--- Reeling from our season-opening loss to rival Utah, we wouldn’t catch much of a break as we jumped straight into the beginning of conference play, heading back on the road with a visit to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force. The Falcons had gotten off to their own rough start, losing 28-21 to FCS East in their opener. We would face a tough battle nonetheless, as Air Force entered with the #7 rushing offense in the nation, putting up over 240 yards/game. Our defense would be challenged to shut the Falcons down on the ground. Our passing offense would also be in for a challenge, as the Falcons entered ranked #26 in passing defense, giving up only 151.0 yards through the air. We won the coin toss and elected to kick.
A 22 yard return on the opening kickoff got Air Force lined up at their 24 yard line to start the game. John Robinson took the ball on first down, bought down in the backfield for a two yard loss. A one yard rush by Robinson on the next play left the Falcons facing third and 11. Ryan Cook dropped back to pass on third down, but Caleb McBride broke through around the right tackle, sacking Cook for a 5 yard loss to bring out the Air Force punt team on fourth and 16. A 15 yard punt return by Eric McGuire on the 47 yard punt got us started with incredible field position at our 49 yard line.
Coming out on offense on first down, Preston Roberson received the handoff for a 5 yard gain around the right tackle, followed by a 6 yard rush up the middle to give us an early first down at the Air Force 40 yard line. Going outside the right guard, Roberson picked up three yards on the play to leave second and 7. Coming out in play action on second down, a pass from Adam Powers to Brian James was completed for a 13 yard gain, giving us a new set of downs at the 23 yard line, Air Force unable to slow us down. Lining up under center, Powers dropped back, trying to connect with McGuire on the play, but the pass was broken up by the outside linebacker, leaving second and 10. Lining up in the shotgun, Powers rifled a quick pass over the middle to Dre Martin, complete for a gain of 12 yards to pick up a new first down at the 11 yard line. Turning back to the ground game, Roberson was very nearly brought down for a loss by the middle linebacker, somehow able to pick up three yards on the play to set up second and 7. A run up the middle on second down gained three more yards to leave us facing third and four from the 6 yard line. A dump pass over the middle to Dre Martin was pulled down in the end zone for a 6 yard touchdown, putting us on the board first with a 7-0 lead with 4:14 left in the first quarter.
A 19 yard return on the kickoff got Air Force back in action at their 18 yard line. Air Force came out with a hard snap, trying to get us to jump offside, but the plan would backfire, the right tackle jumping to bring out a false start flag, instantly pushing the Falcons back to leave first and 15 from the 13 yard line. That would only delay the abuse our defense would suffer, as Robinson received the handoff going wide around the left tackle, the offensive line sealing our defense off and allowing Robinson to break into the open, taking it all the way to the house in one play for an 87 yard touchdown to tie the game back up at 7-7 with 3:58 on the clock.
A 23 yard return by McGuire on the kickoff got us back on the field at our 29 yard line. A handoff to Roberson on first down picked up three yards, followed by a two yard rush to leave third and 5. Lining up in the shotgun on third down, the pass intended for Matt Leierer ended up broken up by the outside linebacker, leaving us punting on fourth down as our offensive hit a wall this drive. A 12 yard return on the 37 yard punt gave Air Force possession from their 40 yard line.
Cook kept the ball on first down, taking off around the right tackle and picking up 6 yards on the play to leave second and four. Cook dropped back to pass on second down, but quickly took off scrambling in the face of pressure, tackled for only a two yard gain, leaving Air Force with third and two. Cook took off on an option play on third down, the defense doing their job and taking the pitch man out of the play, allowing the secondary to crash down and tackle Cook for a three yard loss, leaving the punt team coming out on fourth and 5. An 8 yard return by McGuire on the 40 yard punt got us lined up from our 22 yard line.
Coming out firing on first down, Powers found Brian James deep for a huge 34 yard gain, giving us a first down at the Air Force 44 yard line. A quick pass to McGuire on a comeback route was complete, picking up 16 yards to move the chains again, down to the 28 yard line. Turning to the ground game, Roberson was able to pick up four yards on first down, followed by a three yard rush to leave third and three. That would bring the first quarter to an end, all knotted up at 7-7.
Opening up the second quarter, we lined up at the 21 yard line, facing third and three. Powers dropped back from under center, chucking up a pass to Tim Fields near the right sideline, complete for a 15 yard gain to give us first and goal at the 6 yard line. Roberson received the handoff on first down, going to the left between the tackle and tight end, finding a massive hole to waltz into the end zone untouched for a 6 yard touchdown to give us a 14-7 lead with 8:40 left in the second quarter.
