Saturday, September 10
USAFA
1:30 pm MT
Air Force Academy
2-0 , 0-0
41
vs
10
Colorado
0-2 , 0-0
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
Colorado
0
10
0
0
10
Air Force
13
7
7
14
41
Photo by: Photo by Trevor Cokley
Air Force Rolls To 41-10 Win Over Colorado
9/10/2022 5:50:00 PM | Football
USAF ACADEMY, Colo.- A three-touchdown afternoon courtesy of fullback Brad Roberts and a stout performance on the defensive side of the ball were plenty enough to push Air Force past Colorado 41-10.
Roberts churned out 174 yards on 24 attempts, becoming only the 11th player in program history to surpass 2,000 yards on the ground. Saturday also marks the 11th time Roberts has eclipsed 100+ rushing yards in just 19 career games.
Quarterback Haaziq Daniels completed just one of his five attempts but nevertheless was effective on the ground. He finished with 29 yards rushing on nine carries, including a one-yard score.
The Falcons complement of runners saw nine players combine for 435 rushing yards. John Lee Eldridge III posted 88 yards on eight carries and a touchdown, while Zac Larrier averaged 10.0 yards per carry to total 60 yards on six attempts.
The precipitous conditions at Falcon Field likely played a part in both teams combining for six turnovers, though the Air Force defense was the more effective unit throughout. The Falcons allowed just 162 total yards, holding the Buffaloes to just one 3rd down conversion rate in 10 tries. Of the Buffaloes 162 yards, 71 of those yards were the result of Colorado's lone touchdown drive.
Through the air, the Falcons secondary had its way. Air Force held Colorado quarterback J.T. Shrout to just 51 passing yards, completing five of his 21 attempts. Michael Mack III led all Falcons with six tackles, while Jayden Goodwin, TD Blackmon, and Alec Mock each secured five tackles. Goodwin also forced a critical fumble at the goal line in the 3rd quarter.
Camby Goff snagged his second interception in as many games, leading to one of Roberts three rushing scores. Goff also had four tackles and two pass breakups.
After Colorado won the coin toss and elected to receive the football, the Falcons made their presence felt immediately. The second play from scrimmage saw Shrout fumble the snap, a loose ball that was eventually recovered by Air Force's Christopher Herrera at the Buffaloes 14-yard line.
One play later, Roberts opened the scoring with a 14-yard scamper up the middle to give the Falcons a quick 7-0 lead.
The Air Force defense followed the score with consecutive three-and-outs, leading to a pair of Matthew Dapore's field goals. Dapore connected from 54-yards and 47-yards in the 1st quarter, with his 54-yarder marking a new-career long. The 54-yard kick is the longest made field goal by a Falcons kicker since Jake Koehnke in 2019.
The Falcons led 13-0 after the first 15 minutes.
Goff's interception early in the 2nd quarter preluded Roberts second touchdown rush of the afternoon, giving the Falcons a 20-0 lead. The Buffaloes did answer eventually, as Deion Smith punctuated a four-play, 71-yard drive with a 20-yard rushing score to trim the Falcons lead to 20-7.
Air Force didn't close out the half in the same manner it started, as consecutive drives concluded with fumbles recovered by Colorado, one of which turned into Buffaloes points. Even so, Air Force led 20-10 at the break.
The Falcons opened the second half with the football, though the drive was halted after five plays. An errant snap on the punt gifted Colorado the football at the Air Force 13-yard line, but again, the Falcons were up to the challenge.
Facing 2nd & goal at the two-yard line, Goodwin's forced fumble was recovered by Alec Mock to help maintain the Falcons 20-7 lead. After a Falcons punt on the ensuing drive, the Air Force defense provided a big 4th down stop on the Falcons 31-yard line.
The offense regained its groove after the turnover on downs. A nine-play, 69-yard drive ended with Daniels finding the endzone from a yard out, extending the Air Force lead to 27-10.
The Falcons defense held the Buffaloes to just 21 yards in the final quarter while Roberts and Eldridge III each found the endzone to put the game out of reach.
Next, Air Force hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Wyoming to take on the Cowboys on Friday, September 16.
Roberts churned out 174 yards on 24 attempts, becoming only the 11th player in program history to surpass 2,000 yards on the ground. Saturday also marks the 11th time Roberts has eclipsed 100+ rushing yards in just 19 career games.
Quarterback Haaziq Daniels completed just one of his five attempts but nevertheless was effective on the ground. He finished with 29 yards rushing on nine carries, including a one-yard score.
The Falcons complement of runners saw nine players combine for 435 rushing yards. John Lee Eldridge III posted 88 yards on eight carries and a touchdown, while Zac Larrier averaged 10.0 yards per carry to total 60 yards on six attempts.
