Game Ten
:Utah_State: :@: :Air_Force:
Game Story
---Playing for pride now after being eliminated from eligibility for a bowl game, it was back on the road to take on Air Force as we headed down the home stretch of the 2021 season. Much like Boise State, it was going to be an uphill challenge and require a fundamentally perfect game for us to keep right there with the Falcons. We were going to be in for a true test as Air Force entered the game with the #1 rushing offense in the nation, running for nearly 258.9 yards/game. With the #126 passing offense, averaging only 96.1 yards/game, it was going to be run and run often, and our rush defense was going to have to rise to the occasion. Meanwhile, our #74 rush offense (152.1 yards/game) was going to have to be a go-to part of our offense today, as our #13 pass offense (287.6 yards/game) collided with Air Force’s #1 pass defense (142.6 yards/game). After the showing our passing game put up against Boise State, going up against the #1 pass defense wasn’t exactly a confidence booster for the coaching staff. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A 28 yard kickoff return by Joe Seymour got Air Force started at their 30 yard line to open the game. Knowing that Air Force was going to come out running, we brought the blitz on first down, managing to break through and tackle John Robinson in the backfield for a two yard loss, the Falcons left facing second and 12. Scott Byrd would keep the ball on second down, rushing forward up the middle for a 5 yard gain to set up third and 7. Surprisingly going for a pass so early in the game, Byrd connected with Seymour over the middle right along the first down line for a 7 yard gain, giving Air Force a new set of downs at the 40 yard line. Even more surprisingly, Air Force tried to pass for a second play in a row on first down, the pass deep down the middle to a crossing Sam Sanders was no good, sailing past behind the receiver to leave second and 10. It would be second down where we would see our first option disaster of the game, as Byrd kept the ball on the option keeper, racing down the right sideline and breaking his way out of two tackles before being dragged down from behind for a 30 yard gain to give Air Force a first down at our 30 yard line. A blitz by safety Sam Vinson would send Air Force backwards again, Craig Williams tackled for a three yard loss. It would be a wasted play as middle linebacker Justin Dunn would get flagged for a facemask penalty at the end of an 8 yard run by Williams, the penalty going half the distance to the goal to give Air Force a first down at our 12 yard line. Briefly dropping back to pass, Byrd quickly took off running to the right on a delayed option, but it would be too late as cornerback Charles Noble came blitzing through the line right into the path of Byrd, sacking him for a 5 yard loss to leave second and 15. Robinson took the option handoff on second down, briefly having a chance to break the corner before defensive end Caleb McBride was able to shed his blocker and tackle Robinson for a gain of only one yard, bringing up third and 14. Expecting the pass, we were more than ready on third down as Byrd was forced to scramble from the pressure, trying heave up a pass into the end zone to Seymour while on the move. That would hinder the pass as the ball would barely cross the goal line before landing incomplete, a good 5 yards short of where Seymour was in the back of the end zone. That incomplete pass would leave Air Force with fourth and 14 and the field goal team trotting out. The 32 yard field goal by Aaron West sailed through the uprights, giving Air Force a 3-0 lead with 5:55 left in the first quarter.
A 48 yard kickoff return by David Douglas gave us incredible field position, starting our first drive of the game from our 48 yard line. Handing the ball off to Preston Roberson, he took it straight up the middle for an 8 yard gain, dropping the gauntlet on the first play. Another rush by Roberson would pick up three yards, while not as impressive, it was enough to get the first down at the Air Force 40 yard line. Brian Paris would enter the backfield on first down, taking the handoff for a gain of 8 yards, after which Roberson came back in and took the ball around the right tackle, fighting his way to a four yard gain to pick up another first down at the 29 yard line. The Falcons’ defense packed in tight on the line on first down, but unluckily for them, it would be in the wrong areas, allowing Roberson to punch his way through the line for a 7 yard carry, leaving second and three. Looking to keep the defense cheating, Barnes dropped back from under center with a play action pass, but the pass intended for Cedric McKinney would be well defended and knocked down incomplete, leaving us with third and three. Putting the ball back into the hands of Roberson on third down, he would keep us moving with a 5 yard gain on the ground, moving the chains to the 17 yard line. Paris returned to the backfield on first down, taking the handoff for a 5 yard gain, followed by a dive up the middle by Roberson for a pickup of just two yards, leaving us facing third and three. Taking our chances with Paris on third down, he would fail to come through, gaining only one yard on the play to leave us with fourth and two. Settling for three points, the 26 yard field goal by Doug Marcus was good, tying the score up at 3-3 with 1:50 left in the first quarter.
