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TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com

Behind Enemy Lines

To gain an inside perspective 

on the Michigan football team’s 
upcoming matchup against Air 
Force, the Daily reached out to 
Brent Briggeman — the Falcons 
beat writer for the Colorado 
Springs Gazette.

On 
Wednesday 
night, 
we 

spoke on the phone with Brent 
to discuss Air Force’s triple 
option, Falcons running back 
Tim McVey and what needs 
to happen to put Michigan on 
upset alert.

Here’s 
a 
look 
into 
our 

conversation:

The Michigan Daily: The big 

talk around here is the triple 
option. How do you think it 
could fare against this defensive 
line that Michigan has?

Brent Briggeman: I think it’s 

proven over the years that it can 
work against any defense, you 
know what I mean? It’s so hard 
to stop just because it doesn’t 

matter how big you are. It’s just 
a matter of picking up the ball. 
The deception and quickness in 
it is really difficult for a team 
that doesn’t see it very often. 
Also, it allows Air Force to leave 
a man unblocked on every play, 
and they don’t have to sustain 
blocks very long. That really 
helps them being undersized. 
It 
eliminates 
a 
lot 
of 
the 

disadvantages that come with 
being undersized.

And 
Arion 
Worthman 
at 

quarterback 
is 
the 
fastest 

quarterback I’ve seen operate 
this system. And since he’s been 
in, that’s why they’ve won seven 
in a row. It’s hard to understand 
what that looks like until you’ve 
actually played against it or seen 
it in person. They know where 
they’re going and the defense 
doesn’t, and they get there 
quickly. It’s such a different 
game for defenders to play.

TMD: Along those same lines, 

do you think it’s even further 
of an advantage for Air Force 

that — as talented as Michigan’s 
defense is — they don’t have a lot 
of college snaps?

BB: It sort of puts them at a 

disadvantage I would think. It’s 
just not a natural way to defend. 
Talking to Air Force defenders — 
seniors who have played against 
this in practice for years, and 
then play against New Mexico, 
Army and Navy every year who 
run a variation of the triple 
option — they’re still picking up 
nuances of how to defend it. To 
think that a team could learn it 
over spring practice and then in 
the week leading up — you’re not 
gonna learn it. You’re just gonna 
have to learn enough of it to try 
to get by.

It’s not like Air Force is gonna 

bust 
every 
play. 
Michigan’s 

gonna make plays. But Air 
Force hasn’t been shut out 
in something like 30 years — 
maybe 20 years, it’s been a long 
time — and there’s a reason. It’s 
really hard to stop this. And 
the minds that go into creating 
this offense, you know, (Air 
Force coach) Troy Calhoun was 
an NFL offensive coordinator, 
so it’s not like he only uses 
the triple option. And Mike 
Theissen, who’s the offensive 
coordinator, was an academy 
graduate, played quarterback 
here and was a professor for a 
little while in mathematics. So 
obviously, these are some pretty 
bright minds. It’s not like these 
are guys who just run it because 
they 
don’t 
know 
anything 

else. They run it because they 
understand that it works here. 
And if you’re a defender getting 
your third college start, it’s 
gonna be eye opening.

TMD: Is there any chance 

that Air Force could air it out 
more often than they normally 
would, given that Michigan’s 
secondary hasn’t really been 
tested at all in the air yet?

BB: I would think. I wouldn’t 

expect them to throw more than 
12 to 15 times. They pick their 
spots well, because obviously 
they have to get that ground 
game established. Once guys are 
starting to cheat a little bit … 
suddenly a back is running loose 

Michigan. Here’s why.
The triple-option playbook Air 

Force utilizes is full of trick plays and 
deception. The Wolverines haven’t 
faced an opponent like that this year, 
or any year recently. Against VMI, 
the Falcons’ unconventional system 
managed to run for 473 positive 
yards, had seven different players 
score rushing touchdowns and had 11 
players rush for over 20 yards.

The Wolverines have talked about 

prepping for this scheme since last 
spring, though. Michigan’s defensive 
line should power through the 
Falcons’ front five. When the likes of 
Gary and veteran linemen Maurice 
Hurst and Chase Winovich come 
crashing on the Falcons’ door, the 
triple-option won’t have so much 
flexibility.

Edge: Michigan

Special teams

The Wolverines undoubtedly have 

the better talent on special teams, but 
they have yet to prove it. Freshman 
Donovan Peoples-Jones was benched 
as the punt returner because he 
was making risky decisions. His 
replacement, junior Grant Perry, only 
called for fair catches — something 
Peoples-Jones never did.

Michigan 
redshirt 
freshman 

kicker Quinn Nordin had an eye 
for the field goals against Florida, 
hitting four-for-six with two for over 
50 yards. Air Force hasn’t kicked a 
field goal yet this season — it scored 
touchdowns on most of its drives 
against VMI.

Edge: Michigan

Intangibles

Speight is out to prove himself. 

While he’s not in any danger of losing 
his starting spot, the criticism around 
his two interceptions week one 
and his two fumbles week two has 
been growing. If he cleans up those 
mistakes, Speight could be primed for 
a dominant performance Saturday.

Leading the Wolverines into the 

Big Ten season undefeated, and 
throwing a few more touchdowns in 
the process, would get everyone back 
on Speight’s side.

Edge: Michigan

The Wolverines have the edge in 

every category, but don’t count Air 
Force out with its tricky, fast offense. 
Cincinnati gave Michigan a scare, so 
there is no reason to think the Falcons 
can’t either. On the scoreboard, this 
Saturday could look a lot like the last.

Prediction: Michigan 38, Air 

Force 13

BREAKDOWN
From Page 6

AMELIA CACCHIONE/Daily

Junior safety Tyree Kinnel is living up to the expectation that he would lead Michigan’s secondary, as he has a team-high 15 tackles through two games. 

The Daily spoke with Brent Briggeman of the Colorado 
Springs Gazette about the upcoming Air Force contest.

KEVIN SANTO

Managing Sports Editor

See BRENT, Page 8

