There were more than enough moments of “Air Force football” for the Falcons to coast in their opener.

Air Force ran for 431 yards, possessed the ball for more than 40 minutes and played a brand of defense that ensured every Duquesne possession ended with the ball on the punter’s foot or in the hands of a Falcons defensive back.

But the 34-0 victory on Saturday afternoon in front of 26,703 at Falcon Stadium during Parents Weekend was far from perfect.

The Falcons committed eight penalties, went a span of four drives without a touchdown against the FCS visitors and completed just 3-of-7 passes.

“That’s not Air Force football,” tailback Rocco Conti said, particularly frustrated by the 60 yards lost to infractions. “We don’t get penalties.”

Indeed, Air Force didn’t commit a penalty in its final two games of last season and the eight flags were more than in any game in 2025.

“Definitely a bunch of fixable things,” Conti added.

Coach Troy Calhoun inserted sophomore backup quarterback Evan Medders into the game during the second quarter, “so he’s exposed to a game while it’s still early in a game and it’s warm and the whole bit.”

More substitutes were added later in the half, though the starting squad didn’t depart en masse until early in the fourth quarter.

“I thought we hit a lull later in the second quarter,” said Calhoun, who improved to 20-0 in season openers with Air Force, all coming against FCS opponents. “I think maybe we substituted perhaps too many guys. … I mean, we had some cold drives and then we finished well.”

None of the issues came close to putting this game in doubt, as the Falcons marched to long touchdowns on their first two possessions and were never threatened.

And while the offense took some dips, the defense and new specialists were on point throughout.

Linebacker Blake Fletcher, fresh off a 108-tackle season that landed him on multiple preseason watchlists, led the way with seven tackles, a sack and 1.5 stops behind the line of scrimmage.

“I think it’s telling of all the work we put in this offseason,” said Fletcher, whose squad will host Mountain West newcomer North Dakota State on Sept. 12. “Obviously, next week’s a much bigger opponent and it should be a tougher match for us. But the communication we had, the tenacity we had, the aggression, the effort… I was super impressed with us today.”

And was Fletcher, part of a defense that struggled during a slow start last season, aware of Duquesne’s goose egg on the scoreboard throughout the game?

“Yes sir,” he said. “Very aware.”

The Falcons limited the Dukes to 107 yards of total offense and led 28-8 in first downs.

Safety Max Mustell and cornerback Korey Johnson had interceptions for Air Force, both coming in the second quarter.

Punter William Duncan, making his debut, averaged 56.5 yards on his two attempts. The junior launched a 62-yard punt from the back of his end zone.

Placekicker Carter Cremascoli, who won the job on Monday, connected on field-goal attempts from 52 and 21 yards and was 4-for-4 on PATs.

Offensively, Air Force unleashed the full stable of runners.

Conti led with 74 yards on 10 carries. Fullback (and former quarterback) Kemper Hodges rumbled 72 yards on six carries with a score.

Starting quarterback Liam Szarka scored a pair of touchdowns, recording 51 yards on 13 carries and completing 3-of-5 passes for 19 yards.

It was Szarka’s first action since suffering a broken arm at Connecticut last November.

“It was great to be back out there,” said Szarka, who has rushed for 15 touchdowns in 11 career games. “It kind of takes that first hit to get back into a rhythm, and the nerves settle down after that. I enjoyed getting back out there and being able to feel the defense and get upfield and make some plays.

“I felt like I did a good job of being able to be composed while taking some hits and getting back into the rhythm of things much like last year.”

Medders ran for 48 yards and a touchdown on seven carries and went 0-for-2 passing in his debut as Szarka’s backup.

Air Force utilized 18 ball carriers, including freshman quarterback Howard Fisher.

Note

The Falcons lost slot receiver Matt Long to an injury in the fourth quarter. Long stayed on the field and was carted to the locker room. Calhoun did not have an immediate update on Long’s injury.