Utah State Preparing For Unique Offense In Air Force

Oct 25, 2019, 5:00 PM

Quarterback Donald Hammond III #5 of the Air Force Falcons runs with the ball against the Navy Midshipmen in the first half at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

(Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

BY KYLE IRELAND, KSL SPORTS

KSL Sports

LOGAN, Utah – The Utah State Aggies are gearing up for a matchup with the Air Force Falcons. The Aggies are facing a unique Falcon offense, one they won’t experience anywhere else on their 2019 schedule.

The Aggies are on the road to take on the Falcons on Saturday, October 26.

Air Force executes a majority of their plays with a triple-option attack. This type of play allows the quarterbacks to have multiple options once the ball is snapped to him. He can either run the ball himself, pitch or hand the ball off to another player to run or he can throw the ball to another player.

Very few teams run this style as their primary offense.

However, many of the military academies run an option style offense. Teams like Navy and Army both play similar to Air Force. Georgia Tech, a non-military school, also runs a similar offense.

“Option concepts might be more prevailing in football than they’ve ever been,” Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun told Sports Illustrated in 2018. “It just frequently looks different.”

Air Force had a great answer to Michigan’s Double 4i Alignment.

Unbalanced Load Option to the boundary.

Without a standard edge defender to pitch off, the FB kicks out the CB and the QB takes the alley! pic.twitter.com/AOmJd0KDwO

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) May 25, 2018

The results of this unique offense have been productive for the Falcons and have led them to a 5-2 (3-1) start in their 2019 schedule.

Air Force has the No. 2 rushing offense in the nation. They run the ball for an average of 304.6 yards per game.

The Falcons have scored 27 rushing touchdowns in 2019 and they average 5.3 yards per carry. Basically, Air Force gets a first down every two plays they run.

Another strength of the Falcons is the discipline that they play with. They are the second least penalized team in the country with only 24 penalties on the season. That averages out to 3.43 penalties per game. This shouldn’t be surprising coming from a military school.

Although Air Force runs the option as a primarily run-based offense, passing plays can be executed from the formation.

Air Force running Load Option with a A-Back Wheel/Seam

⏱I love the Quick B-Back Motion for both timing and spacing! pic.twitter.com/ui4RNdJIF2

— Coach Dan Casey (@CoachDanCasey) October 29, 2018

The passing offense hasn’t been as effective as the run game has been for the Falcons in 2019.

They currently have the No. 124 passing offense out 130 FBS teams in the country. They only throw for 133.7 yards per game. The Falcons have been limited to only six passing touchdowns this season.

If the Aggies can limit the Falcons rushing attack and force them to throw the football, USU should find success on defense.

Air Force is currently in second place in the Mountain Division of the Mountain West Conference. Utah State is tied with Boise State for first place in the division.