One week in particular was always enjoyable for tight end Dalton King when he was a part of the scout team for Air Force.

“I always looked forward to (Colorado State) week because you know like every other play you’re getting the ball,” said King, whose task as a freshman and sophomore was to play the role of the Rams’ Trey McBride. “And it’s super fun.”

It’s a role that’s grown even more prolific.

McBride enters Saturday’s matchup against Air Force (6-3, 3-2 Mountain West) in Fort Collins with 74 catches for 838 yards for Colorado State. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound senior’s 8.2 catches per game are tied for third in the nation and top all tight ends. He’s on watch lists for the Biletnikoff, Mackey and Lombardi awards.

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“He is a really, really good football player,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said.

And he has been for a while.

A star at Fort Morgan, he amassed 1,737 yards and 23 touchdowns as a receiver in Colorado’s Class 3A. He then broke out as a sophomore in 2019, catching 45 passes and earning first-team All-Mountain West honors. He played in only four games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season but caught 22 passes and earned All-American honors from Pro Football Focus.

For Air Force this week, the task — as it is for all Rams (3-6, 2-3) opponents — will be avoiding coverage mismatches.

Calhoun feels the Falcons’ linebackers have improved in their coverage skills over the course of the season, understanding the need to drop to specific spots in zone and utilize their help while in man-to-man.

There might also be different packages utilized, as has been the case all season. Last week vs. Army, for example, the spur linebacker spot was managed almost exclusively by the larger Brandon Gooding, as opposed to Camby Goff, who is more of a fifth defensive back.

“It’s going to be a mixture,” inside linebacker TD Blackmon said. “We know that he’s one of their big targets. I think he has twice as many catches as anyone else on their team. So we’re kind of keying on him, figuring out where he is on the field.

“It’s going to be a big challenge.”

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But with great challenge comes great opportunity for those in the scout team.

King made sure to relay that message to the Falcons’ young tight ends like Rocky Beers and others who are wearing McBride’s No. 85 this week.

“I told them they better enjoy it,” King said. “Because it’s fun.”