A 21 yard kickoff return by Seymour put the Falcons offense back on the field at their 22 yard line. Byrd would keep the ball on the first down option play, rushing to the left side for a 13 yard gain before being brought down by the last defender in sight, giving Air Force a first down at the 35 yard line. Again somehow slipping out of a pair of tackles, Byrd took off sprinting down the left sideline for a 28 yard gain, Vinson chasing him down from behind and dragging him down to save what would have been an assured touchdown, instead leaving Air Force with a fresh set of downs at our 37 yard line. Our defense would finally win a round, as McBride was able to trap and tackle Robinson in the backfield for a two yard loss, bringing up second and 12. Holding onto the ball on the option keeper, Byrd was able to get free around the right end for a 9 yard gain after the defensive end failed to contain, setting up the offense with third and three. Bringing the blitz on third down, we would get super lucky, as despite Robinson shaking his way out of two different tackle attempts, he still would fail to get the first down, a diving tackle by cornerback Kevin Moore stopping him for a gain of only two yards to leave fourth and one at the 28 yard line. That would be the final play of the first quarter, the score all knotted up at 3-3.
Opening up the second quarter, attempting a field goal from the 28 yard line was apparently outside the reach of Air Force’s kicker, as the Falcons lined up to go for it on fourth down. Briefly dropping back to pass, Byrd wouldn’t even wait long enough to let his receivers get 10 yards downfield, quickly rolling out to the left and sprinting up the field through a gap for an 8 yard gain, picking up the first down at our 19 yard line. Keeping the pitch man covered up on first down, Byrd was left with nowhere to pitch the ball on the option play, allowing our defense to collapse down on top of him for a one yard loss, leaving the Falcons with second and 11. Another great round of defense would result in Byrd getting tackled for a 5 yard loss, but it would only be temporary, as Dunn got flagged for a facemask penalty on the play, the 12 yard half the distance to the goal penalty setting Air Force up with a first down at our 13 yard line. Byrd would keep the ball himself on the first down option play, rushing for a 6 yard gain to leave second and four. Our defense would start to push back, as Byrd tried to keep the ball again, this time met by a wall of defenders and tackled for a three yard loss, setting up third and 7. Dropping back to pass on third down, Byrd would connect with Ralph Mobley along the left sideline, a missed open field tackle allowing Mobley to pick up the first down before being tripped up by his ankles for an 8 yard gain, saving the touchdown but giving Air Force first and goal at our two yard line. The Falcons would need just one play to find the end zone, as Byrd left our defensive end on an island, trying to defend both Byrd and the pitchman, resulting in the pitchman getting covered, allowing Byrd to keep it and punch it in for a two yard touchdown, putting Air Force up 10-3 with 7:03 left in the second quarter.
A 35 yard kickoff return by Roberson gave us the ball at our 42 yard line to start our next drive. Handing the ball off on first down, Paris got us started on the ground with a four yard rush, followed by a three yard gain by Roberson to set up third and three. Lining up under center on third down, Barnes dropped back and rifled a quick pass to tight end Jack Long, the pass over the middle complete for a 15 yard gain to give us a new set of downs at the Air Force 36 yard line. Returning to the running game, Roberson was able to find a hole on first down, fighting his way through the defense to a 9 yard gain, followed by a 6 yard pickup to give us a first down at the 21. Another rush by Roberson would initially go for an 8 yard carry, but safety Brandon Watson would help us out even more, as he was flagged for a facemask penalty on the tackle, the 7 yard half the distance to the goal penalty setting us up with first and goal from the 7 yard line. Paris would enter the backfield on first down, taking the handoff from Barnes for a gain of four yards, bringing up second and goal from the three. Roberson would need just one crack at it to put us in the end zone, finding a hole outside the left guard and punching it in for the three yard touchdown, tying the game back up at 10-10 with 3:52 left in the second quarter.
