Air Force football travels to UNLV

Air Force @ UNLV
Friday, Oct. 19, 7 p.m. PT, Sam Boyd Stadium (36,800)

BROADCAST INFORMATION
Television: CBS Sports Network
Dave Ryan (play-by-play); Corey Chavous (analyst)

Radio: KVOR AM 740 in Colorado Springs, CO; The Fan 104.3 in Denver
SIRIUS 137, XM 201, Internet 965
Jim Arthur (play-by-play); Jesse Kurtz (analyst)

GENERAL INFORMATION
Category                             Air Force                                                                                  UNLV
Record:....................... 2-4 (0-3 MW)                                                                          2-4 (0-2 MW)
Streak:........................ L 1                                                                                               L 3
Last Week:.................. L 17-21 at San Diego State                                                 L 28-59 at Utah State
Next Week:................. vs. Boise State (10/27)                                                       at San Jose State (10/27)
Conference:................ Mountain West                                                                     Mountain West
Location:..................... Colorado Springs, CO                                                          Las Vegas, NV
Athletic Website:........ GoAirForceFalcons.com                                                    UNLVRebels.com

THE COACHES
Category                             Air Force                                                                                  UNLV
Head Coach:................ Troy Calhoun                                                                          Tony Sanchez
Alma Mater (Year):...... Air Force, 1989                                                                       New Mexico State, 1998
Career Record:............ 84-64 (12th year)                                                                  14-28 (4th year)
Record at School:......... Same                                                                                         Same
Record vs. Opponent:.. 7-2                                                                                              0-1

STORYLINES
• With a win, Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun will become just the second coach in Mountain West history with 50 conference wins, joining SDSU's Rocky Long, who has 87.
• Air Force has played three one-score games this season which is tied as the 13th most in the nation. Eastern Michigan leads the nation with six one-score games.
• Air Force is 0-3 on the road this season and has lost four straight road games dating back to last season's win at Colorado State.

THE SERIES
• Air Force and UNLV meet for the 22nd time overall and 21st as conference foes
• Air Force leads the overall series, 15-6, and has a 15-5 mark in conference games
• The Falcons are 8-2 at home and 7-4 at UNLV
• The teams have split the last four meetings, including the last two in each venue
• Prior to the last four games, Air Force had won five straight from 2007-11
• Air Force defeated UNLV, 34-30, last season in Falcon Stadium
• Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-21, in 2014 in the last meeting in Las Vegas
• The teams first played in 1981 in Las Vegas. UNLV won the game, 24-21

LAST YEAR VS. UNLV
(Oct. 14, 2017) Air Force used the second-largest comeback in school history to defeat UNLV, 34-30, in Falcon Stadium. The Rebels controlled the game and raced out to a 27-0 lead with 3:28 remaining in the second quarter. Air Force finally got on the board with an Arion Worthman 14 yard touchdown run to cut the halftime deficit to 27-7. The Falcons turned the ball over on their first two possessions in the second half, but held UNLV to just a field goal and a 30-7 lead. Worthman scored four straight touchdowns to complete the comeback, the final on a one-yard run with 2:14 remaining. Air Force forced UNLV to turn the ball over on downs on the next possession to seal the win. The 27-point comeback is the second-largest in school history and largest since coming from 28 points (31-3 halftime) down at Fresno State in 1996. Worthman finished with a career-high 30 carries for a season-best 166 yards and a career-best five touchdowns, the second most in school history. Air Force finished with 473 total yards, including 401 rushing. UNLV had 411 total yards, but managed only 107 total yards in the second half. Armani Rogers led the Rebels with 148 yards and a touchdown rushing while completing 12 of 27 passes for 145 yards.

LAST TIME AT UNLV
(Nov. 8, 2014) Air Force defeated UNLV, 48-21, 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-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. The Falcons added two TD runs by the fullbacks in the third quarter 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. 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.

CALHOUN COULD BECOME SECOND COACH WITH 50 MW WINS
Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun's next conference victory will make him just the second coach in Mountain West history with 50 conference wins. Calhoun has a 49-41 record in Mountain West games. He'll join San Diego State's Rocky Long, who has 87, in the 50-win club.

CONFERENCE'S TOP TWO RUSHING TEAMS GOING HEAD-TO-HEAD
UNLV and Air Force are the top two rushing teams in the conference. UNLV leads the Mountain West and ranks eighth nationally with a 257.2 per-game average. Air Force is second in the MW and 14th nationally with a 248.0 mark. They are the only two teams in the league averaging 200 or more yards rushing per game. UNLV has the conference's top performance this year with a 414 yard effort vs. UTEP while Air Force's season-high of 333 yards vs. Stony Brook ranks third.

AN AIR FORCE WIN.....
• Air Force would improve to 3-4 overall, including a 1-3 mark on the road
• Air Force would snap a four-game road losing streak and be the team's first road win since beating Colorado State in Fort Collins, 45-28, last season
• Air Force would win its third straight over UNLV overall and second straight in Las Vegas
• Air Force would improve to 16-6 overall and 16-5 in conference games vs. UNLV
• Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun would become just the second coach in Mountain West
   history to win 50 conference games. He would join San Diego State's Rocky Long in the 50-win club.

LAST WEEK
San Diego State defeated Air Force, 21-17, in San Diego to record its eighth straight win in the series. The Aztecs scored on their opening drive with a Chase Jasmin four yard run to take a 7-0 lead. Air Force added a safety later in the first quarter, as the quarterback fell in the end zone to make it 7-2. The Falcons took the lead, 9-7, with the first of two Ronald Cleveland touchdown runs. The Aztecs took the lead back with Trenton Thompson returned a blocked punt 19 yards for a touchdown to give SDSU a 14-9 halftime lead. Cleveland scored his second touchdown on a four yard run to make it 17-14 with 9:25 remaining. Ryan Agnew hit Parker Houston on a 29 yard touchdown pass with 6:10 remaining to make up the final margin. Air Force's last chance ended with an interception in the final minutes. San Diego State had 297 total yards, including 213 passing. Jasmin finished with 70 yard rushing and a score while Agnew hit nine of 25 passes for 213 yards and a score. Air Force was led by Cole Fagan, who rushed for a career-best 90 yards. Isaiah Sanders rushed for 49 yards and hit seven of 15 passes for 51 yards coming on in relief of injured starter Donald Hammond III. Air Force finished with 276 total yards.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ronald Cleveland

Donald Hammond III

Isaiah Sanders

Arion Worthman

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