Falcons go down in final game of the season
By Bert Jan Brands | November 22, 2009
(AP Photo/Steve C. Wilson)
The final game of the regular season left the Air Force Falcons with mixed feelings. After securing bowl eligibility with big wins over Army (35-7) and UNLV (45-17) in the last two weeks, the Falcons did not manage to build on their success against #22 ranked Brigham Young University on the road in Provo, Utah.
BYU dominated the Falcons for sixty minutes. Tim Jefferson, the Falcons sophomore quarterback who played a big role in managing the Falcons offense against Army and UNLV, could not get the offense going. After going 0-for-3 with an interception and 20 yards rushing on five carries, he was relieved by junior quarterback Ben Cochran, who threw his first carreer touchdown for Air Force in the second quarter.
The rushing attack, which had proven to be the backbone for earlier Falcon victories, picked up a decent 212 yards on 56 carries, but costly turnovers stalled the Falcons’ drives. The Falcons had turned the ball over just 7 times in the first 11 games, but lost the ball 4 times in the final game against BYU. Two interceptions and two lost fumbles lead to three BYU touchdowns, enough to give the Cougars a lead they would not give away.
Jared Tew was the leading Falcons rusher with 82 yards on 19 carries. The rushing touchdowns for the Falcons came from Savier Stephens (4 yards) and Jonathan Warzeka (3 yards). Chris Thomas picked off a pass for the second straight week, his third of the season. Anthony Wright Jr, the sophomore cornerback for the Falcons, made his fourth interception of the season after going without any picks since week 5 against Navy.
Star of the afternoon was BYU quarterback Max Hall. The senior threw a season high five touchdown passes, and with his win over the Falcons he took over from Ty Detmer as the most succesfull quarterback in school history with 30 carreer wins. He still has a regular season game against Utah and a bowl game left to bring that number to 32. Hall completed 33-of-45 for 377 yards on Saturday afternoon.
The Falcons have their bye week during the final week of the regular season. The team seems to be a lock to make it to the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on December 31st, but nothing is sure after such a defeat. Bowl announcements are expected in the first week of December.
The final score in Provo, Utah: Air Force Falcons 21 - BYU Cougars 38.
Air Force Record: 7-5 (5-3 in the Mountain West Conference)
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