A touchback on the kickoff left Air Force starting from their 25 yard line. A triple option run to the right again resulted in our defense shutting things down, the pitch man instantly taken out of the play, letting the secondary converge on Cook, limiting him to only a two yard gain to leave second and 8. Running the option to the right, Cook still could find no love, run down from behind for no gain before he could get the pitch off, bringing up third and 8. While our rush defense was getting the job done, our pass defense was crapping the bed, Cook dropped back on third down, firing off a pass to an open Sam Sanders near the left hash for an 18 yard gain and a first down at the 45 yard line. A missed assignment by the defense on first down nearly killed us, as Cook was able to get the pitch off during the option right, Robinson taking the ball up the right sideline for an 8 yard gain, before finally being brought down by the last man in front him to save the touchdown. Lining up on second and two, Cook kept the ball himself around the right tackle, gaining 11 yards on the play to get the first down at our 36 yard line. Blitzing the CBs on first down, Cook never got a chance to get the pitch off, tackled immediately for only a one yard gain to bring up second and 9. Running play action, Cook was forced to scramble before he could find an open target, not getting far though as he was sacked for a four yard loss, leaving Air Force facing third and 13 from the 39. Bringing the house on third down, Cook was unable to get the pass off, sacked by outside linebacker Al Washington for a 7 yard loss, bringing out the punt team on fourth and 20. Adding a bit of insult to injury, that sack left Cook briefly sidelined with the wind knocked out of him, though it ultimately wouldn’t affect the action on-field with the upcoming punt. The punt landed at the 5 yard line, bouncing into the end zone for a touchback to get us started at our 20 yard line with 5:41 left in the first half.
Starting the drive on the ground, Roberson was able to get outside the left tackle for an 8 yard carry, followed by a two yard rush to leave third and inches. Taking the third down handoff straight up the middle, Roberson was officially recorded for a rush of no gain, but he was able to just barely inch his way over the first down line, moving the chains at the 30 yard line. Running a play action pass on first down, Powers was able to avoid a sack and find McGuire downfield for a 25 yard gain. Safety Curtis Stewart would increase the gain, tackling McGuire by his facemask to save a guaranteed touchdown, the 15 extra yards giving us a first down at the Air Force 30 yard line. Turning back to the run game on first down, Roberson rushed for a 6 yard gain, followed by a four yard rush by Brian Paris to get the first down at the 20. Tossing the ball right, Roberson received the toss, but a missed blocked allowed the cornerback to bring Roberson down for a two yard loss, leaving us with second and 12. Lining up in shotgun on second down, Powers tried to hit Martin over the middle, but the pass was intercepted by middle linebacker Bernard Jenkins, forcing the first turnover of the day by either team and giving Air Force possession at their 13 yard line.
Taking over at the 13 yard line after the interception, Air Force kept with their ground game, Robinson received a pitch to the left, but the defense was able to close down and drive him straight out of bounds for no gain on the play. An incomplete pass on second down intended for Sanders ended up incomplete, leaving third and long. Despite bringing the blitz on third down, Cook was able to get a pass off to Robinson for a 12 yard gain, giving the Falcons first down at the 25. Robinson received the handoff on first down, tackled for a three yard gain, followed by a rush for no gain by Cook on a triple option, leaving the Falcons facing third and 7. Air Force nearly fooled us, coming out with a screen pass on third down that left the nearest defender 10 yards downfield, but middle linebacker Lee Bradley quickly caught the screen, leaping one blocker and crashing down, managing to tackle Robinson for only a two yard gain to force the punt. We called our first timeout with 1:13 left on the clock to keep Air Force from running it down. A 13 yard return by McGuire on the 41 yard punt gave us the ball at our 43 yard line with 1:05 left before halftime.
Coming out passing on first down, Powers was able to make a big completion to Ryan Conley down the right sideline for a huge 33 yard gain, moving the sticks to the Air Force 23 yard line. A quick pass to David Douglas picked up 13 more yards, giving us a first down at the 10 yard line, 40 seconds on the clock. A pass over the middle to Martin gained 8 yards, leaving us with second and two from the two yard line, our second timeout called with 26 seconds to go. Taking a gamble on the ground, Roberson received the handoff, went around the right guard and just managed to fall forward through a pair of defenders for a two yard touchdown, increasing our lead to 21-7 with 23 seconds left until halftime.
