Air Force Football: Few major concerns in spring practice?
The Air Force Football team won the Mountain Division last year and is getting ready to try to do it again in 2016.
The Air Force Falcons have beaten Boise State two years in a row and finally won the division last year. The schedule sets up nicely this year and Air Force gets a good group of contributors returning to make a run at a repeat bid.
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Air Force has no need to worry about its running game, as nearly all of the top contributors return, which is key in Air Force’s option offense. Jacobi Owens surpassed 1,000 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry as the leading returner and depth is extremely strong for the running backs.
Air Force’s top receiver Jalen Robinette returns but the second receiver, Garrett Brown, doesn’t so finding a secondary receiver will be something to watch for this spring.
Nate Romine was the starting quarterback entering the season last year, but he was hurt in the second game of the year against San Jose State. He had a great start, throwing for 143 yards on seven passes in the first two games, and rushed for 116 yards against San Jose.
He is back for 2016 but is still working on full recovery in the spring. Air Force’s biggest concern with the quarterbacks is to build depth and allow Romine time to heal.
Karson Roberts took over quarterback duties for the majority of the season and helped Air Force to accomplish many feats, including the victory at Boise State. Roberts was a senior in 2015 so finding a dependable option behind Romine is imperative.
On the offensive side of the ball, the biggest concern will be replacing three starters on the line. Air Force has a good number of upperclassmen to draw from so the spring practices will be about seeing who can fill in where and developing some chemistry and cohesion before fall camp begins.
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On the defensive side, Air Force must replace just one starting defensive lineman, Alex Hansen. Behind him are several upperclassmen with solid playing experience.
Apart from the defensive line, the defense returns seven of its top eight playmakers from both the linebackers and the secondary. This includes safety Weston Steelhammer, who had five interceptions and 63 tackles.
All Air Force football practices are open to the public, and the spring game will be on April 9.