INSIDE SLANT

At 7-4 with one regular-season game left to play, Air Force has secured a third consecutive winning season. But an upset victory at BYU on Saturday would make the campaign so much sweeter.

The Falcons’ seven victories this season have come against teams with a combined record of 22-49, and not one of those opponents currently has a winning record. Air Force’s four losses, meanwhile, have come to teams that currently have winning records (Minnesota, Navy, TCU and Utah).

Saturday affords another chance to knock off a winner; BYU is 8-2.

“This next week is huge for us as a program,” senior strong safety Chris Thomas said. “If we can play well and get a ‘W,’ I think it would show that this program has definitely taken some strides forward.”

History is not on the Falcons’ side.

Of the teams on Air Force’s schedule that it has played 10 or more times, only BYU holds an advantage in overall record. And it’s a dominant 23-6 mark that includes five consecutive victories, all by two touchdowns or more. Air Force hung tough last season, leading at the half and trailing by seven midway through the fourth quarter before BYU pulled away.

“I thought we played pretty well in that game last year,” coach Troy Calhoun said. “And yet it was also an indicator to us that we still had a ways to go.”

Whether or not they’re there yet will become clear on Saturday. Air Force seems to have its best shot against BYU in Calhoun’s three seasons. The Falcons have an athletic and talented secondary that at least has a shot of containing the Cougars’ powerful passing attack. And BYU has its annual clash with archrival Utah looming the following week.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Air Force’s offense has scored 14 touchdowns in the past three weeks. It accounted for four in the previous five games.

• Air Force has lost five straight to BYU, all by two touchdowns or more. The Falcons have won in Provo just twice.

• Air Force has committed just three turnovers in its last six games.

Series History:   BYU leads Air Force, 23-6 (last meeting, 2008, 38-24, BYU).

Scouting The Offense:   It has hit its stride in recent weeks. After scoring just four touchdowns in a five-game stretch, the Falcons’ offense has accounted for 14 during Air Force’s current three-game winning streak. The credit goes in large part to two sophomores who are living up to the potential they displayed last season. QB Tim Jefferson and TB Asher Clark both struggled during the middle of the season. Jefferson, hampered by an ankle injury, lost his starting job to backup Connor Dietz at one point. And Clark, who had a shoulder injury, went five games without gaining 40 or more yards. But both are healthy and in top form.

In the last three games Jefferson has completed 18 of 32 passes for 368 yards, with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Clark has compiled 317 yards and five touchdowns on 41 carries. One problem for the offense—junior slot receiver Kyle Halderman won’t be available Saturday because of a knee injury.

Scouting The Defense:   BYU has averaged 41.0 points during its five-game win streak against Air Force. But the Falcons will go to Provo this week with their best defense in at least a decade. Through 11 games, Air Force ranks seventh in the country in total defense (265.4 yards allowed per game) and ninth in scoring defense (13.3 points allowed per game).

Perhaps most importantly against BYU’s potent aerial attack (which ranks 12th in the country with 295.6 yards per game), the Falcons have been outstanding against the pass. Air Force has allowed just 127.9 passing yards per game, the best mark in the country.

Quote To Note:   “We feel like we’re really closing the gap between ‘The Big Three’ that are out there, and we want to get this program there. We don’t want to be on the outside looking in every season.”—Air Force senior center Michael Hampton on the Mountain West Conference’s “Big Three” of TCU, Utah and BYU.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

This Week  ‘S GAME: Air Force at BYU, Nov. 21—The Falcons have won three straight and four of their last five to improve to 7-4 and secure a winning season for the third time in as many years under coach Troy Calhoun. But Air Force lacks a marquee victory. Beating No. 19 BYU for the first time since 2003—and just the seventh time in 30 all-time contests—would give Air Force its best victory in two seasons and improve its place in the league’s bowl pecking order.

Keys To The Game:   Air Force will have to keep BYU’s potent passing attack in check. The Cougars have torched the Falcons in recent years with the pass, but this year’s secondary is the best and most athletic the academy has had in perhaps a decade. Air Force also will have to find a way to deal with the Cougars’ size, especially up front. The Falcons lean heavily on their running game, but BYU allows just 103.5 yards rushing per game, the 18th-best mark in the country. The turnover battle tilts toward Air Force. The Falcons are plus-18 in turnover margin through 11 games, while BYU is minus-3 through 10.

Players To Watch:  

QB Tim Jefferson—Finally healthy, the sophomore has played his best football in the last three weeks. In guiding the Falcons to three straight victories, he has completed 18 of 32 passes for 368 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

TB Asher Clark—After failing to gain 40 or more yards in five straight games, the sophomore has broken out with three straight standout performances. Against Colorado State he had 75 yards on 10 carries, against Army he picked up 82 yards and two scores on 13 carries and last week he gained a career-high 160 yards and scored a career-high three touchdowns on 18 carries.

CBs Anthony Wright Jr. and Reggie Rembert—Air Force leads the nation in pass defense, but it will face arguably the top passing attack it has seen all season on Saturday when it takes on BYU.

P Brandon Geyer—The senior has been outstanding, averaging 42.8 yards. More importantly, Air Force has a net punting average of 39.0, second-best in the Mountain West Conference. If the Falcons’ offense struggles, Geyer will need to bail it out with big kicks.

Roster Report  

• Junior slot receiver Kyle Halderman will miss at least four weeks with a knee injury.

• Sophomore WR Jon Escamilla has replaced injured Kyle Halderman as a backup on the Falcons’ two-deep.

• Freshman OLB Alex Means (mid-foot sprain) will not play this week.