A touchback on the kickoff got Air Force lined up at their 25. Cook dropped back to pass on first down, firing off a pass to Robinson along the left sideline, who was forced out of bounds for a 9 yard gain, stopping the clock with 17 seconds. A pass over the middle to Sanders was completed for a 13 yard gain, giving Air Force a first down at the 46 yard line, calling their second timeout with 13 seconds to go. Our defense would end up burnt to a crisp as Sanders broke free past the cornerback, allowing Cook to chuck up a rainbow pass for a 54 yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 21-14 with 6 seconds left in the half.
A 21 yard kickoff return by McGuire gave us the ball at the 23 yard line, one second on the clock. Roberson received the handoff on first down, picking up 5 yards on the play to run out the clock, taking us into halftime holding on to a 21-14 lead.
Opening up the second half, a 27 yard kickoff return by Roberson got us started from our 32 yard line to being the third quarter. Starting the drive on the ground, Roberson received the handoff for a 5 yard gain, followed by an 8 yard rush by Paris to move the chains to the 45 yard line. Keeping the ground attack going, Roberson came back in on first down, getting 7 yards on the carry. We also got a gift on the play as outside linebacker Larry Cummings was flagged for a facemask penalty on the tackle, giving us a first down all the way at the Air Force 33 yard line. Paris reentered the backfield on first down, gaining 6 yards on the first down carry, followed by a 5 yard rush to get the first down at the 23. With free reign on the ground, we keep the rushing attack going on first down, Roberson going up the middle for a four yard gain, before being limited to only a two yard gain to leave third and four. Lining up under center on first down, Powers dropped back, throwing a pass to Maurice Martin for a big 14 yard pickup, setting us up with first and goal at the four yard line. Turning back to the ground, Roberson received the handoff and waltzed his way into the end zone for the third time today, scoring a four yard touchdown to give us a 28-14 lead with 5:20 left in the third quarter.
A 22 yard return on the kickoff got Air Force lined up at their 20 yard line. Cook kept the ball himself on first down, rushing to the left and breaking into the open, a desperation shove out of bounds the only difference between a 10 yards gain and a touchdown. While the rush went for 10 yards, the refs marked the ball short, leaving second and inches. Josh Landry would pick up the first down, rushing for an 11 yard gain to move the sticks to the 41 yard line. A pitch right to Cory Davis netted 7 yards, followed by a one yard rush by Landry to bring up third and two. Cook kept the ball on a QB sneak, picking up four yards on the play to get a first down and keep the drive moving at our 47 yard line. A 9 yard rush by Cook turned into extra yards as safety Sam Vinson got flagged for a facemask penalty, giving Air Force a first down at our 22 yard line. A pitch to Landry on the option resulted in a missed tackled and a 22 yard touchdown, cutting our lead to 28-21 with 3:11 left in the third quarter.
A 28 yard return by McGuire got us started at our 28 yard line. Roberson started the drive with a 5 yard rush, followed by a 9 yard rush by Paris, picking up a first down at the 43 yard line. Keeping it on the ground, Roberson went up the gut for a gain of 6 yards, upon which Paris followed with a 7 yard rush, giving us a new set of downs at the Air Force 44 yard line. Roberson returned on first down, but was quickly tripped up for a two yard gain. Lining up under center, Powers dropped back to pass on second down, the ball intended for James sailing incomplete, leaving us facing third and 8. Coming out in shotgun, Powers was able to connect with Paris out of the backfield for a 15 yard completion, keeping our drive alive with a first down at the 27. Returning to the ground, Roberson managed 6 yards on the first down carry, followed by a four yard rush by Paris to get a first down at the 17. That would be the final play of the third quarter, our lead 28-21.
Opening up the fourth quarter from the Air Force 17 yard line, Roberson got us started on first down with a four yard rush, but it would come at a cost, Roberson suffering a concussion on the play that would leave him sidelined for the rest of the game. Paris came in on second down, receiving the handoff for a three yard gain to leave third and three. Putting the ball back into the hands of Paris, he weaved his way up the middle for an 8 yard rush, giving us first and goal at the two yard line. Paris would finish the job on first down, punching it in for a two yard touchdown to increase our lead to 35-21 with 7:28 left in the game.
