This shouldn’t be surprising considering the style of Air Force’s offense. Or, perhaps, it should at least be considered something that’s within the realm of possibility. Still, looking at the Hawaii-Air Force box score from Friday night is rather jarring.
Air Force vs. Hawaii 2012: More like Ground Force, amirite?
Air Force did something rare on Friday night by playing like it was 1912.
Ron Chenoy-US PRESSWIRE
Take a look at these stats. Look closely:
Or what about this?
Air Force did not attempt a single pass on Friday night, and beat Hawaii by two touchdowns. The Falcons ran the ball 68 times and threw it a grand total of zero times. And they did quite well, converting 10 of 17 third downs and averaging five yards per carry while racking up 338 yards on the ground.
Seven different Air Force players carried the ball, led by Cody Getz's 125 yards and a touchdown on 21 carries. Quarterback Connor Dietz didn't just spend the night turning and handing the ball off -- which would be pretty boring. He ran for 47 yards on 14 carries. Wes Cobb added two touchdowns on the ground, as well. And wide receivers combined for a grand total of seven touches on offense -- four carries for Ty MacArthur and three for Dontae Strickland. So at least they got some work in.
Far as I can tell, the last time this happened was in 2009, when Navy beat Wake Forest, 13-10, while attempting no passes. The service academies and their offenses, man. Just a throwback to old times.
And you know what? It’s pretty fantastic. I can’t think of a more demoralizing way to beat an opponent than to say “Forget it: We’re not throwing the ball today.” In a world where spread offenses that are heavy on the pass dominate, Air Force accomplished something on Friday night.
And also Hawaii is pretty awful.
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