Falcons fall in 31-27 thriller to UNLV

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Eight yards away from a go-ahead touchdown, Air Force saw the potential winning score hit the turf, as the Falcons late comeback attempt fell short in Saturday's 31-27 loss at Falcon Stadium.

Jensen Jones, in his first-career start at quarterback, accumulated 88 yards on the ground on 19 carries, including two goal line rushing scores. Through the air, Jones was 1-6 with 35 yards. John Busha saw time on Air Force's final drive, connecting for a 21-yard pass.

Dylan Carson led the Falcons with 104 yards on 16 rushes. Johnny Lee Eldridge was responsible for a 55-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, as the senior managed 10 carries on the day. Owen Burk added 65 yards on 13 carries as well.

Trey Williams led all Falcons with nine tackles, while PJ Ramsey, Bo Richter, Payton Zdroik, and Blake Kupono each contributed to Air Force's sack total. Johnathan Youngblood and Trey Taylor hauled in both of the Falcons' interceptions.

The afternoon began ominously for Air Force, as UNLV struck for a 75-yard touchdown pass on the second play from scrimmage to take a 7-0 lead. The Falcons offense found it difficult to find its tread early, as Coach Troy Calhoun's squad was forced into three-consecutive three-and-outs. Air Force's initial offensive first down took place at 3:05 remaining in the opening quarter.

However, Air Force's opening first down seemed to spark the offense, as the same drive saw Eldridge rumble for 55 yards into the endzone to tie the game at 7-7 late in the first quarter.

Following a UNLV punt on the ensuing possession, the Falcons managed a 6-play, 74-yard touchdown drive capped by a Jones 1-yard rushing touchdown to claim a 14-7 lead.

Another Rebels punt paved the way for a Matthew Dapore 27-yard field goal, while Youngblood's interception on the following UNLV drive eventually led to Jones' second 1-yard touchdown run. The Falcons quickly built a 24-7 lead.

UNLV did answer with a touchdown drive of its own, but the Air Force offense did well to create a scoring chance as the first-half expired. Dapore's second field goal, this time from 42 yards, created a 27-14 halftime lead for the Falcons.

Even so, the Rebels never went away. UNLV's second play of the third quarter went for 84 yards, leading to a 1-yard touchdown run to cut the Falcons lead to 27-21.

Both teams exchanged three-and-outs before UNLV put together a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown pass. The Rebels jumped out to a 28-27 lead with 2:55 left in the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, Air Force appeared to be getting the ball back, though UNLV faked a punt, converting the 4^th and 11 with an 11-yard pass. The take eventually led to a 39-yard field goal, as the Rebels built a 31-27 advantage with just under 11 minutes remaining.

With the chance to take the lead, Carson lost a fumble on the Rebels side of the field, as UNLV eventually recovered the football at their own 43.

As both sides exchanged punts, Air Force's final possession began with 4:02 left in the game. As the Falcons steadily moved the football, Jones converted a fourth-and-one at the UNLV 38 to extend the drive with 2:03 remaining on the clock. Busha's lone completion went for 21 yards down to the UNLV 24 before a pass interference call spotted the football at the UNLV 10.

A pair of minimal runs and an incompletion set up a fourth-and-eight with 28 seconds remaining. Busha, in on the final play, missed Caleb Rillos in the corner of the endzone to halt the comeback attempt.

Next, Air Force will close the regular season at Boise State on Friday, November 24, with kickoff scheduled for 2:00 pm MT.

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Team Stats

Jensen Jones

John Busha

Brandon Engel

Players Mentioned

Owen Burk

John Busha

Dylan Carson

Matthew Dapore

Jensen Jones

PJ Ramsey

Bo Richter

Caleb Rillos

Trey Taylor

Trey Williams

Johnathan Youngblood

Payton Zdroik

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