SPRING STORYLINES (OTHER THAN THE OFFENSIVE LINE)1. Filling big shoes on defenseAir Force’s 2009 defense was one of the best, statistically, in academy history. But the Falcons lost defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who left to become the defensive coordinator at Texas A&M. And they will have to replace several key players who are set to graduate, including nose guard Ben Garland (team-high 10.5 tackles for losses), three-year starting strong safety Chris Thomas and inside linebackers John Falgout and Justin Moore, the 2009 team’s top two tacklers.

2. More nickelToward the end of last season, Air Force’s defense used its nickel package (five defensive backs, three linebackers) more than its base 3-4 set (three defensive linemen, four linebackers). That was in large part because the Falcons’ last three opponents (UNLV, BYU and Houston) all ran pass-heavy offenses with three or more receivers and one back. Air Force will work on its nickel package more this spring. “Just look at how few two-back offenses are involved in college football,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “Nickel is something we’ll install early and rehearse repeatedly.” Calhoun said he’d experiment with moving one of his starting cornerbacks (Anthony Wright Jr. and Reggie Rembert) inside to a safety position in the nickel set and bringing another cornerback (P.J. Adeji-Paul or Josh Hall) onto the field.

3. Who replaces Brandon Geyer?Quietly, one of the Falcons’ most significant graduation losses is Geyer, who handled a pair of often unsung jobs. Geyer was near-perfect for three seasons as Air Force’s holder and in 2009 was a field position-altering weapon as a punter, averaging 43.0 yards per boot with the kind of hang time that allowed Air Force’s coverage unit to swarm returners. Of his 48 punts, 17 pinned opponents inside their 20-yard lines. Junior Keil Bartholomew will be one of the candidates to take over as the Falcons’ punter after serving as Geyer’s backup in 2009. But Calhoun said the punting competition is “wide, wide open.” One player who could get a shot at punting is Ben Cochran, a reserve quarterback in 2009 who will be playing safety in the spring.

4. How much will Jefferson participate?Sophomore quarterback Tim Jefferson had surgery to repair the meniscus in his right knee on Jan. 27 after playing with the injury for almost the entire 2009 season. Jefferson said his rehabilitation is going well and he has close to full range-of-motion. But he could be “a little bit limited,” Calhoun said, in the spring. If Jefferson cannot play, look for sophomore quarterback Connor Dietz to take snaps with the starters and freshmen Justin Smith and Tucker Tipton to play with the reserves.

5. Will any freshmen make ‘The Leap?’In the spring of 2008, then-freshman Kevin Fogler went from unknown junior varsity player to the surprise of spring drills. And there are several freshmen who could emerge and make that kind of leap this spring. Among them: Diminutive tailbacks Cody Getz and Darius Jones; safety Brian Lindsay; inside linebackers James Chambers and Brian Corcoran.

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