Air Force Is Likely To Stay Grounded Against Idaho

Air Force’s offense has been handed off from one Morgan brother, Beau, to another, Blane.

Blane plans on handing the ball off to his teammates.

“I’d say we’re going to spread the ball around a little more, a lot of different people are going to carry the football,” said Blane, a junior quarterback set to start his first game against visiting Idaho on Saturday.

“I don’t think there have been many quarterbacks here who carried it as much as Beau.”

Beau carried the ball 38 times against Fresno State last year. He rushed for 243 yards against Colorado State. He was 10th in the Heisman Trophy balloting.

He’s carrying a clipboard these days as an assistant coach with Air Force’s junior varsity. He was in the Dallas Cowboys training camp, but military commitments brought him back to the Academy.

Blane, meanwhile, isn’t a breakaway running threat. He’s a better passer.

Just don’t expect Air Force to live up to its name. The Falcons run the wishbone and sometimes don’t reach double digits in passes.

“I don’t think they’ll change a lot,” UI coach Chris Tormey said. “With an inexperienced quarterback, they’ve got to feel if they can get the dive established, it will take a lot of pressure off.”

With Beau Morgan at the controls last year, he created running lanes. That approach has changed.

“A real key for us this season is going to be to get back to option football and establish our fullbacks,” Falcons coach Fisher DeBerry said.

That suits Blane, who has yet to throw a regular-season pass. He studied his older brother the past two seasons and is eager for his turn.

“It really helped because I saw him play every game for two years and I saw how he thinks and how he reacted,” said Blane.

New digs

Air Force renovated its playing surface at Falcon Stadium at a cost of $788,000.

The previous grass and drainage system were removed to make room for 1.5 miles of underground drainage pipe, 27 miles of heating cables, 2,800 tons of pea gravel, 5,600 tons of “rootzone,” a specially mixed sand and humus combination, and, finally, a new Kentucky bluegrass and ryegrass surface.

Good drainage is imperative because the Colorado Springs area occasionally is hit by afternoon downpours and thunderstorms.

Notes

Air Force had 619 rushing attempts last year and lost only 10 fumbles… Tormey played in the Idaho-Air Force game in 1974. He had four tackles in UI’s 34-0 loss… Air Force lists linebacker Chris Gizzi, the Western Athletic Conference defensive player of the year in ‘96, as an All-America candidate. However, he didn’t make Lindy’s magazine’s list of the top 25 inside linebackers or The Sporting News’ top 18… Air Force is picked by most magazines to finish from third to fifth in the WAC’s Pacific Division… UI freshman Ryan Knowles, a freshman defensive lineman from Sandpoint High, will make the trip.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: On deck UI at Air Force, Saturday, 12:07 p.m. TV: Live in Coeur d’Alene on cable channel 21. Tape delay Saturday at 10 p.m. on cable channel 12 in CdA and cable channel 26 in Spokane. Radio: KVNI 1080 AM in CdA, KJRB 790 AM in Spokane.