Falcons bracing for high-octane Cougars

By Jim Benton, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published November 13, 2008 at 1:14 p.m.

Text size  

• 0 Comments
• Email
• Print

Photo by Bryan Oller / Associated Press

Air Force defenders celebrate after making a key tackle against New Mexico running back Paul Baker earlier in the season.

Tim DeRuyter knows what it takes to play good defense at Air Force.

After all, he was a linebacker for the Falcons from 1983 to 1985, helping win three bowl games. Now he's in his second season as the Air Force defensive coordinator and associate head coach.

Along the way, his defensive philosophy never has wavered.

"I like being multiple, I like pressuring with run blitz and pass blitz and disguising coverages," he said. "If you can stop the run and create takeaways, you have a chance."

So far, the underrated Air Force defense has been doing its job, but its biggest test looms Saturday (1:30 p.m., CBS C) when No. 16 Brigham Young visits Falcon Stadium with both teams in contention for the Mountain West Conference championship.

"No doubt, it is our toughest challenge," DeRuyter said.

Air Force has allowed 17.3 points a game, which ranks 17th in Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) in scoring defense. The Falcons lead the Mountain West and are seventh in FBS in turnover margin at plus-12 and are second in FBS with 15 fumble recoveries.

"We've got some guys that can make some plays," DeRuyter said, mentioning Ryan Kemp, Jake Paulson, Hunter Altman, Chris Thomas and Brandon Reeves, among others.

"The younger guys like Reggie Rembert, Anthony Wright and (Ken) Lamendola are figuring out, 'Hey, that's what we are supposed to do.' "

That learning curve will be accelerated this week. DeRuyter, who started his 17-year coaching career as an assistant at Air Force and returned last year, said he is impressed by BYU's high-powered attack.

BYU is FBS' eighth-most prolific passing team, averaging 314.8 yards a game, and ranks 17th in total offense with a 443.8 average. The Cougars' 166.7 pass-efficiency rating is ninth in FBS.

"They are tremendous on offense, starting with their quarterback (Max Hall), who is as good as there is in the country," DeRuyter said. "They've got a run game with a tremendous running back (Harvey Unga), so you just can't load up against the pass.

"They protect the quarterback, they have a tight end (Dennis Pitta) who is a great target, and one of the best wide receivers in the country in (Austin) Collie."

Air Force ranks among the top 25 teams in FBS in total defense and pass defense, but BYU could slash those stats.

"You are not going to stop this group," DeRuyter said. "What you have to do is come up with some third-down stops and you have to get them into some predictable situations. You've got to get them into a second-and-real-long or a third-and-real-long where it is a predictable pass."

Despite the challenges BYU presents, DeRuyter believes his defense is ready.

"We have a bunch of guys that have faith in each other and somebody is going to step up at some point in a drive and make a play," he said.

For his part, Hall said he expects the Falcons defense to come after him.

"They do a good job of putting pressure on the quarterback," said Hall, among the FBS leaders in passing and total offense. "They play hard. I always thought Air Force had the type of kids that we have here. It's always a battle."

Look for the Falcons to mix up their defensive alignments and coverages. Rembert, a 5-foot-7 sophomore cornerback, is eager to line up against Collie, a 6-2 junior who leads FBS in receiving yards a game (118.5).

"I can't wait to cover Austin Collie," he said. "That's going to be fun and a challenge. We work hard and kind of have a little brotherhood and we fight for each other. For us to win we have to win the turnover margin. In any program, defense wins championships. That's the main goal."

Thomas, a junior safety, said the Falcons won't hold anything back against the Cougars.

"We're confident in our abilities," Thomas said "We're confident we'll be able to get it done."

Tale of the tape

Air Force's defense has played well this season, but the Falcons face a tough challenge Saturday against Brigham Young. How BYU's offense compares with Air Force's defense in several Football Bowl Subdivision statistical categories.

Category: BYU offense, Air Force defense

Scoring: 17th (36.2 ppg), 17th (17.3 ppg)

Passing: 8th (314.8 ypg) tie, 10th (167.2 ypg)

Passing efficiency: 9th (166.7 rating), 26th (108.4 rating)

Total offense/defense: 17th (443.8 ypg), 25th (304.0 ypg)

Featured

• Boulder Wildfire

  

  See photos from the Boulder County fire.

• Legislature Blog

  

  The Rocky's Lynn Bartels and Ed Sealover provide live updates from the Capitol.

• Rocky multimedia

  

  The news comes alive in our videos and slide shows. Catch up on what's happening today.

• Who's next?

  

  Complete coverage of the Broncos' search for a new coach.

• Weekend plans?

  

  Figure out things to do this weekend with the help of our entertainment calendar.

• Winter Escapes

  

  Your insider’s guide to the copious joys of the coolest season.

• Sam Adams' Open Mic

  

  Open Mic: Two-man advantage with Avs

• Bronco Dean's rant

  

  Listen to Bronco Dean's rant on what's next for the Broncos.

• Live updates

  

  Sign up for mobile alerts and breaking news e-mails to keep up with the latest news.