A touchback on the kickoff gave Air Force the ball at their 25 yard line. Handing the ball off to Robinson, he managed two yards on the carry, before Cook was brought down for no gain on a read option, leaving Air Force facing third and 8. A missed interception attempt by Vinson allowed Joe Seymour to pull down the third down pass from Cook for a 33 yard gain, giving the Falcons a first down at our 41 yard line. Cook kept the ball on an option right, Mike Moses saving the touchdown with an ankle tackle, limiting the damage to only an 11 yard gain and a first down at our 30 yard line. Forced out of the pocket to avoid a sack, the off-balance pass from Cook intended for Ralph Mobley landed well short of the receiver, bringing up second down. Handing the ball off to Robinson, he was quickly brought down for only a one yard gain, leaving third and 9. A quick pass intended for Robinson ended up incomplete, Robinson unable to scoop the ball up before it hit the turf, bringing up fourth and 9, any hopes for a comeback riding on this play. Cook threw the ball deep into the end zone to Mike Pierre in a one on one situation, cornerback Jeremy Thurman jumping up at the last moment and deflecting the ball out of bounds with his right arm, forcing the turnover on downs at our 29 yard line with 5:33 left in the game.
Taking over after the turnover on downs, we turned right to our running game, Paris receiving the handoff for a 6 yard gain, followed by a 5 yard rush to get a first down at the 40. Paris was limited to a gain of two yards on first down, followed by James coming in for a big 9 yard rush, moving the chains to the Air Force 49 yard line to keep the clock ticking. Paris returned on first down, fighting his way to a 6 yard gain, before being stood up for no gain, leaving us facing third and four. Taking our chances on the ground, Paris received the handoff, immediately flattened for no gain to leave fourth and four. Air Force called their first time out with 2:16 left on the clock. The punt bounced down at the 6 yard line and unfortunately rolled into the end zone, giving Air Force the ball at their 20 yard line.
Air Force lined up on first down with 2:09 left on the clock, all the pressure on our defense now to close things out. Cook was hit as he threw on first down, the ball deflected backwards and incomplete, to bring up second down. Cook would manage to get the ball off on second down, connecting with Mobley for a 16 yard gain and a first down at the 36 yard line, but it would all go downhill from there. Dropping back to pass on first down, Cook was hit from behind by the backside blitz, the ball coming loose during the sack. Defensive tackle Marcus Garrett scooped up the fumble for our defense, unable to keep his balance and falling down after a three yard return. But the damage was done, the turnover via fumble gave our offense the ball at the Air Force 25 yard, only 1:52 left on the clock and Air Force left with two timeouts.
Air Force didn’t bother to challenge the fumble, allowing Paris to receive the first down handoff for a 7 yard gain, Air Force calling their second timeout with 1:48 left. A 5 yard rush by Paris ended up with extra yards, a facemask penalty on cornerback Mike Blake resulting in half the distance to the goal, giving us first and goal at the 6 yard line, the penalty stopping the clock with 1:45 left. Leierer received the ball on first down, stood up for no gain, Air Force calling their final timeout with 1:41 to go. With the Falcons no longer able to stop the clock, Powers came out on second down, dropping to a knee. Dropping to a knee with one second left on the play clock, it left us with fourth and goal, 50 seconds left on the clock. We would line up to kick the 28 yard field goal on fourth down, but a shanked kick by Richard Burnette resulted in Air Force getting the ball back at their 20 yard line, just 17 seconds left on the clock.
Dropping the defense back in Cover 4, the first down pass from Cook to Robinson resulted in only a 9 yard gain, leaving the clock running and Air Force scrambling to the line of scrimmage to spike the ball. Cook would drive the ball into the ground with four seconds left on the clock, leaving the Falcons facing third and one from their 29. Safety Charles Noble would end the game by nearly intercepting the off-target pass from Cook, knocking it incomplete with no time left on the clock. That would seal our first, hard fought, victory of the year, 35-21 over Air Force.
With the win, we improve to 1-1, 1-0 in Mountain West action. With the loss, Air Force drops to 0-2, 0-1 in Mountain West play. Up next, we head home for the first time this year, welcoming to town Ramius' old stomping grounds, Tulsa. The Golden Hurricanes enter the game 0-1, 0-0 in American Athletic Conference action. Tulsa opened their year with a 21-19 loss at home to former C-USA foe Rice.
Final Score
35,
21
Stat(s) of the Game:
Utah State Offense - A better week for Powers, ending 12-16 for 203 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Rushing, despite missing the fourth quarter, Roberson led the way with 104 yards and three touchdowns on 27 carries. Paris ended with 87 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. Receiving, James was the top receiver with 47 yards on two receptions. Next was McGuire with 40 yards on two receptions. Martin had 26 yards but also the lone receiving touchdown on three receptions. In all, eight receivers caught a pass today, all eight receivers ended with double digit receiving yards.
