Turning Strengths Against Air Force's Offense Key to Upset

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Physical. Connected. Detailed.

Some words to describe Air Force football's attributes which have kept it undefeated and recognized as the No. 19 team in the country.

They also illustrate what will be required of Colorado State to knock the Falcons off their pedestal.

Air Force's running game is a yearly handful for almost any team to match up with. You know it's coming, you game plan for it, but there's routinely little you can actually do about it given its effectiveness.

Because of that, the shift in mentality for the Rams is pretty simple.

"The mindset this week is just to hit everything you see and get them behind the sticks," cornerback Chigozie Anusiem said. "If they're on third-and-seven plus, that will put them in situations they're not really used to being in. I think every run for them is like 4 yards, 4 yards, so their third downs are really manageable for them, so getting them behind the sticks is our main thing."

Their style of play is uncomfortable and odd in nature, controlling the clock and holding the ball for the majority of the game, which as a result could cut CSU's possession count nearly in half, according to head coach Jay Norvell. For any opponent of the Falcons, the defense tires due to the volume of plays run against them.

As a result, the key for Norvell is to throw some annoyance right back at the Falcons.

"It's a different style of game, obviously, when you play Air Force," Norvell said. "We've got to be physical and obviously we have to stop the run. You've got to get them into some uncomfortable situations. When you can knock them in the head on first down and stop that first play of the drive, you put them in long-yardage situations. It puts them into different situations where they're uncomfortable, so we have to be prepared to do that and we've got to do a good job of that."

To reach that goal, responsibility falls heavily on the Rams' defensive line to rattle the Falcons' offensive front, which defensive lineman Cam Bariteau and Co. calls a need to win the "war in the core."

Part of the formula for Air Force's success in running the ball is the connectedness which their offensive line plays with on a play-to-play basis. Through increased physicality and a willingness to work a little harder, Bariteau thinks they'll be able to disrupt the offense enough to be successful.

"They're very detailed, they come off the ball really hard and their offense isn't really traditional," Bariteau said. "Us as a defensive line, we've gotta get down and dirty. We just have to fire off the ball, take on doubles and put a stake in the line. I feel like that's the key to the game, you know, just holding the line of scrimmage down. That takes away a lot of what they can do.

"If we own the line of scrimmage and keep them behind the sticks, you know, this is an offense where if they have a fourth-and-one, they're going to go for it every time. So, we've got to get them behind schedule, make them uncomfortable, make them pass the ball. If we do that, we can control the game."

From a volume standpoint, Air Force still heavily favors the run, but the Falcons have become much more efficient in the passing game. Last week against Navy, they rattled off a 94-yard passing touchdown, which was a result of coverage blown in the flat and a safety being hung out to dry, forced to choose between covering two receivers.

That's the kind of mistake the Rams' secondary needs to avoid. For Anusiem, despite the fact his role will recede in such a run-heavy game, he knows he and the rest of the defensive backs will have to show as much, if not more, focus and restraint as they have all season.

"It's a really disciplined week, our eyes have to be in the right place like every single play because we really don't know if it's run or pass," Anusiem said. "They've been passing a little more than they have in recent years, so it's just about discipline this week and execution."

Physicality. Connectedness. Detail. Those things make Air Force the power it is, but maybe a little bit in return is fundamental to taking the Falcons down.

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