A 24 yard kickoff return by Robinson gave Air Force the ball at their 23 yard line. Proving that our rushing defense still sucks, Byrd kept the ball on the first down option play, finding a gap to the right of the line for a 12 yard gain, giving Air Force a quick first down at the 35 yard line. It would get even worse on the next play as our defensive line ended up tripping all over each other, allowing Byrd to find a gaping hole to the left side of the field, turning up the field and running for a 37 yard carry before finally being chased down from behind, Air Force coming away from the play with a first down at our 29 yard line. We would catch a brief break as the Falcons offensive line got flagged for a false start penalty on first down, pushing them back to first and 15 from the 34. Would it ultimately matter? Not the way this drive was going. Byrd would keep it on first down for a 7 yard gain, followed by a handoff to Robinson that would result in no gain on the play, setting up a big third and 8. Our defense would come through for us on third down as the blitz forced a bad pass by Byrd, the pass, intended for Sanders, sailing long and out of bounds near the goal line to bring up fourth and 8. The Falcons would go for it once again on fourth down, but our defense would win the day as Byrd’s pass intended for Mobley was rushed and off the mark, turning the ball over on downs at our 27 yard line, just 2:14 left until halftime.
Lining up at our 27 yard line after the turnover on downs, we came out passing on first down as we had limited time to move the ball. Spreading the field, Travis Munoz was able to get open cutting over the middle, pulling in the pass from Barnes for an 8 yard gain to leave second and two. The second down pass, intended for Walter Johnson, ended up incomplete to bring up third and short. Ryan Conley would keep us moving as he pulled in the third down pass from Barnes, good for a gain of 9 yards and a first down at the 45 yard line. The first down pass, intended for Conley, got disrupted by the outside linebacker to bring up a quick second down. Long would come through for us on second down, getting open up the field from the tight end position, pulling in a 17 yard pass from Barnes to get the first down at the Air Force 38 yard line. Another 17 yard pass, this time to Douglas on a slant route, would set us up with a new set of downs at the 21 yard line, 1:03 left in the half. A pair of passes to Aaron Allen would go for gain of 8 and three yards, picking up a first down at the 10 yard line, our first timeout taken with 33 seconds left before halftime. We would find the end zone on the next play as Conley was able to get open along the right hash, pulling in the pass from Barnes at the three yard line and turning toward the end zone. While he was met and tackled at the goal line by the safety, he apparently got the ball across as he was awarded with a 10 yard touchdown reception, giving us a 17-10 lead with 29 seconds remaining in the second quarter.
The kickoff would go into the end zone, kneeled down for a touchback to give Air Force the ball at their 25 yard line. Lining up in the shotgun on first down, the pass from Byrd intended for Sanders was nowhere even near any receiver, landing incomplete over the middle to leave second down. Lining up in the shotgun once more, a blown coverage by our defense would allow Seymour to get behind his defender, and after shaking off one tackle, run free down the right sideline. Dunn, who came sprinting from the middle linebacker position to chase Seymour down from behind would save the assured touchdown and limit the damage to a, still painful, 62 yard completion, giving Air Force a first down at our 13 yard line, the Falcons using their first timeout with 16 seconds left. The pressure would win out on first down, as Byrd tried to take off scramble after briefly dropping back in the shotgun, only to be sacked by Dunn for a four yard loss, leaving second and 14, Air Force calling their second timeout with 12 seconds to play. The defense would prevail once more, as the blitz would force Byrd to roll out of the pocket and straight into the arms of McBride, sacked for a 7 yard loss to leave third and 21 from our 24 yard line, Air Force calling their final timeout with two seconds left. Going for it on third down, we dropped everybody into the coverage. Despite that, Byrd was almost able to connect with a receiver in the end zone, a last minute deflection breaking up the pass and sending us into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
