Air Force to open 2021 football season vs. Lafayette

Air Force released its 2021 football schedule in-full last week and the slate kicks off with a home game against FCS side Lafayette on Sept. 4.

Coming off a pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign where they finished just 3-3 — losing to Army but toppling Navy — the Falcons are looking for a winning season this fall.

They should have a good chance at beginning their upcoming campaign with a win. The Leopards didn’t play in 2020, but went just 4-8 in 2019. Lafayette will play a four-game Patriot League slate this spring too while the Falcons are preparing for the upcoming season.

After Lafayette, Air Force begins its pursuit of reclaiming the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy. The Falcons visit Annapolis on the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The game will be broadcast nationally on CBS.

Air Force returns home the next week on Sept. 18 to begin its play in the Mountain West Conference, opening that portion of its schedule against Utah State.

Aside from its game against Lafayette and its annual C.I.C. games, the only other non-conference game on the Falcons’ schedule is Sept. 25 at home vs. Florida Atlantic. The FAU Owls of CUSA went 5-4 last season. The only other game between the Owls and the Falcons came in 2018, with FAU (then coached by Lane Kiffin) winning 33-27 in Boca Raton.

Other highlights in Air Force’s schedule include a road game at Boise State on Oct. 16 and a neutral site game against Army in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 6.

Air Force does still have one open date on its schedule: the weekend of Oct. 30.

Here is the full schedule for Troy Calhoun’s side...

• Sept. 4 Lafayette
• Sept. 11 at Navy
• Sept. 18 Utah State
• Sept. 25 Florida Atlantic
• Oct. 2 at New Mexico
• Oct. 9 Wyoming
• Oct. 16 at Boise State
• Oct. 23 San Diego State
• Nov. 6 vs. Army (in Texas)
• Nov. 13 at Colorado State
• Nov. 20 at Nevada
• Nov. 27 UNLV
• Dec. 4 MW Championship Game