Football Edges Wildcats, 22-21

Sept 6, 2003

By JASON STRAIT
AP Sports Writer

EVANSTON, Ill. - Trevor Hightower felt the game slipping away in the fourth quarter, so he challenged his Air Force defensive teammates to do something about it. They responded quickly.

Nate Allen picked off a pass and ran it back 79 yards for a touchdown to help Air Force beat Northwestern 22-21 Saturday - one of three fourth-quarter interceptions for the Falcons.

Air Force (2-0) trailed 21-13 when Allen intercepted quarterback Brett Basanez's errant throw and outran a lone Northwestern pursuer for the score to make it 21-19.

"That was huge," said Hightower, an Air Force linebacker. "We were standing on the sidelines and I looked at Nate and said 'It's your time.' He responded, and the defense just fed off that."

Air Force went for 2 and the tie after the touchdown, but backup quarterback Adam Fitch was stopped short of the goal line.

Needing one more score to pull ahead, Air Force picked off Basanez on Northwestern's next possession.

This time it was Dennis Poland who stepped in front of the pass, returning it 14 yards to the Northwestern 15. That set up Joey Ashcroft's game-winning 25-yard field goal.

"I can't say enough about the job our defense did in the second half," Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry said. "Those interceptions couldn't have come at a better time."

Northwestern (1-1) had another chance to win it, but Basanez was intercepted for the third straight possession to give Air Force a win over Northwestern for the second year in a row.

I can't say enough about the job our defense did in the second half.

Head coach Fisher DeBerry

Anthony Butler ran for 107 yards and two touchdowns for Air Force, which won despite the ejection of quarterback Chance Harridge.

After running for a first down in the third quarter, Harridge had the ball stripped from his hands at the Northwestern 37 by Marvin Ward. Harridge got up off the ground and threw a punch at one of the Northwestern players, prompting his ejection.

Fisher said he spoke with Harridge after the game, but declined to say what he told him.

"That's between he and I," he said. "I don't think he'll get another one of those this season."

Fitch replaced Harridge and immediately led the Falcons on a scoring drive. Fitch drove Air Force 80 yards in 11 plays that ended with a 4-yard TD run by Butler.

Air Force took a 7-0 lead when Harridge hit Darne Stephens for a 37-yard gain, and two plays later Butler broke a pair of tackles at the line of scrimmage for a 56-yard touchdown. The scoring drive covered 93 yards in three plays.

The Falcons handled Northwestern easily last year in a 52-3 rout. Air Force players said they expected a tougher game out of the Wildcats the second time around, and they got one.

Northwestern made it 7-7 in the second quarter on a 2-yard touchdown run by Jason Wright that was set up by a catch from seldom-used tight end Gilles Lezi. Facing third-and-21, Basanez hit Lezi for 23 yards across the middle for a first down at the Air Force 2. Lezi had two career receptions entering the game.

Basanez gave Northwestern a 14-7 halftime lead with a 20-yard TD pass to Noah Herron, then led the Wildcats on another scoring drive to open the second half.

Basanez had a 28-yard completion to Roger Jordan, and rushed for gains of 2 and 10 yards before Herron plunged through the middle for a 1-yard TD that gave Northwestern a 21-7 lead.

It didn't take long for everything to fall apart, though, as Air Force intercepted Basanez three times in a span of 4:11.

"I don't know what happened. I can't tell you," Northwestern coach Randy Walker said. "It gave them a great opportunity to win. We personally handed them 10 points."

Basanez was 15-of-34 for 234 yards and one touchdown. Wright rushed for 108 yards and a score.

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