Opening up the second half, a 25 yard kickoff return by Roberson gave us the ball at our 25 yard line to start the third quarter. Starting our drive on the ground, Roberson was only able to manage a two yard gain, leaving second and 8. Trying a little option play of our own, Barnes was able to pick up 8 yards on the keeper, enough to give us a first down at the 35 yard line. Another rush by Roberson went for a three yard gain, setting up second and 7. Running a play action pass on second down, the throw to Johnson would result in a 5 yard gain, leaving us looking at third and two. Taking a chance on the ground on third down, Roberson took the handoff up the middle for a four yard gain, moving the chains to the 46 yard line. A dive by Roberson from the wingback slot picked up three yards, followed by a toss to Paris that would result in a loss of one yard, setting up third and 8. Dropping back in the shotgun on third down, Barnes was able to connect with Conley for a 16 yard gain along the left sideline, picking up the first down at the Air Force 35 yard line. Another pass out of the shotgun, this time to Munoz, went for a 17 yard gain to give us a first down at the 18 yard line. Handing the ball off on first down, Roberson found hardly anywhere to run, quickly brought down for a gain of just two yards. Giving the ball to Johnson on a fullback dive on second down, he would only manage a two yard gain on the play, but the defense would give us much more, as a facemask penalty on middle linebacker Bernard Jenkins resulted in a 7 yard half the distance to the goal flag and gave us first and goal from the 7 yard line. Handing the ball off to Roberson on first down, he would gain only one yard on the play, leaving second and goal from the 6. A second down rush by Paris would pick up three yards, setting up third and goal at the three yard line. Calling an audible to a play action pass on third down, it would be for naught as the pass intended for McKinney overshot its target, leaving fourth and goal. The 20 yard field goal by Marcus was good, increasing our lead to 20-10 with 3:18 left in the third quarter.
A 21 yard kickoff return by Robinson gave Air Force the ball at their 23 yard line. A well timed pitch by Byrd allowed Robinson to break free down the left sideline, running for a 44 yard gain before finally being chased down from behind and pushed out of bounds to give Air Force a first down at our 33 yard line. Trying to run a screen pass on first down, our defense wouldn’t allow the Falcons the chance to complete it, as the blitz would get to Byrd too quickly, his pass intended for Williams instead ending up in the ground just a few feet away to bring second down. Handing the ball off to Robinson, Air Force would only gain one yard on the play as our defense was ready, leaving third and 9 for the Falcons. Dropping back to pass on third down, despite the blitz, Byrd would get the pass off, but the ball, intended for Seymour, would be poorly thrown and sail out of bounds, bringing up fourth and 9. Going for it once again on fourth down, the Falcons would end up getting a helping hand from McBride, as he jumped offside on the hard snap count, leaving just fourth and four for the Air Force offense to convert. Despite getting the fourth down pass off, the Falcons would fail to convert, as the pass to Williams would be complete, but he would end up instantly tackled out of bounds for a two yard loss, turning the ball over on downs at our 30 yard line.
Lining up on offense after the turnover, we got the drive off and running the ground, as Roberson gained maybe one yard on the first down carry, if that, leaving second and 10. Another rush by Roberson would go for a 6 yard gain to leave us facing third and four. Dropping back to pass on third down, Barnes would take off scrambling, throwing across his body to Douglas. While Douglas would be able to get his hands on the ball, the defense made quick contact on the play and jarred the ball loose and incomplete, forcing us to punt on fourth down, the first punt of the game for either team. A 9 yard return by Seymour on the 39 yard punt gave Air Force the ball at their 34 yard line.
Our defense would pick up a quick victory on first down, as despite Byrd getting off a successful pitch to Robinson, Robinson’s momentum after grabbing the pitch would carry him straight out of bounds for a one yard loss, putting the Falcons in an early hole on second and 11. Robinson would make up that lost yard on second down, and only that lost yard, as a one yard gain set up third and 10. Dunn would bring the drive to an end with a giant swat of the ball on a pass intended for Seymour, forcing Air Force to punt on fourth down. An 11 yard return by Roberson on the 48 yard punt gave us the ball at our 29 yard line.
Lining up on first down, we came out business as usual, as Roberson received the handoff from Barnes, taking it for a three yard rush. That would be the final play of the third quarter, our lead sitting at 20-10.
Opening up the fourth quarter, disaster would strike as Roberson was stripped in the backfield by the defense, safety Curtis Stewart just diving on the ball before Barnes could recover it, recovering the fumble for Air Force and giving the Falcons the ball right back at our 30 yard line.
