Air Force starts the second half of its season seeking a win to snap a five-game losing streak.

Wyoming (3-3, 1-1 Mountain West) at Air Force (1-5, 0-5)

Kickoff: 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Falcon Stadium

TV/stream: CBS Sports Network — in Colorado Springs on DirecTV 221, Dish Network 158 and Xfinity/Comcast 170/846 as well as through the CBS Sports streaming devices

Broadcast crew: Rich Waltz (play-by-play), Robert Turbin (analyst), Tiffany Blackmon (sideline)

Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, Varsity App, SIRIUS 382

Air Force broadcast crew: Jim Arthur (play-by-play), Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

WHAT I’LL BE WATCHING

The Gazette’s Brent Briggeman identifies areas he’ll be tracking during the game.

Momentum shifts in the kicking game

Wyoming has the top-ranked punt return unit in the Mountain West (18^th nationally) at 14.1 yards per return and used a 73-yard return for a touchdown last week to spur on a come-from-behind victory over San Jose State. The Cowboys have also blocked three kicks this season and have hit 5-of-6 field goals (the lone miss coming from 48 yards). The Falcons have been sound in most areas of the kicking game – particularly covering punts, as they have the nation’s fifth-best net average (45.2 yards) – but the field goal kicking has been shaky, with misses in a pair of three-point losses over the past two weeks.

Wyoming’s receiving options

Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg, a second-team All-Mountain West selection a year ago and potential NFL prospect, is expected back from an injury for Wyoming. The Cowboys have used a plethora of receivers, with 11 players combining for 23 catches and 304 yards last week. Gyllenborg provides yet another option and has the talent to further complicate the defensive effort for Air Force.

Low-scoring affair? Maybe not

Because of the general style of play of these programs – ground-oriented, fewer possessions, typically strong defenses (this year notwithstanding) – there’s an assumption that lower-scoring games are the norm. There have been a few. Wyoming won 17-14 in 2022 and 17-13 in 2014. Air Force prevailed 20-6 in 2019. But aside from those three games, this has been something of an offensive slugfest, with the winner averaging 34 points over the other matchups going back to 2011. Don’t be surprised to see a large chunk of points scored again this time.

BY THE NUMBERS

1

Victory for the road team in the past 10 meetings in this series, and that came with now Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen at quarterback for the Cowboys in 2017.

8.8

Yards per play given up by Air Force this season, the worst in the nation. Georgia Southern is next at 7.4. Wyoming, by contrast, is giving up 5.3, No. 47 nationally.

16

Difference in the number of punts forced this season by Wyoming (31) and Air Force (15), an indicator of the difference in quality of the defenses.

20

Difference in number of punts this season between Wyoming (31) and Air Force (11), an indicator of the difference in qualify of the offenses.

27

Victories, with just two losses, for Southlake Carroll High School in Southlake, Texas in 2021 and 2022. That team was led by Kaden Anderson (now Wyoming’s quarterback, who threw for 304 yards last week, his second-career 300-yard passing game) and Owen Allen (now Air Force’s fullback, who ran for 192 yards last week, his second-career 100-yard rushing game).