Air Force football head coach Troy Calhoun, along with senior offensive lineman Trevor Tate and junior linebacker Brody Bujnoch, spoke to the media ahead of their upcoming game against Colorado State.
The rivalry between Air Force and Colorado State is marked by the annual competition for the Ram-Falcon Trophy. The series currently stands at 39-22-1 in favor of Air Force, with a 28-16 record in conference games. At home, Air Force holds a 22-12-1 advantage, while they are 17-10 when playing at Colorado State. The trophy was first introduced in 1980 after Shelly Godkin, a former ROTC commander at Colorado State, created it following his impressions from watching the teams play in 1978.
In their last meeting in Fort Collins in 2023, Air Force won 30-13. Dane Kinamon and Zac Larrier connected for a nine-yard touchdown pass to start the scoring for Air Force. Colorado State responded with a long touchdown pass from Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi to Justus Ross-Simmons and later took the lead with a field goal. Bo Richter made a key defensive play for Air Force by forcing a fumble that led to John Lee Eldridge III’s touchdown run. After halftime, Zac Larrier added another rushing touchdown and Matthew Depore kicked a field goal to extend the Falcons’ lead. Emmanuel Michel sealed the win with a five-yard touchdown run late in the game. Michel finished with 130 yards on 20 carries as part of Air Force’s total of 293 yards (261 rushing). On defense, Jalen Mergerson recorded a career-high 13 tackles while Trey Taylor added ten more. The Falcons held Colorado State scoreless in the second half and limited them to just 42 rushing yards out of their total of 339.
Last season’s matchup saw Colorado State break its losing streak against Air Force by winning 21-13 at Falcon Stadium. Vince Brown II scored first for CSU on a pass from Kobe Johnson, followed by Jalen Dupree’s one-yard run before halftime. In the third quarter, Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi threw an 85-yard touchdown pass to Caleb Goodie for CSU’s final score. Air Force answered with two touchdowns: John Busha threw to Tylor Latham and then ran one yard himself but could not complete another drive as time expired after their final possession ended on an incomplete end zone attempt. CSU gained 406 total yards (205 rushing), while Avery Morrow led their ground attack with 132 yards on twenty carries; Fowler-Nicolosi completed eleven passes for 178 yards. For Air Force, Dylan Carson rushed twelve times for sixty yards; Busha passed for a career-high of175 yards on ten completions out of twenty-five attempts as part of their overall348 total yards (173 rushing).
Coach Calhoun and players addressed these recent results as they prepare for this year’s renewal of one of college football’s longstanding rivalries.
