The Calhoun story (see post below) actually will run on Friday. Also running that day will be part one of a two-part article about who Air Force will have coming back next season.
2 comments on “On Second Thought …”
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I have been with the The Gazette since 2006 and began covering Air Force athletics in the fall of 2012. While with The Gazette I've jumped from layout & design to covering the Sky Sox to spending several years overseeing our high school sports coverage. I've written for newspapers at the University of Kansas, St. Joseph, Mo., and Maui. (By the way, one of those things is not like the other) At home, my wife, Jennifer, and I have three young daughters, ranging in age from 3 1/2 to 8 months. As you might imagine, sleep is scarce, so please forgive a typo or two. Follow me on twitter @BrentBriggeman
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Jake,
Your article concerning the returning talent is heartening. But do you think the Falcons are in danger of bumping up against expectations that will be too high for next season? The coaching staff seems impervious to the pressure of preseason predictions; they’ve produced quality products notwithstanding the general assessment that Air Force was in for a rough couple of years until Coach Calhoun got his feet on the ground. But given the overachieving that this team did, I think the fan base is going to look for all this returning talent to improve dramatically. Based on your observation of the team, do you think they’re capable of that much improvement, especially against teams like BYU and TCU? And if not, how much more difficult is that going to make Calhoun’s job?
Chicago –
I think Air Force has a chance to improve next season but may not quite be ready to catch the upper-tier teams.
I don’t think the expectations will affect the players too much, but at the same time, Air Force won’t be able to sneak up on anyone any more. Teams are going to be gearing up for the Falcons now. And — as you point out — what might be most difficult to live up to will be the increased expectations of the fans.
Another thing to keep in mind is that Air Force has won some really tight games the last two years (Utah and TCU in 07 come to mind, as well as UNLV and Houston this season). Yes, AF also lost some close games, but the Falcons have won pretty much every game they were “supposed to” win. Can they continue to do that?