CSU Faces Air Force in Thursday Night Showdown

Oct. 8, 2006

Colorado State vs. Air Force Game Notes
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Colorado State vs. Air Force Game Notes PART 2
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Game #6
Colorado State (4-1/0-0 MWC) at Air Force (2-2/2-0 MWC)
Thursday, Oct. 12 * Falcon Stadium
Colorado Springs, Colo. * 6 p.m. MT (The mtn.)

Coaches
Sonny Lubick (Western Montana '60)
Colorado State 14th season, 105-58
Overall 18th year; 126-77
vs. Foe 9-4
Fisher DeBerry (Wofford '60)
Air Force 23rd season, (165-101-1 entering)
Overall same
vs. Colorado State 11-11

Series Capsule
Overall 44 Games; AFA leads series, 24-19-1
In Fort Collins 18 games; AFA leads 10-8
In Colo. Springs 26 games; AFA leads 14-11-1
Last Meeting 2005; CSU 41, AFA 23 (FC)
Series Streak CSU, 1 in a row

RADIO INFORMATION
Outlet Colorado State Sports Network
Flagship KCOL, 600 AM-Fort Collins*
ESPN Radio, KLZ; 560 AM-Denver
Play-by-play Rich Bircumshaw
Analyst Brian Roth
Sidelines Kevin McGlue
*See inside for complete affiliate listing.

Television Information
Outlet The mtn.
Play-by-play James Bates
Analyst Todd Christensen
Sidelines Anne Marie Anderson

Internet
Live audio www.CSURAMS.com
Click on Yahoo.com icon for broadcast.

INJURY REPORT
OG Marvin Arnold (left leg); LB Nathan Pauly (right shoulder); S Ben Stratton (neck); OT Josh Day (left ankle); CB Joey Rucks (right ankle); RB Kyle Bell (right knee/out for season); DB Brandon Cathy (left knee/out for season).

Injured List
Colorado State lost 73 man-games played in 2005 due to injury. The current list of missed games due to injuries includes:

Player Injury Games Missed Games
RB Kyle Bell Right knee 5 (current/season-ending) Weber State; Colorado; Nevada; Fresno State; UNLV
DB Brandon Cathy Left knee 5 (current/season-ending) Weber State; Colorado; Nevada; Fresno State; UNLV
OG Adrian Martinez Right knee 1 Weber State
WR George Hill Right knee 1 Weber State
WR Dustin Osborn Left ankle 3 Colorado; Nevada; Fresno State
LB Nathan Pauly Right shoulder 2 (current) Fresno State; UNLV
OT Cole Pemberton Left knee 1 Weber State
S Ben Stratton Neck 2 (current) Fresno State; UNLV
OC Tim Walter Right knee 2 Colorado; Nevada
Total games missed due to injury: 22

Quarterback Records
The won-loss breakdown for the starting quarterbacks since 1993 includes:
Quarterback Seasons Starts W-L Pct. Bowl Games
Matt Newton 3 25 19-6 .760
1998 1 1-0 1.000 --
1999 12 8-4 .667 Liberty Bowl
2000 12 10-2 .833 Liberty Bowl
Moses Moreno 3 30 21-9 .700
1995 5 3-2 .600 Holiday Bowl
1996 12 7-5 .583 --
1997 13 11-2 .846 Holiday Bowl
Anthoney Hill 2 21 14-7 .667
1993 9 4-5 .444 --
1994 12 10-2 .833 Holiday Bowl
Bradlee Van Pelt 3 35 23-12 .657
2001 9 6-3 .667 New Orleans Bowl
2002 14 10-4 .714 Liberty Bowl
2003 12 7-5 .583 San Francisco Bowl
Ryan Eslinger 1998 11 7-4 .636 --
Caleb Hanie 3 10 6-4 .600
2004 5 2-3 .400 --
2005 0 0-0 .000 --
2006 5 4-1 .800 --
Erich Prahl 1993 2 1-1 .500 --
Justin Holland 3 19 8-11 .421 --
2003 1 0-1 .000 --
2004 6 2-4 .333 --
2005 11 5-5 .545 Poinsettia Bowl
D.J. Busch 2001 3 1-2 .333 --

