Falcons host Nevada in MW action Saturday
11/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
WHAT TO WATCH FOR WHAT TO WATCH FOR
• Air Force closes out the regular season with three teams that are currently in first place in the MW • Nevada and San Diego State are tied for first in the West Division at 3-2, while Colorado State leads the Mountain Division with a 5-1 mark. • Air Force's 542 total yards last week marks its best output against a conference opponent this season. • Air Force is 2-0 this season and 17-10 under head coach Troy Calhoun in the month of November. • Air Force 3-0 this season and 18-2 under Calhoun when scoring 40 or more points in a game. • Air Force is 5-1 this season and 39-10 under Calhoun when leading at halftime. • Air Force is 7-1 this season and 50-8 under Calhoun when leading after the third quarter. • Air Force plays two of its last three games on the road this season.
THE SERIES: Air Force and Nevada are playing for just the third time, all as conference members. The series is tied 1-1 with each team winning at home. The teams first played in 2012 in Falcon Stadium. Air Force won the game, 48-31. Nevada defeated Air Force, 45-42, in Reno last season.
LAST SEASON VS. NEVADA: Nevada defeated Air Force, 45-42. The Wolf Pack overcame a 42-30 deficit with 7:44 remaining to improve to 3-0 at home. Quarterback Cody Fajardo hit Aaron Bradley for a nine yard touchdown with 5:56 remaining, then scored on a two-yard run with 1:45 remaining to cap the comeback for the Wolf Pack. Air Force's last chance ended with a Charles Garrett interception in the final seconds. Fajardo rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns and hit 38-of-54 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns to lead Nevada. Kendall Brock added 84 yards on 20 carries while Brandon Wimberly had 15 catches for 134 yards and a score. Bradley added 11 catches for 135 yards. Air Force was led by sophomore quarterback Karson Roberts, who rushed for a career-high 161 yards and two touchdowns in his first-career start. He also hit five-of-10 passes for 55 yards and a score. Broam Hart added 88 yards rushing and a score. Nevada finished with 599 yards of total offense on 100 plays while Air Force had 453 total yards, including 375 rushing. The Falcons led most of the game and extended the lead 42-30 on a Roberts to Sam Gagliano 23-yard touchdown pass with 7:44 left. Jon Lee, Antony LaCoste and Hart all scored rushing touchdowns in the first half to give the Falcons a 21-17 halftime lead. Roberts scored a pair of third quarter touchdowns to help Air Force build its lead before hitting Gagliano for the touchdown in the fourth to give the team its biggest lead of the game.
LAST TIME AT AFA: Air Force defeated Nevada, 48-31, on Friday night in Falcon Stadium for its third consecutive win. Connor Dietz ran for 68 yards and a touchdown and hit six-of-seven passes for 139 yards and matched his career high with two touchdowns. Wes Cobb added a career-high 152 yards and a touchdown on a career-best 30 carries while Jon Lee chipped in with a then-career-high 96 yards on 10 carries. Ty MacArthur added 76 yards on seven carries. The Falcons rolled up 600 total yards on 89 plays and enjoyed a 9:14 advantage in time of possession. The Falcons held the ball for 12:46 of the fourth quarter alone. The defense, which had a season-high three quarterback sacks and nine tackles for loss, held Nevada to 380 total yards on 67 plays. Christian Spears led the way with nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. Parker Herrington opened the scoring with a career-long 45 yard field goal on Air Force's opening drive. Following a Nevada touchdown, Mike DeWitt scored on an eight-yard run to give Air Force the lead for good. The Falcons, who led 31-21 at halftime, took a 45-31 lead with 9:33 remaining in the third quarter on a Dietz one-yard touchdown run. Herrington hit his second field goal of the game to make up the final margin.
AIR FORCE AT HOME: Air Force is 34-14 in Falcon Stadium under head coach Troy Calhoun, including a 4-0 mark in 2014. Air Force finished 5-1 at home in 2012 which ties as the fourth best mark in school history and the third time under Calhoun the team has accomplished it. The Falcons posted just the third undefeated home mark (6-0) in school history in 2007. Air Force combined for 10 wins at home in 2009 and 2010 which is the third most in two seasons in school history.
MORE ABOUT THIS SEASON AT HOME: Not only is Air Force 3-0 at home this season, but the Falcons have some significant wins. The Falcons became the first team from the Mountain Division of the conference to beat Boise State since the Broncos joined the conference. In addition, the Falcons defeated service-academy rival Navy at home for the first time since 2010 and only the second time since 2002. The Falcons have are averaging 34.3 points per game at home while allowing just 20.5. Air Force never trailed at any point during the first three home games and has only trailed for 9:57 total. In addition, the Falcons have held the lead for more than 50 minutes in two games.
AIR FORCE LAST WEEK: Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-21, Saturday afternoon in Las Vegas, Nev. The Falcons rolled up a 21-point second quarter to take control of the game. Kale Pearson and Jacobi Owens scored one one-yard touchdown runs and Pearson and Jalen Robinette connected on a 59-yard touchdown pass in the quarter to give the Falcons a 31-14 halftime lead. Fullbacks Shayne Davern and D.J. Johnson added third-quarter touchdown runs and Will Conant hit his second field goal of the game to help Air Force win its third straight game and sixth in the last seven games. Air Force had 542 total yards, its best in a conference game this season. The Falcons rushed for 386 yards and passed for 156. Owens rushed for 135 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries in a return to his home state. Pearson added 67 yards rushing and a touchdown and hit five of six passes for 115 yards and a score. He also caught a 41-yard pass from receiver Colton Huntsman. The defense held UNLV to 339 total yards, including just 33 rushing. Jordan Pierce led the way with 11 tackles, a sack and two tackles for loss. Alex Hansen added six tackles, a sack and a pair of tackles for loss. The Falcons had five sacks and eight tackles for loss on day.
AIR FORCE TOPS SERVICES ACADEMIES/CONFERENCE IN GSR: Air Force has a graduation success rate of 93, according to the latest data from the NCAA. The Falcons have the highest GSR in the Mountain West and among the three service academies. Essentially, that translates to over 90 percent of the recruited varsity athletes that entered the Academy during the four year period of 2004-07 (i.e., Classes of 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011) either graduated from the Academy or left academically eligible.
