Houston AD Dave Maggard

I craves me some good football — anywhere, anytime … But when it happens in my hometown, just a few blocks away … Well, that’s “kinda special to me.”

Last year’s Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl was a shootout … from the moment of the pregame jet fighter fly over to the final score.  In the end,  the Bears of Cali rallied to pin a 42-36 L on the Falcons of the United States Air Force Academy.

Air Force has landed in the AFB again, and this year they will take on one the best passers in the country, Case Keenum (Abilene) who leads the Houston Cougars … under first-year coach Kevin Sumlin (a former assistant to Bob Stoops at OU).  It will be interesting to see the Coo-Gs air it out, and ironic, as Air Force fields one of the best grind-it-out ground games in the country.

Newsman Scott Murray Tosses Questions To Sumlin

After taking over the offense, Air Force quarterback Tim Jefferson became the fourth freshman starting quarterback in Air Force history and is the Mountain West freshman of the year, having rushed for 373 yards and two touchdowns while completing 37 of 66 passes for 557 yards with five touchdowns this season.

At the bowl game launch party yesterday, somehow I missed the chance to visit with Coach Sumlin in all of the hoopla.  Dang it.  And I had my question all queued up.  (If you see him, ask for me, okay?)

So coach, you have the leading passer in the country, is he just a product of the Kevin Sumlin system (or KSS as it could be one day known)?

That was in jest.  As a Texas Tech follower, I have read that “system quarterback” crap for years, and I insist that line of thinking defies logic and may be sheer lunacy.  So, I hope Keenum doesn’t get painted with that brush, mistakenly, like Graham Harrell of TT.  (I noticed the press releases compare Keenum  to Harrell … and get this, Keenum has thrown for more yards this year.)

More on the “system” BS … to set records with less firepower around a QB should catapult him into the spotlight, not be a sign of weakness.  Someone explain that.  I mean, no disrespect to Houston or Texas Tech — but they definitely don’t cake walk over the competition on recruiting day like … oh for example Oklahoma and Texas, every year.

I digress … in summary, it will be awesome to see this young gun sling it in Amon G. Carter Stadium on the final day of 2008.

So, sorry I missed coach Sumlin, system or no system.

Murray Engages Calhoun

However, I did corner Coach Troy Calhoun of Air Force.  He is only the sixth coach in the 53-year history of Academy football. So, with his 17-8 record, and back-to-back bowl appearances one might think his stock on the open market is soaring.  (That’s called a seque, among us blogger types … but before we move on, have you ever noticed that Amon G. (like the stadium) spells “among?” … I digress again …)

So Coach Calhoun, what do you think of this hire-the-coach-away-just-before-the-bowl-game frenzy we see every year? (… Washington talking to Mike Leach, Auburn talking to Gary Patterson, etc.)

“As a coach, first and foremost, you’re focused on recruitment and coaching your guys. That never alters,” Calhoun said. “Part of it (untimely hiring) is because of the time difference between the end of the regular season and when the bowl games play.   There’s a four week window in there and that’s probably where its a little bit different from college basketball.  They go right into the post season, so you don’t face that problem in that sport — really in any sport.

Armed Forces Bowl Fans Include "Kip" Hyde Jr. (Hawk Electronics), Susan Nix (Rassai), Allen Wallach (Concussion)

“College football is the oddball because of the amount of time in between the regular season and the bowl season,” he said.  “During that time at the end of December its a crucial month for recruiting. (Thus the importance of hiring a new coach, as needed.)

“But, you’ve got a great point. (Thanks coach.)  If you look at last year and the number of teams that didn’t have their coach in a bowl game, a bunch of them really struggled.”

Do you think there should be a rule that is ‘hands off’ until after bowl season?

“Well, there is in the NFL!  There’s a ‘no-recruitment’ period in there … like what they do in college football during the month of December … and the other part is that their playoffs or ‘bowls’  (in the NFL) occur immediately at the end of the regular season. But, I don’t think you’ll see that (ruling) occur in college football, because of that (the gap).”

Well on that note … there are 8 days until the Eagle Bank Bowl kicks off the season and 18 days until the Armed Forces skirmish.  So, for the big powerful football programs looking for a hot new coach, I guess that is just a few more shopping days left.

Know what I sayin?