Taking over after the fumble recovery, Byrd would take full advantage of it, breaking out of and hurdling over four different tackle attempts, finally dragged down after a 28 yard gain, leaving Air Force lining up on first and goal from the two yard line. A toss to Robinson would end in points as a slew of blockers allowed Robinson to trot into the end zone untouched for a two yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 20-17 with 8:36 left in the game.
A 23 yard kickoff return by Roberson gave us the ball at our 29 yard line, looking to run out a lot of clock and put more points on the board. Paris would get our drive started with a two yard rush up the middle, followed by a 6 yard gain by Roberson to leave third and two. Paris would just barely keep our drive alive with a two yard rush, moving the chains to the 40 yard line. Another rush by Roberson would go for a two yard gain, followed by a four yard rush that set up third and three. Putting the ball into the hands of Paris, he would fail to come through for us, tackled for no gain, forcing our punt team to come out on fourth and three from the 47 yard line. The 53 yard punt landed at the 5 yard line and bounced into the end zone for a touchback, giving Air Force the ball at their 20 yard line with 5:01 remaining.
Taking over at their 20 yard line, Air Force was only down by one score, but only had 5 minutes to traverse the length of the field. Robinson would sure help out that issue, as he received the first down option pitch from Byrd, taking it up the left sideline for a 24 yard gain before being pull down from behind for a first down at the 44 yard line. A 6 yard gain by Byrd on the option keeper was followed with a play action pass from Byrd to Sanders that hit him in the hands, only to be dropped incomplete, leaving third and four. Robinson would take the handoff on third down, tackled for no gain on the play to leave fourth down and four. The hard snap cadence by the Falcons would again screw our defense, as defensive tackle Ernie Sims jumped offside, the penalty awarding Air Force a first down at our 45 yard line. Due to that big of a screw up, despite by one of our, by far, two best defensive tackles, he got pulled from the game and benched for at least the remainder of the current drive. Trying to take advantage of the fresh set of downs, Byrd found nowhere to go on first down, tackled for a three yard loss to leave second and 13. The Falcons would find their rhythm on second down, as Byrd connected with Robinson through the air for a 32 yard completion and a first down at our 17 yard line. Air Force would need just one more play to find the end zone again, as a well timed pitch to Seymour left our defense chasing after him. We wouldn’t get to him as downfield blocking left him a lane straight into the end zone for a 17 yard touchdown, putting Air Force on top 24-20 with 3:07 left in the game.
A 21 yard kickoff return by Douglas left us starting our drive from our 24 yard line. Opening up play on the ground, Barnes handed the ball off to Paris, who was immediately tackled for a one yard gain to leave second and 9. Dropping back into the shotgun on second down, Barnes connected with a wide open Conley for a 12 yard gain and a first down at the 37 yard line. Returning to under center on first down, Barnes dropped back and threw a quick pass to tight end Maurice Martin, but the ball was off the mark and sailed behind Martin’s back, landing incomplete to bring up second down. Going back into the shotgun, Barnes found Munoz over the middle on a slant route for an 18 yard gain, managing to slip a pass right by the head of the outside linebacker to get us a fresh set of downs at the Air Force 45 yard line. Trying to hit Max Rhodes along the right sideline, the drive would come crashing to an end as Stewart, who opened the fourth quarter by recovering a fumble for Air Force, would now step up and intercept the pass from Barnes to Rhodes, returning it 7 yards before being tackled at the Air Force 40 yard line, giving the Falcons the ball with 1:40 left in the game.
Taking over after the interception, Air Force wasted no time in trying to run out the clock, as a pitch to Robinson gained four yards to leave second and 6, our first timeout called with 1:36 remaining. A pitch the opposite way to Williams would end up gaining 6 yards, the defense just barely managing to keep him short of the first down line, leaving third and inches, our second timeout called with 1:30 to play. A 5 yard rush by Robinson would pretty much seal the win for the Falcons, giving them a first down at our 45 yard line, our final timeout called with 1:26 left in the game. A handoff to Williams would end up going for a loss of three yards to leave second and 13, our defense not quite yet giving up. Snapping the ball with 45 seconds left, a pitch to Robinson would leave him open field up the left sideline, Robinson taking it for a giant 25 yard gain to give Air Force another first down at our 23 yard line, just 37 seconds left. Byrd would snap the ball with 10 seconds left and drop to a knee to bring the game to an end, Air Force winning 24-20.
