Coach Troy Calhoun address media at weekly press conference
10/17/2017 12:00:00 AM | Football
Air Force is in the fourth week of a five-week stretch with four of the five games on the road. The Falcons play at Colorado State next week to end the stretch. Air Force and Nevada are playing for the fourth time, all as conference foes. The Falcons lead the series, 2-1. Air Force is 2-0 at home and 0-1 at Nevada. Nevada won the only meeting in Reno, 45-42, in 2013.
Air Force defeated Nevada, 45-38, in overtime in Falcon Stadium in 2014 the last time the two played. The game was as even as it could be, with the team's exchanging scores throughout the game. Air Force would score, then Nevada. The Falcons led throughout the game, kicking a field goal to take a 31-28 lead early in the fourth quarter. Nevada answered with a touchdown to take its only lead of the game, 35-31, with 7:03 remaining. Kale Pearson put the Falcons back on top for good with a 16-yard run to make it 38-35 with 4:13 left. Nevada added a 22-yard field goal with 22 seconds remaining to force overtime. Shayne Davern scored from three yards in overtime to give the Falcons the 45-38 margin and Air Force held Nevada to secure the win. Air Force finished with 471 total yards on 80 plays while Nevada had 498 yards on 81 plays. The Falcons held a 44:03 to 30:57 edge in time of possession. Pearson led the way for Air Force with 109 yards rushing and a touchdown while hitting 11 of 15 passes for 129 yards and three touchdowns. Davern added 97 yards and two scores on 21 carries while Jacobi Owens topped the 1,000-yard mark on the season with 66 yards on 16 carries. Jalen Robinette had four catches for 36 yards and a pair of scores. Jordan Pierce led the defense with 13 tackles and a tackle for loss while Connor Healy chipped in with 10 stops. Dexter Walker added nine tackles and two tackles for loss while Western Steelhammer had eight tackles and his fourth interception of the season.
Nevada defeated Air Force, 45-42, in 2013 the last time the two played in Reno. 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.
