Air Force opens its Mountain West slate with a trip to Utah State on Saturday.

Air Force (1-0. 0-0 MW) at Utah State (1-1, 0-0)

Kickoff: 7:45 p.m. MT, Maverik Stadium in Logan, Utah

TV/Stream: FS1 – channel 11.1 in Colorado Springs on Comcast/Infinity (Channel 55/775 HD), DirecTV (Channel 219) and Dish (Channel 150). The game will also be streamed through Fox Sports website and app.

Broadcast crew: Trent Rush (play-by-play), Petros Papadakis (analyst)

Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, SIRUS 380

Air Force broadcast crew: Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

What I’ll be watching

The Gazette’s Brent Briggeman identifies items of intrigue he’ll be tracking during the game.

Air Force quarterbacks

Yes, still this. This is likely our first real glimpse into how the Falcons will handle the quarterback position. There’s a chance junior Josh Johnson and sophomore Liam Szarka continue to rotate every two series, as they did in the opener against Bucknell. But there’s no track record of coach Troy Calhoun and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Thiessen doing that in their many years together. If Air Force has made a decision as to a starter at the position, it is likely to be revealed Saturday night.

Linebacker depth

With Dallas Daley and Jonah Bowman both ruled out with injuries, Air Force’s deep inside linebacker position suddenly looks a little thin. Juniors Luke Fisher and Blake Fletcher started the opener and played well (Fletcher had 11 total tackles and a pair of quarterback hits, Fisher had eight stops), so the Falcons should be fine. But neither Fisher nor Fletcher has played a full game, and a road game in the Mountain West is a tough place to try that for the first time.

Bronco busting

Games against teams coached by Bronco Mendenhall have been a problem for Air Force. The coach who has led BYU and New Mexico in the Mountain West and is now in his first season at Utah State is 6-1 all-time as a head coach against the Falcons. The only win for Air Force came in 2010 at Falcon Stadium. Mendenhall has never lost a home game to the Falcons.

By the Numbers

1

Win for Air Force in its past eight Mountain West openers.

5

Air Force’s current winning streak, dating back to the final four games of the 2024 season. Only three teams have longer current streaks – Ohio State, Memphis, Illinois, all with six.

12

Sacks allowed by Utah State this season, the most in the nation.

39

Players on Utah State’s roster who were with the Aggies last season. Only New Mexico, with 35, had fewer returning players.

280

Utah State has passed for at least 280 yards in seven of the past 11 games against Air Force, going 4-3 in those games.