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Hans talks about 2009 extension to Reynolds’ contract is a post from: Air Force

It won’t be drastic – he isn’t going to try to implement a brand new system in a couple days – but there will be a few interesting wrinkles.

“We’ve struggled to score here lately, and that’s been a problem, so we may try to push the ball up the floor a little more and get some transition scores rather than attack a set defense,” Pilipovich said. “Whether that’s going to be right or wrong I don’t know, but I think we’re going to try that.”

Pilipovich said during his press conference Wednesday that he would listen to the players more, and it seems he will follow through with that right away. One of the key points of feedback he got is it might help to pare down the offense, which should help everyone, especially the freshmen.

“Everyone’s head is spinning a bit right now, so we might try to be a little more simplistic, just to help everybody out and get through the next game or so, and just focus on, ‘These are the certain things we’re looking to run,’” Pilipovich said.

That will apply to the defense as well. Instead of defending different teams in different ways (for example, playing a ball screen one way against UNLV or Colorado, but a different way against New Mexico or Boise State), the Falcons will keep to some core principles. That was discussed as the staff even before Jeff Reynolds was fired Wednesday.

“Simplifying things,” Pilipovich said.

Pilipovich said he would also have some of his assistants focus on offense and others focus on defense, almost like a football coaching staff.

Air Force basketball will have a little different look the rest of the season is a post from: Air Force

“Janet and I would like to thank all the staff and their families, the players and their families and fans for the past four and one-half seasons. We appreciated the opportunity and everyone’s support to coach at such a great institution, the Air Force Academy. While I am very saddened and disappointed with the decision, I do think our staff did many good things. I want to thank Dr. Mueh and the leadership at the Academy for the opportunity. I wish the program much success.”

Former Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds’ statement is a post from: Air Force

A source with knowledge of the situation, who didn’t want to be named because the academy hasn’t announced the move, confirmed the news. Dave Pilipovich will take over as the interim coach.

The Falcons had lost six straight games, including two blowout losses in their last two games to New Mexico and Colorado State.

Source: Reynolds out as Air Force coach is a post from: Air Force

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Troy Calhoun’s tribute to Lee Douglas is a post from: Air Force

Air Force fans should know that Serratore spent the next few minutes speaking beautifully about Lee Douglas, the KOAA sportscaster who passed away on Sunday. I won’t share specifically what he said, but it was genuine, emotional and touching. Serratore stuck around for at least an hour after his normal press conference, sharing great stories about Lee. Today was a tough day for those closest to Lee – such as KOAA coworker Jordan Mason, and Douglas’ Air Force football radio partners Jay Ritchie and Jim Arthur. Serratore’s heartfelt speech was a great tribute to Douglas, a true professional and one of the friendliest people I’ve met in this business.

When Serratore announced he was ready to start his press conference and talk hockey, the cameras went back on and he took off his Air Force jacket. He was wearing a loud Hawaiian shirt underneath, like Douglas liked to wear. It was a wonderful gesture in memory of a great man.

Classy gesture by Frank Serratore on a tough day is a post from: Air Force

“I don’t know,” Lyons said. “I think fatigue is getting to a lot of the guys. I don’t know, I really can’t explain it to be honest. I’ve got no answer for that one.”

After two lopsided losses to New Mexico and Colorado State, the team’s confidence could be a factor.

“It might be a little shaky,” Lyons said. “We’ve got so many young guys, it’s hard to bring everybody along and keep everybody on the same page.

“We just have to keep everybody’s spirits up.”

The defense has taken a step back in the past two games, and the offense has struggled as well. Air Force coach Jeff Reynolds thought the two might be related – that missed shots have affected the effort on defense.

Reynolds said after Tuesday’s loss to New Mexico that he worried about a letdown after the UNLV game, and it happened. Reynolds and Air Force’s players said they didn’t anticipate a poor performance at Colorado State. Nobody questioned the effort, but the execution was definitely off. Air Force is just 1-6 after its first pass through the Mountain West, and needs to make strides if it is going to be better the second time through the league.

“We just need that one win, and we’ll be right on track,” forward Mike Fitzgerald said.

Final: Colorado State 67, Air Force 49 is a post from: Air Force

Kammerer hurt himself in practice this week and didn’t make the trip to Fort Collins. He was replaced on the roster by senior Scott Stucky.

The good news for the Falcons is that the Rams aren’t a big team. Colorado State doesn’t have a player taller than 6-6 that gets more than six minutes of playing time per game. Kammerer should be available for Air Force’s next game, which will be next Saturday against Boise State.

Pregame: Air Force at Colorado State; Kammerer out is a post from: Air Force

“If it gets to the point because of scheduling conflicts that we can’t play everybody and the schedule is going to become an issue, the Army game will never go anyplace,” Niumatalolo told the website, in discussing Navy’s move to the Big East in 2015. “I’d rather keep Army and Notre Dame and not worry about the Commander-In-Chief’s trophy. We’re in a conference now. So we need to try to win a conference championship.”

Niumatalolo, who didn’t respond to a text message, said he was speaking on his behalf and he had not discussed the matter with Navy’s athletic director or superintendent. That, along with a rational look at the issue, will lead one to believe that Niumatalolo’s comments probably won’t amount to anything.

An important factor to keep in mind is that it won’t be Niumatalolo’s call, even if it comes to choosing between Air Force and other nonconference games. And it might not be an issue anyway – the Star-Ledger was one of the outlets that reported when Navy joined the Big East, concessions were made to allow the Midshipmen to continue to play Army and Air Force. Air Force asked for similar concessions from the Mountain West when the possibility of a nine-game league schedule was brought up last year.

Ending any service academy rivalry and the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy, which dates back to 1972, won’t be a decision unilaterally made by a coach.

One of the main benefits of service academy football is exposure. The Army-Navy game is basically a three-and-a-half hour advertisement on CBS every year for service academies. This year, CBS also broadcast Air Force-Navy and Air Force-Army to a national audience. Given that expanded exposure – and the possibility that happens again in the near future – military leaders in Washington, D.C. will likely scoff at the notion of dumping a 40-year-old service academy rivalry, no matter what Niumatalolo prefers (assuming he’s Navy’s head coach in 2015, when Navy is slated to enter the Big East and when any of this would begin to matter anyway).

Air Force coach Troy Calhoun was skeptical that Air Force’s service academy games would go away anytime soon.

“I don’t think so,” Calhoun said.

Calhoun then seemed to challenge Navy and Niumatalolo in a subtle way, pointing out what Air Force has done through the years playing in a  conference (and note in the quote that he points out the “six best leagues” while referring to Air Force’s affiliation with the Mountain West, which would apparently put the Big East in seventh place).

“To be in one of the six best leagues in all of college football, and to still play Tennessee, Michigan, Notre Dame and still play your service academy games, and to be able to go through an academy, it’s the greatest test in college sports period,” Calhoun said, rattling off some of Air Force’s most recent non-conference opponents. “It’s the ultimate rigor and the ultimate mettle building process. But it can be done.”

Would Navy dump Air Force off the schedule? Seems very unlikely is a post from: Air Force

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Navy’s Niumatalolo wants to take easy road, drop Air Force from football schedule is a post from: Air Force