Know Wyoming’s Foe: Air Force Falcons

LARAMIE -- Cade Harris only hauled in two passes all season during his freshman campaign at the Air Force Academy.

Both came against Wyoming.

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The first was a simple four-yard dump pass, setting the Falcons up for a 53-yard field-goal attempt late in the first quarter. Matthew Dapore missed that one and Wyoming held on to its slim 3-0 lead.

The second snag was a tad more impactful.

With 10:07 remaining in that 2022 meeting, quarterback Haaziq Daniels faked the handoff and rolled to his right. Standing near the 50-yard line, the then junior uncorked a long ball that landed right in the hands of his 5-foot-8 wideout. That 41-yard touchdown gave the visitors their first lead of the night.

It didn't last.

The Cowboys, on the back of a 102-yard rushing night courtesy of Titus Swen, held on to beat their Front Range rivals, 17-14.

Benny Boyd never forgot that catch by No. 21 -- or the five more in last year's meeting that went for 106 yards.

"Harris has had a couple big games against the University of Wyoming, going back a few years where one of his first catches in his career was a touchdown pass against us. They were big plays," the cornerback coach said on Monday. "... He's also a very capable runner, you know? So, he poses some different challenges that will hone in on as a defensive staff. We'll create a game plan and we'll challenge our guys to execute it.

"But, make no mistake, this offense poses some very unique challenges, which is why nobody has slowed him down."

Harris, now a senior, is the fourth-leading receiver in the Mountain West with 492 yards and two touchdowns on just 23 catches.

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He went for 177 in a loss to Boise State. The following week, he toasted Hawaii for 116 more, 73 of which came on a score in that home loss to the Rainbow Warriors. Navy limited Harris to just seven yards on three completions. UNLV, last Saturday, also kept the Utah native in check. He finished with 46 yards on four grabs.

True freshman quarterback Mason Drube will run the scout team offense this week. There are a number of options for who can attempt to mimic Harris. Eric Richardson could do it. So could Chris Durr Jr. or Deion DeBlanc.

Believe it or not, another young slot receiver on this roster could be the best option of them all.

"Look, we're not far away from where Ke'Lyn Washom might get dusted off," head coach Jay Sawvel said Monday during his weekly press conference, referring to the 6-foot-1, 195-pound rookie receiver from Houston. "I mean, we couldn't cover him last week. You thought (SJSU's Danny) Scudero made us look bad, we couldn't cover this guy."

Air Force, as always, still features that potent triple-option attack. This unit ranks fourth in the nation in rushing, averaging 276 yards an outing.

Wyoming's staff does its best to prepare for that scheme each year, dedicating time in spring ball -- and throughout the regular season -- to getting its players acclimated to the many looks they will see in this yearly matchup.

Defensive coordinator Aaron Bohl said the guys on his side of the ball take advantage of 7-on-7 work in an attempt to keep their eyes locked on their individual assignment.

The Cowboys allowed just 205 rushing yards in a 31-19 victory over the Falcons last September inside War Memorial Stadium. The year prior, this time in a seven-point loss in Colorado Springs, Wyoming gave up 356, 58 of which came on a game-sealing 58-yard jaunt to the end zone by John Lee Eldridge III.

Now, out of the wild-blue yonder, Air Force is throwing the football. Not only is this run-heavy squad deviating away from its exclusive run-heavy attack with the occasional surprise, it is doing it with efficiency.

"Credit to them," Bohl said bluntly. "Their coaches do such a good job of getting guys in the right spots, and they understand what coverage you're in. One thing, when you play these guys, you can't have a lot of coverages, because then you can't fit up all the run plays. Therefore, early in the game, they know what coverage you're in. They can do some stuff to play off it, and they have a really good receiver. They give him good spots, and they rely on defensive backs having really bad eyes. We have to emphasize that all this week."

The Falcons, who are putting 40 points on the scoreboard per outing, rank ninth in the conference, averaging 214.3 yards per game through the air. That's just a couple of yards behind Wyoming and two more away from catching Fresno State.

How are they doing this?

"Liam Szarka is a really good quarterback," Sawvel added. "Look, they still have all their traditional pages of the encyclopedia that they always have, and it's a really difficult offense to prepare for and to play, but now there's a substantially larger investment into shotgun offense and all the run game that comes off of that, and the play action passes that come off of that, too.

"So, I mean, you have just a volume of offense that you have to prepare for within a week. It makes it very challenging."

The Cowboys and Falcons will meet for the 63rd time in history this Saturday at the Academy. Air Force holds a slim 31-28-3 advantage in the overall series and Wyoming hasn't won inside that venue since 2017. A guy named Josh Allen was under center that night.

"This is a really, really good offensive football team," Sawvel continued. "So we're going to have to play really well at everything that we do."

Kickoff is slated for 1:30 p.m. and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.

Meet the Falcons:

* Head coach: Troy Calhoun (19th year) 136-94 overall record, 80-62 in MW play

* Offensive coordinator: Mike Thiessen (19th year); Defensive coordinator: Brian Knorr (1st year)

* Record in 2024: 5-7 overall, 3-4 in Mountain West Conference

* Offense in 2025: Average 39 ppg, 490.3 ypg (276 rush, 214.3 pass)

* Defense in 2025: Allow 40 ppg, 496.7 ypg (173.5 rush, 323.2 pass)

* Key Returners/ Newcomers - Offense in 2025: Liam Szarka (QB - 52-82, 1,025 yds, 8 TD, 3 INT; 103 rush, 584 yds, 8 TD), Owen Allen (RB - 42 rush, 267 yds, 3 TD), Dylan Carson (RB - 51 rush, 257 yds, 2 TD), Cade Harris (WR - 23 catch, 492 yds, 2 TD, 39 rush, 235 yds, 4 TD), Kade Frew (RB - 25 rush, 147 yds, TD), Quin Smith (WR - 10 catch, 275 yds, 3 TD), Bruin Fleishmann (TE - 14 catch, 244 yds, 4 TD), Jonah Dawson (WR - 4 catch, 132 yds, TD)

* Key Returners - Defense in 2025: Blake Fletcher (LB - 63 tackles), Roger Jones Jr. (DB - 38 tackles, INT), Max Mustell (DB - 26 tackles, PBU, INT), Nick Beckwith (DB - 23 tackles, PBU), Korey Johnson (DB - 19 tackles, 4 PBU, FR, TD), Mikhail Seiken (DB - 18 tackles, FF, FR), Luke Fisher (LB - 17 tackles)

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