Nothing has come easy for Kale Pearson at Air Force.
That won’t change after he’s gone, either, as establishing a legacy with the Falcons looks complicated to Pearson.
Limited to just one year as the starting quarterback, Pearson’s lasting imprint on the program figures to be establishing the run-pass balance that has defined this season and setting the team back on a winning trajectory after it had stumbled to consecutive losing seasons — including a program-low 2-10 mark in 2013.
“It is awesome to be able to say I helped the team go from two wins to nine or 10 wins,” Pearson said. “I think that’s a big deal. Not many teams do that, ever.”
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The trick with this kind of legacy is that it must be maintained by others to truly take hold. Should Air Force revert back to its 2012 or 2013 form after this season, this Pearson-led campaign will gradually fade from memory. If the next group takes it and runs, he becomes known as the trendsetter.
Pearson arrived as a speedy athlete from Tulsa, Okla., who had played quarterback only during his senior season.
He earned playing time as a sophomore, but never unseated starter Connor Dietz. He had to compete with Jaleel Awini throughout the spring and summer as a junior, eventually winning a starting role he held for less than two quarters before a torn ACL in the opener sidelined him for the rest of the season.
While he was gone, Nate Romine took over the job, and Pearson had to wrestle it back while recovering from the injury.
That turned out to be the unlikely back story to one of the most successful seasons ever for an Air Force quarterback.
Pearson has thrown for 1,513 yards with 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions while also running for 646 yards and six scores. His 162.53 efficiency rating is third in team history. His touchdowns are tied for first since Air Force became an option team in 1980. He needs 174 passing yards to pass offensive coordinator Mike Thiessen for third in program single-season history and the most since 1970.
Most important, the Falcons can win 10 games for the sixth time in program history and the first time since 1998 with a victory over Western Michigan on Saturday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise, Idaho.
“I tell you what, he had a heck of year,” coach Troy Calhoun said of Pearson. “There hasn’t been a better quarterback in our league.”
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