RAM-FALCON TROPHY
The Ram-Falcon Trophy originated in 1980 to highlight the competition and sportsmanship in the series between CSU and Air Force. The wood-carved trophy was produced by local artist Bill Wrage. The Air Force ROTC detachment on the CSU campus initiated the creation of the trophy, which is held in possession of the winning program following the game each year. The trophy is displayed on the sidelines of the stadium of the team in possession of the award from the previous season. The Ram-Falcon series is tied, 13-13. The trophy is on display behind the team bench of the previous season's winner.

SERIES RESULTS
Air Force and Colorado State meet for the 45th time Thursday at Falcon Stadium. AFA leads the series, 24-19-1. The Falcons and Rams have played 26 games at Falcon Stadium, Air Force holding a 14-11-1 edge in those contests.

LAST MEETING
Colorado State amassed 551 total yards and held visiting Air Force to 357 in a 41-23 win in Fort Collins last season. CSU's defense forced a pair of first-half fumbles and RB Kyle Bell rushed for 197 yards with three touchdowns in the game.

LUBICK IN SPRINGS
Rams' coach Sonny Lubick has a 4-3 record against the Falcons in Colorado Springs. AFA has won three of the last home games between the teams including a 47-17 decision to end the 2004 season.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
In 13 previous games since Sonny Lubick arrived at CSU, the Rams have outscored AFA by a combined total of 362-323, an average of 27.6-24.8, a difference of 2.8 points per game.

THROUGH FIVE
CSU is 4-1 or better for the fourth time in Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons. CSU opened 4-1 in 2002 and 2000, and had a perfect 5-0 mark through five games in 1994. In each of the three previous seasons CSU won or shared the conference title and played in a bowl.

THROUGH SIX
A win Thursday night would make the Rams 5-1 or better for the third time in Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons. CSU opened 5-1 in 2000 and 6-0 in 1994. A loss to the Falcons would be the fourth time CSU has opened 4-2, including 1997, '98, and 2002.

START TO FINISH
Colorado State is 4-1 or better for the fourth time in Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons. In all three previous seasons (1994, 2000, '02) the Rams opened 4-1 or better CSU won or shared the league title and played in a bowl game.

SEVEN OF NINE BOWLS
Colorado State has made nine bowl appearances during Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons at the helm. CSU claimed wins over Air Force in seven of the nine seasons (1994, '95, '99, 2001, '02, '03, 05) in which the Rams advanced to a bowl game. CSU lost to Air Force in 1997 and 2000 but still won the conference title and played in a bowl game.

CHANGING FACES
Only offensive linemen players - OT Josh Day and OT Clint Oldenburg - have started all five games to date. The five opening-day starters played only one game together. A total of seven players have started along the offensive line thus far in 2006. Colorado State has used three different starting interior line combination in five games.

TRUE FROSH
Colorado State used a total of three true freshman in 2005, and six during the 2004 season. To date, CSU has yet to use a true freshman in the 2006 lineup.

RECORD UNDER 300
Colorado State held UNLV to 250 total yards, the 36th time in Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons CSU has held an opponent to less than 300 yards. CSU is 29-7 in games where the foe gains less than 300 yards.

GROUND DEFENSE
UNLV gained just 52 yards rushing, the third time in 2006 and 36th time in Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons an opponent has gained less than 100 yards rushing. CSU is 3-0 in 2006, 30-6 under Lubick in those games.

DRIVE TIME
Colorado State has had nine drives of 10 or more plays in 2006, and scored touchdowns on five of those drives.

DRIVE TIME, PART II
CSU has scored on its opening drive in the past two games, both victories. CSU's opponents have scored on the opening drive of the past four games.

DRIVE TIME, PART III
Through five games, CSU has had 15 scoring, opponents have had 12. A breakdown includes:
* In the 15 scoring drives, CSU averages 7.9 plays and 63 yards.
* Opponents have had 12 scoring drives that have averaged 7 plays per scoring drive.
* Both CSU and its opponents have had five scoring plays each of five or fewer plays.

