LAS VEGAS -- Ironic, isn't it? For a league and a pair of teams that earned reputations over the years for their wild, high-scoring games, Saturday's final showdown between BYU and Air Force as members of the Western Athletic Conference will likely be a hard-hitting, low-scoring defensive battle.
Defense, in fact, is a major reason why both the Cougars (9-3) and Falcons (10-1) are riding seven-game winning streaks and heading into the WAC Championship game at Sam Boyd Stadium.Yet Air Force's defense is still overshadowed by its traditionally powerful, run-oriented offense.
"When you think of Air Force football, people think of the wishbone and how we execute the option here," said senior free safety Jason Sanderson. "We've put together some good defensive football teams, but people probably don't realize that. It may be a benefit to us that we may sneak up on some offenses."
This year, the Air Force defense also sneaked up on many alleged college football prognosticators. Sports Illustrated, for instance, projected the Falcons No. 65 overall in the nation (they are currently No. 17 in the polls) in its annual preview issue, proffering this explanation: "Nation's 10th-ranked defense has lost all four starting linebackers from 1997."
While Sanderson is one of only four returning starters from a team that went 10-3 last season, the Falcons produced three first-team All-WAC performers in defensive lineman Bryce Fisher (the Pacific Division defensive player of the year), linebacker Craig Thorstenson and cornerback Tim Curry.
"The question mark going into the season was the linebackers," Sanderson said. "For me, that question was answered in the first game (a 42-0 shutout of Wake Forest) because the linebackers stepped up and played well."
Fisher, a 6-foot-2, 251-pound senior, recorded six sacks for minus-47 yards and also tallied nine tackles for a loss of 39 yards while both Thorstenson and Curry helped make life miserable for opposing offenses all year long.
"Overall, I've been pleased with our defense," said coach Fisher DeBerry, whose team yields a WAC-best 13.4 points per game, which is eighth in the nation. In their last four games, the Falcons have surrendered a total of 33 points.
"They have been able to play pretty consistent throughout the season," he continued. "We are in the top 10 in the country in scoring defense and, of course, that's always been our No. 1 goal as far as our defense is concerned. And I think our defense last year set a great legacy and a great challenge to this defense. They wanted to be equally as good."
The numbers tell the story of how dominating the Falcons have been defensively. Air Force ranks eighth nationally in total defense, allowing 284.7 yards per outing. It is also 15th in rushing defense (111.8 ypg) and 20th in passing (111.0 quarterback rating). In addition, Air Force leads the WAC in turnover margin (plus-1.55 per game) and sacks (35).
The Falcon 'D' has come up big on a regular basis, especially during the second half of the season. And no play was bigger than the one on Nov. 21, when linebacker Mike Tyler intercepted a Rice pass and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to lift Air Force to a 22-16 win and the Mountain Division title.
Tyler, a senior, tore the anterior cruciate ligament and cartilage in his knee in the third game of the year but refused surgery. Instead, he elected to continue playing, with a brace, because the Academy does not apply for medical hardships. He will undergo surgery after the season is over. "He's been playing on half a leg," DeBerry said.
The Falcon coach is wary of BYU's offense heading into Saturday's affair, especially quarterback Kevin Feterik. "We can't let him take the ball and run around with it because he's so elusive," DeBerry said. "They do a great job of when they break containment. We haven't given up big plays all year. But that is something that concerns you when you're playing BYU."
Of course, the Cougars' rushing attack, headlined by running back Ronney Jenkins, concerns Air Force as well. "They've got one of the best offenses in the WAC, year-in and year-out," Sanderson said. "It's probably the best we'll face all year. They're a balanced team. The key is to make them one-dimensional, to take away either the pass or the run."
If the Falcons can accomplish that, they like their chances in their quest for a first, and last, WAC crown. Defense, the saying goes, wins championships. Air Force hopes to learn that lesson firsthand against BYU.