Good afternoon! My name is Brandon Birkhead and I am one of the newest contributors here at AAE. I will occasionally be helping with some news about Air Force and other little things here and there. I am also currently the assistant editor and a writer for SB Nation’s Illinois Fighting Illini blog The Champaign Room.

My connection to the Air Force Academy and service academy athletics doesn’t come from attending the schools or serving in the military like others on AAE’s staff. I am a graduate of the University of Illinois, and of course am a Fighting Illini supporter. However, I became an Air Force fan because I worked in the Air Force Athletic Department for the 2015-16 athletic season as a marketing assistant where I worked mainly with the women’s basketball program.

So you will see me around occasionally here, but nothing too regular due to my work with TCR.

And of course my first article comes in a bye week for Air Force. Anyways, let’s get to some news.

Air Force

Air Force was awarded the uniform of the week from Uniswag for their week one APLS AC-130 uniforms they wore against Stony Brook

They were great as Air Force alts always are.

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Air Force football will require sneaky ways to ride winning season - Colorado Springs Gazette

The Falcons ability to win close games will be the key for a return to a bowl game this season because “In Air Force’s last 29 FBS games, 15 were decided by seven points or less with Air Force winning nine of those games.”

Injuries, intriguing young players have led to different combinations as Air Force works in bye week - Colorado Springs Gazette

Air Force is using the bye-week to experiment with different line-ups as they try to elevate their play after losing 4 of its last 5 FBS games.

ICYMI: Air Force Lacrosse removes interim tag from Bill Wilson, naming him head coach

AAE’s own Scott Lopez: “Hopefully removing the interim tag from Coach Wilson will allow the program to move beyond this controversy. With Coach Wilson having a fundamental understanding of how the team operates as well as the respect of the team, he will hopefully be able to quickly move past the negative publicity that was highlighted by the former players’ indiscretions and continue in the Falcons’ new found spot as one of the most successful college lacrosse teams west of the Mississippi.”

Army

Three Black Knights Ranked in Preseason Poll (Wrestling)

Ben Harvey, Lucas Weiland and senior captain Rocco Caywood are all ranked in pre-season individual polls by WIN Magazine.

Hawaii won’t be vacation for Army football - Times Herald Record

Army will not be overlooking the Rainbow Warriors and their high-powered run-and-shoot offense after their early season win over Navy.

Hawaii being forced to play Army at 6 a.m. Hawaii time is football hell - SB Nation

But maybe Army will have the upper hand due to the insane time change for Hawaii.

Notebook: Hopkins banged up, ready to play Saturday - Army Football Insider

Despite picking up an injury against Liberty Kelvin Hopkins looks ready to go for Saturday.

Navy

As his star at Navy grows, Malcolm Perry carries his family with him - The Athletic ($)

A must-read story on Navy QB Malcolm Perry from the always fabulous Nicole Auerbach.

Moehring sets Navy record for career extra points - Capital Gazette

Bennett Moehring became the all-time leader in extra points for the Naval Academy last weekend against Memphis with his 113th successful extra point in the fourth quarter on his way to helping the Mids upset the Tigers.

Navy stumbles on to new Tuesday practice routine - Capital Gazette

Head Coach Ken Niumatalolo was originally very upset when a shipping problem forced the Mids to practice without pads last Tuesday in preparation for Memphis, but it seems this mistake may have led to a new practice routine for Navy. Instead of the usual padded practice, Navy was in shorts and light pads again on Tuesday this week, but on purpose this time.

“I loved the way we played. I thought we were fresh and really physical,” he said. “Right now, we’re going to do what we did last week. Sometimes things happen by chance and I think we might have stumbled on to something last week. Hopefully, it pays dividends again.”