SECOND HALF SCORING
Colorado State has outscored the opposition, 56-16 in the second half of the first five games. The Rams have allowed only three third-period points in 2006.

BY COMPARISON
Through five games in 2006, CSU is allowing 236.6 yards per game, second in the league and sixth nationally. By comparison a season ago, through five games CSU was allowing 428.4 yards per game.

HANIE HURLER
For the second time in 2006, QB Caleb Hanie completed more than 80 percent of his passes in a game. Hanie completed 23-of-28 passes (82 percent) in the win over UNLV, the third highest figure in school history. Hanie set the school record earlier this season in a win over Colorado when he completed 20-of-23 passes (87 percent). He has completed 87-of-121 passes, 72 percent on the season with 1,063 yards and three touchdowns. Hanie's 23 completions in the win over UNLV is a career high.

FIRST QUARTER SUCCESS
Three times in five games, CSU and its opponent have concluded the first quarter with the game tied. CSU is 3-0 in those three games.

OCTOBERFEST
Colorado State, including the win over UNLV, is now 42-14 (75 percent) in Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons during the month of October.

WIN STREAKS
A win by the Rams Thursday at Air Force would be CSU's third in a row. It would be the 13th time in Sonny Lubick's 14 seasons the Rams would have won at least three games in a row. Only in 2004 has CSU not had at least a three-game win streak during a respective season.

KAYLOR LEADS LEAGUE
CSU P Jimmie Kaylor, a first-team all-conference choice in 2005, currently leads the MWC in punting with a 45.1 yard average. He is 10th nationally. Kaylor is listed on the Ray Guy Award watch list.

KAYLOR ON CAREER LIST
P Jimmie Kaylor currently is atop the school's list for career punting average. In 2005 he led the MWC and ranked fourth nationally in punting average, 45.3. Kaylor has 14 career punts of 50 yards or longer, and five longer than 60 yards. He has also had 19 career punts downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line. In his career, Kaylor has punted 79 times for 3,565 yards, a 45.1 yard average.

Career Punting Average
Player Avg. Years
Jimmie Kaylor 45.1 2004-06
Mike Deutsch 44.3 1974-77
Deone Horinek 43.4 1998-99
Jeff Babcock 42.7 2003-04
Rod Blackford 42.1 1971-73
Tim Luke 41.7 1987-90
Tom Templer 41.3 1978-81
Joey Huber 40.9 2000-02
Larry Barnes 40.4 1955-56
Mike McGee 39.9 1992-93

GROUND FORCE
Colorado State is 9-4 against Air Force in 13 meetings since Sonny Lubick's arrival in 1993. During that time, AFA has averaged 273.3 yards per game rushing. Last season, Colorado State held the Falcons to 227 yards, the fifth time since 1993 the Falcons rushed for fewer than 250 yards against the Rams. Colorado State is 4-1 under Sonny Lubick when holding Air Force to fewer than 250 yards rushing, 5-3 when the Falcons gain more than 250 yards on the ground.
Year Rushing Result
2005 227 W 41-23
2004 373 L 17-47
2003 276 W 30-20
2002 221 W 31-12
2001 359 W 28-21
2000 400 L 40-44
1999 230 W 41-21
1998 225 L 27-30
1997 265 L 0-24
1996 367 W 42-41
1995 310 W 27-20
1994 306 W 34-21
1993 112 W 8-5

THURSDAY VS. AFA
The Rams and Falcons have split two Thursday night games played at Falcon Stadium, CSU winning the most recent game, 31-12 in 2002. AFA beat the Rams, 30-27 in 1998.