Utah State Defense – Again, up and down. Had some horrible moments (88 yard TD run, 54 yard TD pass, 22 yard TD run) that allowed Air Force to stick with us most of the game, but shut things down in the fourth quarter, forcing and recovering a fumble and forcing a turnover on downs with a deflected pass in the end zone.
Utah State Kicking – Burnette shanked his only field goal attempt of the game from 28 yards out in the waning seconds of the game, but did go 5-5 in PATs.
Scoring Summary
| Team |
1st Quarter |
2nd Quarter |
3rd Quarter |
4th Quarter |
Final Score |
|
7 |
14 |
7 |
7 |
35 |
|
7 |
7 |
7 |
0 |
21 |
| Time |
Team |
Result |
Play |
Score |
| First Quarter |
| 4:14 |
|
Touchdown |
D. Martin, 6 yard pass from A. Powers (R. Burnette kick) |
7-0 |
| 3:58 |
|
Touchdown |
J. Robinson, 87 yard run (D. Kelly kick) |
TIED 7-7 |
|
| Second Quarter |
| 8:40 |
|
Touchdown |
P. Roberson, 6 yard run (R. Burnette kick) |
14-7 |
| 0:23 |
|
Touchdown |
P. Roberson, 2 yard run (R. Burnette kick) |
21-7 |
| 0:06 |
|
TOuchdown |
S. Sanders, 54 yard pass from R. Cook (D. Kelly kick) |
21-14 |
|
| Third Quarter |
| 5:20 |
|
Touchdown |
P. Roberson, 4 yard run (R. Burnette kick) |
28-14 |
| 3:11 |
|
Touchdown |
J. Landry, 22 yard run (D. Kelly kick) |
28-21 |
|
| Fourth Quarter |
| 7:28 |
|
Touchdown |
B. Paris, 2 yard run (R. Burnette kick) |
35-21 |
| Utah State |
Stat |
Air Force |
| 35 |
Score |
21 |
| 23 |
First Downs |
10 |
| 399 |
Total Offense |
337 |
| 49 - 196 - 4 |
Rushes - Yards - TD |
29 - 171 - 2 |
| 12 - 16 - 1 |
Comp - Att - TD |
9 - 15 - 1 |
| 203 |
Passing Yards |
166 |
| 0 |
Times Sacked |
4 |
| 6 - 9 (66%) |
3rd Down Conversion |
4 - 10 (40%) |
| 0 - 1 (0%) |
4th Down Conversion |
0 - 1 (0%) |
| 0 - 0 (0%) |
2-Point Conv |
0 - 0 (0%) |
| 6 - 5 - 0 (83%) |
Red Zone - TD - FG |
0 - 0 - 0 (0%) |
| 1 |
Turnovers |
1 |
| 0 |
Fumbles Lost |
1 |
| 1 |
Intercepted |
0 |
| 34 |
Punt Return Yards |
12 |
| 97 |
Kick Return Yards |
62 |
| 530 |
Total Yards |
411 |
| 2 – 40.0 |
Punts - Average |
4 - 43.5 |
| 1 - 15 |
Penalties |
4 - 41 |
| 21:41 |
Time of Possession |
14:19 |
| Goal |
XP Reward |
Completed |
| Win a Game |
100 |
x1 |
| Score a Touchdown |
25 |
x5 |
| Force a Turnover |
25 |
x1 |
| Rush for 100 Yards |
25 |
x1 |
| Kneel Last Minute Q4 While Ahead |
10 |
x1 |
| 3+ Sacks |
50 |
x1 |
| Opponent Under 300 Pass Yards |
50 |
x1 |
| Pass Completion over 50% |
30 |
x1 |
| Score 21 or More Points |
50 |
x1 |
| 350+ Offensive Yards |
50 |
x1 |
| 10+ First Downs |
50 |
x1 |
| 4+ 3rd Down Conversions |
25 |
x1 |
| Goal |
Expectations |
Progress |
| Target Wins Per Season |
6 |
1 |
Originally Posted by SmoothPancakes
Air Force is done, game summary will be posted shortly. Going through top 25 teams right now, one of the most embarrassing losses (if not THE most embarrassing loss) for one of our readers' teams just occurred.
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