Air Force looks to halt a two-game losing streak and retake possession of the Kuter Trophy.

Hawaii (3-2, 0-1 Mountain West) at Air Force (1-2, 0-2)

Kickoff: 2 p.m. MT, Falcon Stadium

TV/Stream: FS1 – channel 11.1 in Colorado Springs on Comcast/Infinity (Channel 55/775 HD), DirecTV (Channel 219) and Dish (Channel 150). The game will also be streamed through Fox Sports website and app.

Broadcast crew: Eric Collins (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst)

Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, Varsity App SIRUS 391

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

What I’ll be watching

The Gazette’s Brent Briggeman identifies items of intrigue he’ll be tracking during the game.

Encore?

Liam Szarka enjoyed the breakout game Air Force had been craving at the quarterback position. So what’s next? Szarka, a sophomore from Aurora, will presumably make his first start this week after throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 111 yards and a score. Behind him, there are question marks. Josh Johnson, who started the first three games, may be limited by injury (though he did not appear on the availability report released Thursday). If Johnson can’t go for any reason, that would push either Maguire Martin or Kemper Hodges into the backup role.

Pass defense

Hawaii is going to pass, that much is certain. Since 2023, the Rainbow Warriors have averaged at least 239 passing yards and fewer than 100 rushing yards per game, making them an almost exact inverse of Air Force. Quarterback Micah Alejado owns a career 65.2 completion percentage, has won at Stanford, and last year as a freshman against New Mexico, caught attention around the Mountain West by throwing for 469 yards and five touchdowns (and rushing for 54 yards) in a 38-30 win over New Mexico. Can Air Force make enough strides in the secondary (and/or the pass rush) to slow this attack? So far, the Falcons are near the bottom in college football in multiple pass defense categories, including passing defense (255.3 yards per game, 106^th nationally), passing efficiency (172.39, 131^st) and scoring defense (37.0 points per game, 126^th).

Experience

Hawaii, like every non-service academy opponent Air Force will face, has a clear advantage when it comes to age and experience. But the Rainbow Warriors also have more experience this season, having already played five games – including a win at Stanford, a trip to Arizona and a thriller last week vs. Fresno State that was decided by Hawaii’s failed 2-point conversion attempt to tie with 10 seconds remaining. How might all this experience manifest itself on Saturday? In a close game, could Hawaii be more likely to find the winning play?

BY THE NUMBERS

3

Troy Calhoun’s new rank among the longest-tenured NCAA FBS head coaches at 19 years because Mike Gundy is no longer with Oklahoma State. Calhoun ranks behind only Kirk Ferentz of Iowa (27 years) and Kyle Wittingham of Utah (21)

5

Games already played this season for Hawaii, the most in the nation entering the week. The Rainbow Warriors have three open weeks on the schedule (Oct. 3, Oct. 25, Nov. 15).

8

Offensive touchdowns for Hawaii this season, all through the air.

9.1

Yards per play allowed by Air Force’s defense, which ranks last in the nation by .8 yards (Georgia Southern, 8.3)

124

Career starts among Hawaii’s cornerbacks Virdel Edwards II, Devyn King and Jaheim Wilson-Jones, nickelbacks Elijah Palmer and Delyon Freeman, and safeties Peter Manuma (who made 12 tackles and had an interception against Air Force in 2023), Kilinahe Mendiola-Jensen, Justin Sinclair and Matagi Thompson. On the other side, if Air Force starts the same secondary as last week, the lineup of cornerbacks Korey Johnson and Mikhail Seiken, nickel Nick Beckwith and safeties Max Mustell and Roger Jones Jr. have a combined 12 starts.