Thursday Night Games
Colorado State has played 14 previous games on Thursday night. The Rams have a 10-4 record in those prime time outings, 2-4 on the road. The Rams and Falcons meet for the seventh time on a Thursday night. CSU has won five of the six previous meetings on Thursday night. Results include:
Overall (10-4)
2005
Sept. 24 Colorado St. 41, Air Force 23 (ESPN)
2003
Oct. 9 Colorado State 58, BYU 13 (ESPN2)
Oct. 16 Colorado St. 30, Air Force 20 (ESPN2)
2002
Oct. 24 Colorado St. 37, BYU 10 (ESPN2) Oct. 31 Colorado St. 31, Air Force 12 (ESPN)
2001
Oct, 4 Louisville 7, Colorado State 2 (ESPN)
Nov. 1 BYU 56, Colorado State 34 (ESPN)
Nov. 8 Colorado St. 28, Air Force 21 (ESPN)
2000
Nov. 2 Colorado State 45, BYU 21 (ESPN)
Nov. 16 Colorado St. 37, Wyoming 13 (ESPN) 1999
Sept. 16 BYU 34, Colorado State 13 (ESPN)
Oct. 28 Colorado State 31, Utah 24 (ESPN)
Nov. 18 Colorado St. 41, Air Force 21 (ESPN) 1998
Sept. 17 Air Force 30, Colorado St. 27 (ESPN)

Road (2-4)
2003
Oct. 9 Colorado State 58, BYU 13 (ESPN2)
2002
Oct. 31 Colorado St. 31, Air Force 12 (ESPN)
2001
Oct, 4 Louisville 7, Colorado State 2 (ESPN)
Nov. 1 BYU 56, Colorado State 34 (ESPN)
1999
Sept. 16 BYU 34, Colorado State 13 (ESPN)
1998
Sept. 17 Air Force 30, Colorado St. 27 (ESPN)

MORTON DOUBLE
WR Damon Morton has had back-to-back 100-yard receiving games, including a career-most 115 on five receptions in the win over UNLV. It is the 129th 100-yard receiving game in school history, of which 66 have come during Sonny Lubick's 14-year tenure.

SUDDEN CHANGE
Colorado State has made eight turnovers in five games. Following those eight turnovers, CSU just nine points (three field goals). CSU has generated five takeaways, and scored 17 points (two touchdowns, one field goal) following the turnover.

DIRTY LAUNDRY
Colorado State has faced both major universities from the state of Nevada. In each of the games with CSU committed seven penalties for a total of 129 yards. In the team's other three games combined, CSU has committed only 12 penalties for 118 yards.

HALL OF FAME NOV. 3
Six new members will join Colorado State's sports hall of fame during ceremonies Nov. 3 at the Hilton of Fort Collins. Bryan Berryhill (track and field), Ivan Dykeman (track and field), Floyd Kerr (men's basketball), Angela Knopf (volleyball), and Mark Mullaney (football) form the class of 2006. CSU volleyball coach Tom Hilbert will receive the Hall of Fame Award. The banquet begins at 5:30 p.m., They will be recognized at the Rams' football game Nov. 4 against BYU. For banquet information, call 970-491-5067.

RECEIVING BREAKDOWN
Player Thrown To Recpt. Rcpt. Pct.
Johnny Walker 32 28 .875
Damon Morton 29 22 .759
Kory Sperry 28 18 .621
Luke Roberts 14 9 .642
George Hill 8 5 .625
Dustin Osborn 6 4 .667
Nnamdi Ohaeri 2 1 .500
Chris Kawoluk 2 0 .000
Totals 121 87 .719
Key: Thrown To, passes thrown to a receiver; Rctp. Pct., percentage of passes thrown to and caught.

Sack Exchange
Colorado State enters Thursday's game with 16 quarterback sacks through five games, just three shy of the team's season total, 19, in 2005. The top two season figures in school history, 34 in each, were in 1994 and '97.

Safety Sacks
S Mike Pagnotta has three sacks on the season to lead the Rams. The last Ram defensive back with four sacks is a season was former S John Howell in 1999. Howell later played on two Super Bowl teams in the NFL with Tampa Bay and Seattle.

PLUS 25 ATTEMPTS
QB Caleb Hanie has attempted 25 or more passes in five consecutive games. The most recent CSU quarterback to do the same was Justin Holland, the first five games of 2005.