The precipitous conditions at Falcon Field likely played a part in both teams combining for six turnovers, though the Air Force defense was the more effective unit throughout. The Falcons allowed just 162 total yards, holding the Buffaloes to just one 3rd down conversion rate in 10 tries. Of the Buffaloes 162 yards, 71 of those yards were the result of Colorado's lone touchdown drive.
Through the air, the Falcons secondary had its way. Air Force held Colorado quarterback J.T. Shrout to just 51 passing yards, completing five of his 21 attempts. Michael Mack III led all Falcons with six tackles, while Jayden Goodwin, TD Blackmon, and Alec Mock each secured five tackles. Goodwin also forced a critical fumble at the goal line in the 3rd quarter.
Camby Goff snagged his second interception in as many games, leading to one of Roberts three rushing scores. Goff also had four tackles and two pass breakups.
After Colorado won the coin toss and elected to receive the football, the Falcons made their presence felt immediately. The second play from scrimmage saw Shrout fumble the snap, a loose ball that was eventually recovered by Air Force's Christopher Herrera at the Buffaloes 14-yard line.
One play later, Roberts opened the scoring with a 14-yard scamper up the middle to give the Falcons a quick 7-0 lead.
The Air Force defense followed the score with consecutive three-and-outs, leading to a pair of Matthew Dapore's field goals. Dapore connected from 54-yards and 47-yards in the 1st quarter, with his 54-yarder marking a new-career long. The 54-yard kick is the longest made field goal by a Falcons kicker since Jake Koehnke in 2019.
The Falcons led 13-0 after the first 15 minutes.
Goff's interception early in the 2nd quarter preluded Roberts second touchdown rush of the afternoon, giving the Falcons a 20-0 lead. The Buffaloes did answer eventually, as Deion Smith punctuated a four-play, 71-yard drive with a 20-yard rushing score to trim the Falcons lead to 20-7.
Air Force didn't close out the half in the same manner it started, as consecutive drives concluded with fumbles recovered by Colorado, one of which turned into Buffaloes points. Even so, Air Force led 20-10 at the break.
The Falcons opened the second half with the football, though the drive was halted after five plays. An errant snap on the punt gifted Colorado the football at the Air Force 13-yard line, but again, the Falcons were up to the challenge.
Facing 2nd & goal at the two-yard line, Goodwin's forced fumble was recovered by Alec Mock to help maintain the Falcons 20-7 lead. After a Falcons punt on the ensuing drive, the Air Force defense provided a big 4th down stop on the Falcons 31-yard line.
The offense regained its groove after the turnover on downs. A nine-play, 69-yard drive ended with Daniels finding the endzone from a yard out, extending the Air Force lead to 27-10.
The Falcons defense held the Buffaloes to just 21 yards in the final quarter while Roberts and Eldridge III each found the endzone to put the game out of reach.
Next, Air Force hits the road for the first time this season, traveling to Wyoming to take on the Cowboys on Friday, September 16.
Team Stats
CU
AF
Total Yards
162
443
Pass Yards
51
8
Rushing Yards
111
435
Penalty Yards
40
25
1st Downs
8
25
3rd Downs
1
4
4th Downs
0
1
TOP
21:38
38:22
1st Quarter
CU 0, AF 7
AF - Roberts,Brad 14 yd run (Dapore,Matthew kick), 1 plays, 14 yards, TOP 00:04
CU 0, AF 10
AF - Dapore,Matthew 54 yd field goal 7 plays, 29 yards, TOP 03:41
CU 0, AF 13
AF - Dapore,Matthew 47 yd field goal 7 plays, 33 yards, TOP 03:04
2nd Quarter
CU 0, AF 20
AF - Roberts,Brad 20 yd run (Dapore,Matthew kick), 4 plays, 35 yards, TOP 01:55
CU 7, AF 20
CU - Smith,Deion 25 yd run (Becker,Cole kick), 4 plays, 71 yards, TOP 01:53
CU 10, AF 20
CU - Becker,Cole 41 yd field goal 4 plays, yards, TOP 01:15
3rd Quarter
CU 10, AF 27
AF - Daniels,Haaziq 1 yd run (RODRIGUEZ,Anthony kick), 9 plays, 69 yards, TOP 04:34
4th Quarter
CU 10, AF 34
AF - Roberts,Brad 46 yd run (RODRIGUEZ,Anthony kick), 1 plays, 46 yards, TOP 00:12
CU 10, AF 41
AF - Eldridge III,John Lee 11 yd run (RODRIGUEZ,Anthony kick), 12 plays, 68 yards, TOP 07:03
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
1
TD
0
YDS
8
INT
0
Players Mentioned
ILB
/ FootballQB
/ Football
PK
/ Football
RB
/ Football
SS
/ Football
SS
/ Football
DE
/ Football
SPC
/ Football
QB
/ Football
CB
/ Football
RB
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