With the loss, we drop to 2-8, 2-4 in Mountain West action. With the win, Air Force improves to 6-3, 3-2 in Mountain West play and reach bowl eligibility. Up next, we get a bye week before returning home for Senior Night against UNLV. The Rebels enter the game 0-9, 0-5 in Mountain West action. UNLV opened their schedule with a 49-7 loss at Arizona, a 38-7 loss at Stanford, a 51-24 loss to Louisiana Tech, a 24-14 loss at Boise State and a 40-17 loss to Colorado State. They fell 24-14 at San Jose State, lost 38-24 at Fresno State, got shutout 38-0 by Hawaii and lost 33-14 to Nevada heading into our game.
Final Score
:Air_Force: 24, :Utah_State: 20
Stats of the Game:
Utah State Offense - An up and down day for Barnes, going 13-20 for 155 yards and one touchdown, but throwing one interception on his final pass of the game. Rushing, Roberson led the way with 95 yards, one touchdown and one fumble on 24 carries. Paris had 29 yards on 11 carries, Barnes had 8 yards on one carry and Johnson had two yards on one rush. Receiving, Conley led the way with 47 yards and one touchdown on four catches. In total, we had six receivers catch at least one pass today, five of them ended with double digit yards.
Utah State Defense/Special Teams – Good against the pass, god awful against the run. Turns out our high national ranking in rush defense is a fluke, as the first run-heavy team we face, they torch us left, right and center.
Utah State Kicking – A rare perfect day for Marcus, going 2-2 in field goals from 26 and 20 yards out, while also going 2-2 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
Team 1st Quarter 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter 4th Quarter Final Score :Utah_State: 3 14 3 0 20 :Air_Force: 3 7 0 14 24
Time Team Result Play Score First Quarter 5:55 :Air_Force: Field Goal A. West, 32 yard field goal :Air_Force: 3-0 1:50 :Utah_State: Field Goal D. Marcus, 26 yard field goal TIED 3-3 Second Quarter 7:03 :Air_Force: Touchdown S. Byrd, 2 yard run (A. West kick) :Air_Force: 10-3 3:52 :Utah_State: Touchdown P. Roberson, 4 yard run (D. Marcus kick) TIED 10-10 0:29 :Utah_State: Touchdown R. Conley, 10 yard pass from J. Barnes (D. Marcus kick) :Utah_State: 17-10 Third Quarter 3:18 :Utah_State: Field Goal D. Marcus, 20 yard field goal :Utah_State: 20-10 Fourth Quarter 8:36 :Air_Force: Touchdown J. Robinson, 2 yard run (A. West kick) :Utah_State: 20-17 3:07 :Air_Force: Touchdown J. Seymour, 17 yard run (A. West kick) :Air_Force: 24-20
Game Stats
Utah State Stat Air Force 20 Score 24 18 First Downs 17 289 Total Offense 396 37 - 134 - 1 Rushes - Yards - TD 41 - 289 - 3 13 - 20 - 1 Comp - Att - TD 5 - 15 - 0 155 Passing Yards 107 0 Times Sacked 3 6 - 10 (60%) 3rd Down Conversion 3 - 10 (30%) 0 - 0 (0%) 4th Down Conversion 1 - 3 (33%) 0 - 0 (0%) 2-Point Conv 0 - 0 (0%) 4 - 2 - 2 (100%) Red Zone - TD - FG 5 - 3 - 1 (80%) 2 Turnovers 0 1 Fumbles Lost 0 1 Intercepted 0 11 Punt Return Yards 9 149 Kick Return Yards 93 449 Total Yards 498 2 – 46.0 Punts - Average 1 - 48.0 4 - 35 Penalties 3 - 19 19:14 Time of Possession 16:46
Utah State Coach Goals
Goal XP Reward Completed Score a Touchdown 25 x2 Rush for 100 Yards 25 x1 3+ Sacks 50 x1 Opponent Under 300 Pass Yards 50 x1 Pass Completion Over 50% 30 x1 100% Red Zone Efficiency 50 x1 10+ First Downs 50 x1 4+ 3rd Down Conversions 25 x1
Utah State Contract Goals Update
Goal Expectations Progress Target Wins Per Season 7 2
Job Security Status
96%