RUSHING LEADER
RB Gartrell Johnson has led the team in rushing three times in five games. Johnson gained a season and career-most 57 yards in CSU's win over UNLV.

Special Teams Streaks
The Rams have returned 205 kickoffs without a touchdown since Sept. 29, 2001 when Dexter Wynn scored on a kickoff return at Wyoming.

MWC Record
Colorado State is 35-16 in 50 MWC games since 1999 when the conference was formed. The Rams are 19-7 at home, 16-9 on the road in MWC action.

League Play
Colorado State has an impressive 71-28 record in 99 conference games since Sonny Lubick's arrival as head coach in 1993.

JOHNSON RUSHING
RB Gartrell Johnson had his finest rushing performance of his career at Fresno State, with 55 yards on 24 carries including the Rams' first touchdown of the game.

FIRST-TIME STARTERS
Ten Colorado State players have made their first career starts in 2006, including three players in last week's win over UNLV. DE Tommy Hill, OL Scott Benedict, and TE Kevin McPeek were in the starting lineup for the first time in their respective careers.

EXPLOSIVES
Through five games, Colorado State has 33 "explosive" plays, including:
* 16 rushes (10 or more yards), including seven in the past two games and five vs. UNLV.
* 17 pass plays (20 or more yards), including seven in the past two games.
* The four longest pass plays of the year - including a 64-yard scoring pass from QB Caleb Hanie to WR Damon Morton against UNLV - have come during the past two games.

Opening Drives
Colorado State since 1993 is 35-11 in games the Rams have scored on the opening drive of the game. CSU is 17-28 in games the opponent has scored on the opening drive.

First Scores
Colorado State is 70-14 since 1993 when the Rams score first in a game. The Rams are 34-40 since 1993 when the opponent scores first.

Rushing Defense
Colorado State has allowed 69 individual 100-yard rushing performances since 1993. The Rams are 35-29 in games where an opponent rusher has gained 100 or more yards and 62-24 when an opponent does not have a 100-yard rusher.

NONE IN 2006
Through five games in 2006, Colorado State has yet to allow an opponent rusher to gain 100 or more yards.

Rams' Passing Plans
The Rams are 12-30 in games where the team has attempted 35 or more passes and 93-28 games when attempting less than 35 passes since 1993.

Rams' Apparel
Combination W-L Games
Green/Gold 3-0 Weber State; Colorado; UNLV
White/White 1-1 Nevada; Fresno State
Gold/Green 0-0 --
White/Gold 0-0 --
White/Green 0-0 --

DEFENSIVE SCORING
In two of the past three games, Colorado State has scored a defensive or special teams touchdown. LB Jeff Horinek returned his first career interception 14 yards for a score against UNLV. Earlier this season, reserve LB Sedric Patterson blocked a punt that he recovered for a touchdown against Nevada. Colorado State has scored 53 defensive or special teams touchdowns in the past 14 seasons under Sonny Lubick.

BOOTH LINEUP CHANGE
Former Rams' all-star WR Pete Rebstock is in his first season as the game analyst on the Colorado State Sports Network. Rebstock, who is in business in the Denver metro area, also is an assistant coach at Bear Creek High School under former CSU QB Tom Thenell. The Bears play Thursday night, a conflict with CSU's game, so Rebstock won't be in the booth this week. Instead, regular sideline reporter Brian Roth will add commentary and game producer Kevin McGlue will be on the sidelines.

Century Rushers
Colorado State has had 84 100-yard rushing performances since 1993. The Rams are 59-13 in games where a back has gained 100 or more yards, and 33-28 in games where the team has not had a back gain more than 100 yards.

