Air Force Falcons @ New Mexico Lobos Football Preview

The Air Force Academy’s football team has been kicked around like a rag doll the past few weeks. A team whose defense has been thoroughly overwhelmed has seen enough of the high-powered opponents in the sport will welcome a chance to breathe easily this weekend.

Air Force gets ready to enjoy a reprieve from a daunting schedule so far as it travels to play winless New Mexico this Saturday afternoon. The Falcons are on a three-game skid, going 1-3 in the rough stretch against Navy, at Notre Dame, home against San Diego State, and at Boise State. Air Force is 3-4 against a schedule of teams with a combined record of 30-20.

The Falcons fought well against powerhouse Boise State last week, and was one bad fake-punt (a botched one, that is – Air Force fumbled it and allowed the Broncos to score a touchdown) away from being in position to win at the end. While held below its second-ranked rushing average, Air Force still managed 264 rushing yards against a stout Boise run defense. The problem for the Falcons, though, is that their defense couldn’t lift a finger to stop the Broncos when the moment demanded it. On multiple occasions, Air Force created a one-possession game, only to see Boise answer with a score. Air Force’s defense couldn’t sustain momentum, and it couldn’t provide enough pendulum-swinging plays to create a different outcome.

That will change in week nine. Air Force, which allowed 59 points to Notre Dame, 41 to San Diego State, and 37 to Boise State, will now meet a team that can do little more than nothing.

New Mexico is an inextinguishable dumpster fire. TCU added flames to the Lobos’ unwanted fire with a 69-0 shellacking. TCU racked up 515 yards of offense while New Mexico could only manage 85. At 0-7, the Lobos now sport the worst defense in the country, ranking dead-last in rushing defense and pass-efficiency defense, and 119th in scoring defense. While Air Force is still struggling to beat the best teams in the Mountain West, it has definitely shown an ability to punish bad teams with its option attack. The Falcons’ most similar opponents to New Mexico this year are Tennessee State and South Dakota. Combining those two games, Air Force averaged a whopping 493 rushing yards and 147 passing yards. It seems very likely that New Mexico is in for another rough game, to say the least.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer