"There's a camaraderie that's evident by what they're doing. They're a very good team. If you look at the number of wins and how they're playing, I'm very impressed."

Mendenhall's not the only one who's impressed. The question surrounding Calhoun now is, how long will he remain at Air Force? Calhoun's name is already surfacing as a possible candidate for head coaching vacancies.

Calhoun is deflecting the speculation when the questions about his future arise, asserting that his focus is on coaching the Falcons.

"I don't mess with that stuff one iota, not when I'm working," he told the Denver Post. "Every day when you get up, I have two things. One, is to make sure you give your players every opportunity to be extremely competitive in their upcoming game. Two, you make sure you do everything you can to recruit better players and, more important, better officer candidates to the academy."

When asked if he will stay at Air Force, Calhoun replied, "I'm not getting into it. I love the opportunity to work here. You treasure it, and you do it with everything you have. ... If we give even an ounce to another direction, that impacts our opportunity to enjoy some success. It's challenging enough here that if you're not completely focused, it's not fair to anybody."

After playing BYU, Air Force travels to TCU next week. If the Falcons keep winning, they won't be flying under the radar anymore.

Cougars on the air

No. 16 BYU (9-1, 5-1)

at Air Force (8-2, 5-1)

Saturday, 1:30 p.m.

Falcon Stadium, Colorado Springs

TV: CBS CS

Radio: 1160AM, 102.7FM

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E-mail: jeffc@desnews.com