Season-ending Szarka injury

Air Force is preparing for a quarterback change before its first meeting with Northern Illinois, with Evan Medders moving atop the depth chart after Liam Szarka’s season-ending injury, according to The Gazette’s Brent Briggeman.

Briggeman’s Tuesday report says Szarka suffered a knee injury during Saturday’s 14-9 win over Navy and that a Monday MRI revealed damage that would end his season. That description is the newspaper’s reporting; it does not identify a specific ligament injury or a treatment plan.

The report also describes coach Troy Calhoun’s Tuesday response to a question about reconsidering the program’s reliance on quarterback runs. Calhoun emphasized giving his players the best chance to win. He did not announce a specific carry limit or a different offensive system.

Air Force’s official account of the October 6 media session confirms that Calhoun and offensive lineman Luke Vonderhaar spoke about the NIU game. The page establishes the event and participants, while the injury details and depth-chart change above come from Briggeman’s reporting.

The next quarterback enters an offense with an established rushing identity. Air Force’s official game notes list the Falcons second nationally at 297.3 rushing yards per game and second in time of possession at 35:57. The team has won the possession battle in all four games of its 3-1 start.

Medders is a sophomore quarterback from Waxhaw, North Carolina. His official biography says he played in one game as a freshman and set his high school’s single-game rushing record with 245 yards. That background provides context for the transition, without establishing how many carries he will receive Saturday.

Air Force visits NIU on October 10 at 6:30 p.m. Central on CBS Sports Network. The game is also NIU’s first Mountain West contest since joining the conference. The Falcons now approach that new matchup with a reported change at quarterback and a coach who has emphasized winning rather than announced a new workload plan.