AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -The triple-option offense of Air Force is Army's biggest challenge, not the higher altitude or the thunderous crowd.

That's the message first-year Army coach Rich Ellerson tried to convey to the Black Knights, who face the Falcons on Saturday.

Sure, the crowd will be noisy - always is for a Commander-in-Chief's Trophy contest.

And yes, Air Force, at close to 6,700 feet, is quite a bit higher in elevation than West Point, N.Y.

But those are simply obstacles out of Army's control.

``None of those are the challenge,'' Ellerson said. ``The challenge is Air Force's football team, and that's where our focus is. Any of those other things are just a distraction and we are not going to spend 30 seconds on those things.''

Instead, the Black Knights (3-5) spent their bye week revisiting the basics and breaking down film of the Falcons (5-4, 4-2 Mountain West).

Not that there's much to examine. These two teams know each other quite well, meeting for the 44th time.

They run a similar style of offense and have a healthy dose of respect for one another.

``I've never been involved in football games that are more intense than service academy games,'' Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. ``More than anything else, because of the regard and respect you have for each other ... Ultimately, there's a pretty decent chance that there are guys on our sideline that are going to be paired with guys on their sideline in another area of the world at some point in the future.''

Ellerson is looking forward to his first taste of a service academy game as the coach of Army.

``It's the spice to the meal, if you will,'' said Ellerson, who took over the team last December. ``We have a great deal of respect for this coaching staff and for those players individually and collectively as a program. They have chosen a path similar to our own and we have great respect for that.''Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.