C.I.C. MVP: Haaziq Daniels leads Air Force past FAU

It’s the fourth season of college football for Against All Enemies. As we’ve done in previous seasons, we’ll hand out an award each week, highlighting the best Service Academy player from the previous weekend’s games. We call this: The C.I.C. MVP.

After suffering its first loss of the season, Air Force needed to get back on track.

The Falcons did so by efficiently stomping the Florida Atlantic Owls at home in Colorado Springs last weekend, to the tune of a 31-7 score-line.

And leading the charge for Air Force’s offense was Haaziq Daniels, who rushed for 164 yards and two touchdowns, while also completing 2-of-4 passes for 70 yards. Daniels paced and guided the Falcons’ offense all evening. For his efforts in their dominant win, he is this here blog’s C.I.C. MVP for Week Four of the 2021 college football season.

Daniels scored on Air Force’s first and second possessions of the game. His first — a four-yard punch-in — capped off an eight-play, 68-yard drive that lasted just over four minutes. Daniels’ second touchdown required much more effort, but much less time.

The 6-foot-1 junior from Franklin, New Jersey scampered around and sliced through the Owls’ defense, leaving them in the dust for an unlikely and magnificent 94-yard score.

The run Daniels broke off was the longest by an FBS quarterback in 18 seasons.

Daniels has already surpassed his rushing totals from last season. So far in 2021, he’s covered 389 yards on the ground with 64 carries, averaging 6.1 yards per-carry. Daniels has found the end-zone seven times this season.

Through the air, he’s completed 14-of-31 passes for 351 yards and a touchdown.

Air Force is 3-1 on the season and has the top rushing offense in the country. Daniels orchestrating the offense from the quarterback position is a big reason why.