Air Force Falcons roll over UNLV Rebels, Bowl eligibility guaranteed
(Jerilee Bennett, The Gazette)
A cold and snowy Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs set the stage for a Mountain West Conference showdown between the UNLV Rebels and the Air Force Falcons on Saturday. Temperatures below freezing lead to the traditional parachute jump and the F-16 flyover being canceled, but it did not prevent the Falcons from justifying a possible bowl appearance in December or January. After hosting Army a week earlier, the game against the Rebels was the last home game for the Falcons, who will play their final game of the regular season this weekend at #22 ranked Brigham Young University.
Asher Clark, the sophomore running back, shined for the Falcons on Saturday, posting a career high 160 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns on just 18 carries, which earned him Co-Mountain West Conference Football Offensive Player of the Week honors. He had to share them with Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels. The Air Force offense fared well on the ground and totaled 431 yards rushing against 126 yards passing. They have the fourth ranked rushing offense in the country, a sign which didn’t bode well for the Rebels, who are 111th against the run.
Air Force was the first to get on the board midway through the first quarter, after a 24 yard rushing touchdown by Clark that capped off a 95 yard drive by the Falcons. It was the start of what would be a long day for the Rebels. The Air Force triple option offense has proven to be very successful this season and, against the Rebels, it was no different. The 431 total rushing yards came on 71 carries by 11 different Air Force players. Sophomore quarterback Tim Jefferson was 8 for 13 for 126 yards, and also carried the ball 8 times for 63 yards. He has looked very impressive as a leader in the triple option offense, and will prove to be a great asset to the Falcons football team for the next two years.
By halftime, the Rebels were behind 24-3 after also giving up rushing touchdowns to running backs Jared Tew (3 yards) and Savier Stephens (10 yard), and a field goal by kicker Erik Soderberg. A promising Rebels drive right before halftime ended with an interception in the end zone by senior safety Chris Thomas.
Though snow started coming down by the start of the second half, the Falcons kept on rolling. Nathan Walker ran the ball into the end zone in the third quarter (2 yards), and Asher Clark added two more rushing touchdowns in the fourth (2 yards and 40 yards).The offensive line was dominant all day, opening large holes for the Falcons running backs. All five starters on the offensive line are currently seniors, as well as ten other starters on the football team. They all played their last home game in Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs as the final score between the UNLV Rebels and the Air Force Falcons was 17-45, which improved the Falcons record to 7-4 (Conference: 5-2).
The last game of the regular season for the Falcons will be this Saturday, November 21st at 1:30 PM MT in Provo, Utah.
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