Longtime Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry calls Blane Morgan one of the best quarterbacks to don a Falcons uniform.
And that's not faint praise. After all, what BYU has been to the passing quarterback over the years in the WAC, Air Force has been to the option quarterback.Former Falcon stars to roll (not to mention pitch and dive) off the assembly line in Colorado Springs include Bart Weiss, Dee Dowis and Morgan's older brother, Beau.
Blane, a 5-foot-9, 190-pound senior, appears to have been cast from that same mold. At least when he's healthy.
Right now, Morgan is nursing an ankle sprain, making him questionable for Saturday's game against BYU.
When unhampered by injury, Morgan can run, he can throw and he can take his team to the end zone with regularity (the Falcons averaged 37 points a game in 1998). He also possesses those intangible qualities that rank him right up there with the likes of Weiss, Dowis and Beau Morgan.
"He's 19-3 as a starter. That speaks to the fact that he's a winner," DeBerry said. "He is a tremendous competitor. He'll go down as one of the best option quarterbacks we've ever had here, no question."
This week, Morgan can do his legendary predecessors one better. If he can lead Air Force to a victory over BYU in the WAC Championship game, he will deliver to the school its first-ever conference title.
Both the Falcons and Cougars began practicing Monday, following an extended Thanksgiving break, in preparation for their showdown, which kicks off at 11 a.m. in Las Vegas.
But before the normally fleet-footed senior takes on the Cougars, his foot must heal. Morgan is still feeling the effects of a sprain sustained Nov. 21 against Rice.
"Blane is going to do everything he can to be ready to play," DeBerry said.
The Falcons won't wait until game time to decide if Morgan will start, DeBerry said. They're waiting to see how he performs in practice this week. Morgan went home to Carrollton, Texas, for Thanksgiving and was checked by the Air Force medical staff Monday.
Morgan, the WAC Mountain Division offensive player of the year, was the Academy's leading rusher in 1998, running for 528 yards. He also threw for 1,049 yards. The Falcons employ a more wide-open option attack than years' past. They have proven they can put the ball in the air as well as run, making their offense more balanced than usual.
"Blane's a master at that," said BYU coach LaVell Edwards of Morgan's ability to direct this new-fangled option. Morgan is responsible for 23 touchdowns -- 14 on the ground and nine more through the air.
Yet as much as Morgan means to the Falcons, they don't seem to believe the outcome against BYU hinges on whether or not he plays.
That's because they have other weapons, including another standout QB who can run the precision option offense about as well as Morgan. Said DeBerry, "Blane will have to be 100 percent (Saturday) because we have a lot of confidence in our backup quarterback."
That would be Bonds. Cale Bonds.
The 6-foot junior is 2-0 as a starter. He engineered a 49-7 rout of Navy -- when Morgan originally sprained his ankle in October -- and took over against Rice on the fourth play from scrimmage when Morgan went down again.
"Cale understands what we're doing," DeBerry said. "He's a smart kid. He's a tremendous student and a tremendous student of the game. There's not a lot of drop-off between he and Blane."
Halfback Jemal Singleton says he's not worried about going into battle without Morgan on the field. "It's going to be a loss to us, but it's not going to slow us down one bit," he said. "That's the great thing about this offense -- we have guys who have a team concept. Every player can make plays when called upon."
Bonds averages 6.1 yards per carry and completed 19 of 34 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns. He also piloted Air Force to a come-from-behind win over Rice with a berth in the WAC Championship game hanging in the balance.
Edwards said Air Force's quarterback question won't affect his defense's preparation this week. The Cougars have seen game film on Morgan and Bonds, and both look equally impressive.
"We haven't seen a whole lot of change whether Blane's in there or Bonds' in there," he said.