By Michael Barzee
Paul Revere on his midnight ride made the saying ?two if by land, one if by sea? a household phrase. But Revere never envisioned the possibility of an air attack. For in his day, there were no stealth bombers or F-16s.
Although the Air Force attacks by air during wartime, they attack by running the ball on land during football games. The Cougars will see Revere?s two lanterns lit, warning of an attack by land, when the Air Force Falcons visit LaVell Edwards Stadium Saturday.
BYU head football coach Bronco Mendenhall is not arming his defensive troops to only stop the run but preparing them for an air attack, too.
?The teams that are having the most success scoring more points against us,? he said, ?are the ones that are throwing the football more and attacking the perimeter more. Air Force has that in their plan. So all they need to do is shift percentages. So we expect that.?
The Falcons have one of the top ranked running offenses in the country at No. 6. This year they are averaging 250 yards rushing per game. Success on the ground hasn?t been something new for Air Force. In the past 20 years, their rushing offense has been ranked in the top 10 in the country every year except 1985 when they were ranked No.15.
What makes the Falcon rushing attack so unique and successful is the triple option format that they run. In the triple option, the quarterback can pitch the ball to the fullback or halfback. This makes it difficult for defenses to focus in on one player instead they must focus on three potential ball carriers. Also, Falcon quarterback Shaun Carney has been successful throwing the ball this season, opening up another offensive threat.
?Not only is he a solid option quarterback, but he can throw the ball well,? Mendenhall said. ?That''s one of those paradoxes that provides a real challenge to a defensive coach when the option is the core of the offense, and that''s what you need to stop first. But as you become more aggressive to play the option, a play-action pass with a quarterback who can throw it and receivers who can catch it provides a different element against a secondary that is struggling to make plays.?
The Cougar play an aggressive style of defense, which Air Force has proven in the past to have success against. Last year, the Cougar defense allowed the Falcons to rush for 244 yards. But BYU safety K.C. Bills said it has more to do with execution and team unity than changing their aggressive style.
?If you over pursue and are aggressive they will take advantage of it,? Bills said. ?What we have to do is everyone has a job and does that job aggressively and if everyone does their job then we win. If one person is off, they score a touchdown.?
The Cougar?s passing offense has been just as successful this season as the Falcon?s rushing offense. The Cougar?s passing offense is ranked No. 10 in the country. The Falcon defense knows how hard it is to stop the BYU offense. Last year the Cougars scored 38 points in the second half in their 48-24 win. This year, BYU receiver Todd Watkins sees a weakness in the Falcon?s defense.
?The corners, they?re from the Academy, they?re not really recruited for football purposes,? Watkins said. ?So we should be able to do whatever we want and march the ball up the field and score a lot of points.?
For Watkins, this game will give him a chance to redeem himself after several key dropped passes in last weekend?s game at Notre Dame. Watkins said last week?s mistakes are behind him.
?You got to bounce back. I mean there is nothing else you can do,? Watkins said. ?You can fold up, give up, or you can bounce back, come back harder and more motivated. That is definitely what I want to do.?
With a 3-4 record heading into the game, the Cougars will have to win at least three of the remaining four games to get six victories?the minimum required for a bowl game. But Mendenhall said he isn?t looking to a bowl game right now but focusing in on Air Force.
'I''m not as concerned about a bowl game at this point as beating Air Force,? he said. ?I would think with our reputation and our following that 6-5 would do it, but that''s the first time I''ve considered that. I don''t think it''s relevant today.'