Geraud Sanders and his Air Force teammates as freshmen he arrived with in Colorado Springs were unaware how good they had it. In 2016, Air Force’s trip to the Arizona Bowl was the Falcons’ ninth post-season game in head coach Troy Calhoun’s 10th season.
But then a 5-7 record in 2017 sent them home for the holidays as sophomores. Air Force lost three of its last five games.
The Falcons were home again as juniors with another 5-7 mark, having lost three of the last four.
Sanders, a senior wide receiver from Frisco, Tex., particularly felt he was missing out last year when he attended the 2018 DXL Frisco Bowl matching San Diego State and Ohio University.
“I was doing nothing, watching bowl games,” said Sanders. “I remember driving down to the Frisco Bowl and seeing the San Diego State (equipment) truck parked out at the stadium. I said, ‘I want to people to know about our program in a bowl game.”
Mission accomplished.
The Falcons (10-2) not only ended their two-year bowl drought, they’re ranked No. 24 in the nation as they face unranked Washington State (6-6) in the Cheez-It Bowl Friday at Chase Field in Phoenix.
My Geraud Sanders story from October
This time the Falcons left no doubt with a double-digit victory season. Air Force’s only losses were to a pair of ranked teams, No. 19 Boise State (12-2) and No. 23 Navy (10-2).
Boise handed the Falcons’ their first loss and only defeat in Mountain West Conference play. After losing to Navy to fall to 3-2, Air Force has won seven straight. The season included defeating both Colorado and Colorado State for the “state championship.”
“Being able to get another bowl game for the first time since my freshman year was important for the program,” Sanders said. “It’s good for recruits to see us showcase our talent in a bowl game against a Pac-12 school. We get that extra game and that extra chance for some exposure. It’s one last game to be around the guys and play another game. And who doesn’t like the gifts you get at a bowl game?”
Sanders, a 6-foot-2, 210-pounder, played a big role in Air Force’s improved offense. He earned honorable mention All-Mountain West, leading the Falcons in receiving with 29 catches for 736 yards and seven touchdowns. His 25.4 yards per catch leads the nation.
Sanders and Benjamin Waters (20-646-7) combined for 53 catches and 1,382 yards. They have the most combined catches since 2015 and the most yards in the option era that began in 1980.
Sanders likes the idea of having passing opportunities against Washington State, a school known for throwing the under coach Mike Leach.
“Absolutely, and I can speak for Ben,” Sanders said. “Any time we step on the field we want to put our best foot forward. We want to show our talent. Air Force is a running team, but we have players on the outside with talent. We want to show all of our working and training have paid off in a positive way.”
The bowl trip is one pay off, but not taking bowl trips for granted is one message Sanders has for Air Force’s freshmen on the roster.
I also asked for other words of advice for a freshmen football recruits that signed up for their selfless commitment to serve the country. They weighed challenges of an academy education and the launching pad it provides for their future. They’re journey begins in the summer when they report to the academy.
“I would tell kids there’s no secret – hard work pays off,” he said. “If you want something you can go get it if you work hard. The rest will take care of itself. Yeah, you came here to play football, but you have to put academics first. Poor grades and poor work ethic mean you won’t play.
“When you get here, you realize you’re going through the same things as everybody else. That includes those that are not playing football. You work hard and before you know it you’re a senior. I thank God I came to this place. That would be my message.”
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I invite you to follow me on Twitter @shanny4055
Tom Shanahan, Author: Raye of Light http://tinyurl.com/knsqtqu
— Book on Michigan State’s leading role in the integration of college football. It explains Duffy Daugherty’s untold pioneering role and debunks myths that steered recognition away from him to Bear Bryant.
http://shanahan.report/a/the-case-for-duffy-and-medal-of-freedom
Don’t believe the myths at Duffy Daugherty’s expense about Bear Bryant’s motivation to play the 1970 USC-Alabama game or myths about the Charlie Thornhill-for-Joe Namath trade. Bear Bryant knew nothing about black talent in the South while he dragged his feet on segregation.
http://www.shanahan.report/a/forty-four-underground-railroad-legacy-facts
http://shanahan.report/a/myths-that-grew-out-of-1970-alabama-game-with-usc
http://shanahan.report/a/mystery-solved-in-thornhill-and-namath-myth
David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and biographer; “History writes people out of the story. It’s our job to write them back in.”
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