 home loss to the Air Force Falcons with a 59-33 victory there on Saturday afternoon. The Irish never struggled in this game, as they kept pulling away thanks to quarterback Tommy Rees. Rees was 21-of-29 for 260 yards and four touchdowns. He threw three of those in the first quarter, each to a different receiver.
The Fighting Irish also had a strong rushing attack. Andrew Hendrix had just six rushes but for 111 yards. Jonas Gray averaged nearly 10 yards per carry on seven attempts and put the ball into the end zone twice. Cierre Wood found the end zone as well. Receivers Michael Floyd, Tyler Eifert and Theo Riddick each had a touchdown catch and over 78 yards receiving.
While the Falcons defense had a tough game, the offense was able to move the ball up and down the field, though not into the end zone. Tim Jefferson did run and throw for a touchdown, but those were the only times the Falcons were able to put the ball into the end zone until the fourth quarter. Quarterback Connor Dietz found Drew Coleman for a 36-yard touchdown pass with 5:30 left on the clock. Kicker Parker Herrington kicked two field goals but missed his first extra point attempt.
The Falcons (3-2) return home for a Thursday game with the San Diego St. Aztecs.
Here's this week's college football TV schedule, stay tuned to SB Nation's college football news hub and for Notre Dame coverage head over to One Foot Down.
Oct 08 5:06p by Russ Oates