Year Total Record
2006 - -
2005 6 4-2
2004 1 1-0
2003 6 3-3
2002 12 7-4
2001 6 2-2
2000 5 3-1
1999 6 6-0
1998 5 4-0
1997 10 8-1
1996 13 8-1
1995 8 6-1
1994 4 4-0
1993 3 3-0
Totals 85 60-14

Home, Road, Neutral
Year Home Road Neu. Overall
2006 2-0 1-1 1-0 4-1
2005 4-1 2-4 0-1 6-6
2004 3-3 1-4 0-0 4-7
2003 4-2 3-2 0-2 7-6
2002 4-1 5-2 1-1 10-4
2001 3-2 3-2 1-1 7-5
2000 5-0 3-2 2-0 10-2
1999 4-1 3-2 1-1 8-4
1998 3-1 5-2 0-1 8-4
1997 4-1 5-1 2-0 10-2
1996 4-2 3-3 0-0 7-5
1995 3-2 5-1 0-1 8-4
1994 5-1 5-0 0-1 10-2
1993 3-2 2-4 0-0 5-6
Total 51-19 46-30 8-9 105-58

Come-From-Behind Wins
Forty-nine of Colorado State's 102 wins under coach Sonny Lubick have come in games the Rams trailed and rallied to win.

Wire-To-Wire Wins
Fifty-six of CSU's 105 wins under Sonny Lubick have been in games where the Rams have never trailed.

League Milestones
Colorado State's 5-3 MWC record in 2005 marked the 12th time in Sonny Lubick's 13 seasons at the helm the Rams have won four or more league games. Colorado State has won five or more league games 10 times in Lubick's 13 seasons as head coach.

Late-Game Success
CSU is 88-5 record (95 %) under Sonny Lubick when the Rams lead after three periods. The five losses include:

* Sept. 3, 2005; Colorado 31, Colorado State 28; Rams lead 21-10 at end of third quarter. (Boulder).
* Sept. 7, 2002; UCLA 30, Colorado State 19; Rams lead 13-7 at end of third quarter. (Fort Collins).
* Oct. 13, 2001; Fresno State 25, Colorado State 22 (ot); Rams lead, 14-13, at end of third quarter. (Fort Collins).
* Sept. 17, 1998; Air Force 30, Colorado State 27; Rams lead, 27-17 at end of third quarter. (Colorado Springs).
* Nov. 16, 1996; Wyoming 25, Colorado State 24; Rams lead, 24-13, at end of third quarter. (Fort Collins).

Century Club Rams' coach Sonny Lubick is one of only eight active NCAA Division IA coaches with 100 or more victories at his current institution.

Coach, Current School Wins
Joe Paterno, Penn State 358
Bobby Bowden, Florida State 289
Chris Ault, Nevada 181
Fisher DeBerry, Air Force 167
Frank Beamer, Virginia Tech 150
Phil Fulmer, Tennessee 132
Sonny Lubick, Colorado State 105

COACHING PERCENTAGE
NCAA Division IA active head coaches, by winning percentage; minimum five years as Division IA head coach; record at four-year colleges only.

Coach Years Record Pct.
Bob Stoops, Oklahoma 7 78-18-0 .813
Dan Hawkins, Colorado 10 93-25-1 .786
Phillip Fulmer, Tennessee 14 133-38-0 .778
Bobby Bowden, Florida St 40 361-109-4 .766
Steve Spurrier, S. Carolina 16 153-47-2 .762
Lloyd Carr, Michigan 11 108-34-0 .761
Joe Paterno, Penn State 40 358-119-3 .749
Jim Tressel, Ohio State 20 191-70-2 .730
Dennis Erickson, Idaho 17 147-60-1 .709
Gary Patterson, TCU 6 45-20-0 .692
Frank Solich, Ohio 7 65-29-0 .691
Tommy Bowden, Clemson 9 74-39-0 .655
Frank Beamer, Va. Tech 25 192-103-4 .653
Dennis Franchione, TA&M 23 176-93-2 .653
Tommy Tubberville, Auburn 11 90-48-0 .652
Mack Brown, Texas 22 174-94-1 .649
Mike Leach, Texas Tech 6 52-30-0 .634
Mike Belloti, Oregon 16 114-69-2 .622
Sonny Lubick, Colorado St 18 126-77-0 .621
Chuck Amato, N.C. State 6 49-30-0 .620
Pat Hill, Fresno State 9 73-46-0 .613

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