Recent News | Popular News | Subscribe

FACTS & STATS: Site: TCF Bank Stadium (50,300) -- Minneapolis, Minnesota. Television: BTN. Home Record: Air Force 1-0, Minnesota 0-0. Away Record: Air Force 0-0, Minnesota 1-0. Neutral Record: Air Force 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Conference Record: Air Force 0-0, Minnesota 0-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: Fresh off the most lopsided win in program history, the Air Force Falcons take a major step up in competition level with Saturday's non- conference clash against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

Air Force, a member of the Mountain West Conference, crushed Nicholls State of the Football Championship Subdivision by a 72-0 final last weekend and is now 14-0 all-time against FCS schools. The 72-point margin of victory broke a record that had stood since 1963. Also worthy of note is that the shutout was the first for the team since 2003. The victory was the 12th straight season- opening win versus a non-ranked opponent dating back to 1994.

As for Minnesota, it improved from one win in 2007 to seven wins in 2008 under the guidance of head coach Tim Brewster. The 2009 season began on a positive note last weekend with a hard-fought 23-20 overtime victory at Syracuse. The Gophers have now won five straight regular season games versus non-conference foes and will attempt to extend that streak tonight.

This game marks the first-ever meeting between Air Force and Minnesota on the gridiron.

Air Force extended its school-record consecutive games scoring streak to 195, the fourth longest active streak in the nation. They did so in a big way, as they rolled up 576 total yards en route to the 72 points against Nicholls State. Tim Jefferson wasn't asked to do too much under center, but while he only ran the ball five times and threw it seven times, he still accounted for three touchdowns, two of which came on the ground. The rushing attempt was extremely balanced, as the club racked up 474 yards despite the fact that no individual rushed for more than 83 yards. Kevin Fogler made the biggest play in the passing game, as his lone catch went for a 57-yard score. Air Force made good on 8-of-15 third down conversion attempts and all three of its fourth down tries. Most important to the coaches was the fact that the Falcons didn't commit a single turnover.

While the offense gets a ton of credit for putting up 72 points against Nicholls State, the Air Force defense was equally impressive. The Falcons yielded a mere seven first downs and 151 total yards on 57 plays. Nicholls State posted just two yards per carry and 8.7 yards per pass completion. Air Force did its best work on third downs, as it allowed its inferior opponent to make good on only 1-of-14 conversion attempts. Also, the Falcons came away with four fumble recoveries. John Falgout led Air Force with seven tackles, while both Rick Ricketts and Ben Garland posted a sack apiece. Freshman linebacker Alex Means became the first Air Force freshman to start on opening day since Shaun Carney in 2004, a significant accomplishment to say the least.

The Minnesota offense didn't light up the scoreboard against Syracuse by any means, but there was enough points scored to win the game. Quarterback Adam Weber completed only 19-of-42 pass attempts for 248 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Fortunately, he has Eric Decker on the outside, who made a ton of big plays versus the Orange. Decker finished with nine catches for 183 yards, including a 53-yard reception. The 11 completions that Weber threw to receivers other than Decker totaled only 65 yards, proof of just how important the standout pass catcher is to the offense. As for the ground attack, Duane Bennett led the charge with 78 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. The Golden Gophers made good on just 5-of-17 third down conversion attempts and turned the ball over twice, so there is obvious room for improvement.

Defensively, Minnesota came up with a huge play in overtime against Syracuse, intercepting a pass that set up the game-winning field goal. Give the defense a ton of credit for holding the Orange to 20 points and 257 total yards on the road. Perhaps the most impressive stat from the contest was that the Gophers permitted the Orange to make good on only 1-of-12 third down conversion attempts. Minnesota yielded 90 rushing yards on 34 totes, an average of 2.6 yards per carry. With one interception, one fumble recovery and three sacks, there were a decent number of big plays made. All three starting linebackers hit career highs for tackles in the contest, with seniors Lee Campbell (13) and Simoni Lawrence (10) leading the way.

Air Force is fresh off an easy win, while Minnesota needed an overtime period to fight off Syracuse. The Gophers, who open their new stadium this weekend, get the nod, but expect another close one.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Minnesota 24, Air Force 20