Buffs At Air Force: Quick Facts & Figures
COLORADO BUFFALOES (0-1)
at AIR FORCE FALCONS (1-0)
AIR FORCE ACADEMY — In their 17-game series with Air Force that dates back to 1958, the Colorado Buffaloes have never lost two in a row to the Falcons.
Karl Dorrell's Buffs hope to keep that streak alive Saturday when they travel to the Academy for a 1:30 p.m. matchup with AFA at Falcon Stadium (CBS).
The Falcons won the last meeting, a 30-23 overtime victory in Boulder in 2019.
The Buffs are heavy underdogs Saturday after last weekend's 38-13 loss to TCU while Air Force easily beat Northern Iowa, 48-17. Colorado's defense gave up 31 points and 261 yards rushing in the second half — not a good sign against an AFA team that rushed for 582 in its win.
The Falcons are led by quarterback Haaziq Daniels, who had his second career 100-100 game last week, rushing for 107 yards and throwing for 109;
The Buffaloes will counter with a defense that held TCU's offense scoreless in the first half last week. Linebackers Quinn Perry (seven tackles) and Josh Chandler-Semedo (six tackles) and safety Trevor Woods (six tackles) will have key roles in trying to stop the AFA run game.
KICKOFF: 1:37 p.m. (MT), Falcon Stadium (46,692)
TV, RADIO: The game will be televised by CBS with Rich Waltz and Aaron Taylor in the booth and Sherree Burrus on the sidelines. The radio broadcast will be carried by KOA (850 AM, 94.1 FM) with Voice of the Buffs Mark Johnson and Gary Barnett in the booth and Bob Pesavento on the sidelines. KOA's coverage begins at 11:30 a.m. with the pregame show.
ON THE INTERNET: The game can be heard on the internet at CUBuffs.com, and www.850koa.com in the Denver-Boulder metro area. Live statistics will also be available at CUBuffs.com.
THE COACHES: Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell is in his third year at the Buffs' helm, where he is 8-11 (43-38 overall as a head coach).
Air Force is coached by Troy Calhoun, who is in his 16th season at the Air Force. Calhoun has a 112-75 overall mark with the Falcons, including a 67-23 record at home.
Dorrell is 0-0 against Air Force while Calhoun is 1-0 against Colorado.
THE SERIES: The two teams have met 17 times over the years, with Colorado holding a 12-5 edge, including a 5-1 mark at the USAFA. Air Force won the last meeting, 30-23 in overtime, in Boulder in 2019. Prior to that game, the two teams hadn't played since 1974.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: A loss would give the Buffs their first back-to-back defeats at the hands of Air Force in series history. More importantly, CU needs a win to avoid an 0-2 start with a trip to Minnesota looming next week.
LAST OUTING: The Buffs saw a one-point deficit at the half turn into a 38-13 loss against TCU last week after the Horned Frogs scored 31 unanswered points in the second half. The Falcons opened their season by jumping out to a 27-3 first half lead en route to cruising to a 48-17 win over Northern Iowa.
TEAM LEADERS: CU wide receiver Daniel Arias caught four passes for 66 yards last week. Backup quarterback J.T. Shrout led CU with 157 yards passing and a touchdown while starting quarterback Brendon Lewis led Colorado in rushing with 42 yards on eight carries.
Defensively, linebacker Quinn Perry led Colorado last week with seven tackles while linebacker Josh Chandler-Semedo and Trevor Woods each had six stops.
Air Force had five players with at least 77 yards rushing last week, led by tailback Brad Roberts with 114. The Falcons finished with eight plays of 20 yards or longer, including two scoring plays of 80 yards and two more covering 71 yards.
Defensive back Trey Taylor led the Falcons with eight tackles while Camby Goff had an interception.
KEY MATCHUP: Colorado's defensive line vs. AFA's offensive line. The Buffs have to contain the line of scrimmage and prevent the Falcons from getting outside and breaking big plays.
UP NEXT: The Buffs travel to Minnesota next Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. matchup with the Gophers (ESPN2). Colorado dropped a 30-0 decision to Minnesota in Boulder last season