Air Force Grinds Out 22-19 Road Win At Nevada

Air Force football (4-7, 2-4 MW) willed its way to a 22-19 win at Nevada (3-9, 0-6 MW) Saturday night at Mackay Stadium in Reno, Nevada. The Falcons have now won three in a row, picking up its first road win of the season.

Air Force churned out 318 yards rushing on the ground on 67 carries. The Falcons had a pair of fullbacks go over 100 yards rushing. Owen Allen carried 23 times for 107 yards and Dylan Carson carried 14 times for 105 yards. Quarterback Quentin Hayes was also effective on the ground, carrying 20 times, 10 first downs and 68 yards.

Air Force did not complete a pass in the game, becoming the first team in FBS play to win a game without competing a pass this season.

The Falcons struck first, getting on the board on its second drive of the game with a 11-yard touchdown run by fullback Dylan Carson at the 14:55 mark in the second quarter. The score capped a 14-play 81-yard drive that chewed up 7:44 of clock time.

Nevada came back by scoring 12 unanswered points. The Wolf Pack got a pair of field goals from Kian Afrookhteh in the second quarter, as the Falcons went to halftime leading 7-6.

The Wolf Pack took the lead on a 23-yard touchdown pass by quarterback Brendon Lewis to wide receiver Jaden Smith at the 7:42 mark in the third quarter. After the failed two-point conversion attempt, Nevada held a 12-7 lead.

The Air Force offense, which had been scoreless since the touchdown drive, found life in the fourth quarter. The Falcons went on another 14-play touchdown drive, going 74 yards in 7:37, capped by a nine-yard run by Allen to re-take the lead. Cade Harris converted the two-point extra point attempt and the Falcons went back ahead 15-12.

The Air Force defense followed the momentum-swinging touchdown drive by coming up with an interception by linebacker Osaro Aihie. The Falcons turned the Aihie pick into a one-yard touchdown plunge by Hayes to go up 22-12.

Nevada tacked on a touchdown with 10 seconds left to pull to within three. The Pack was unsuccessful on the on-side kick and the Air Force came away with the win.

The Falcons cap the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 30, at San Diego State. The game kicks-off at 7:30 pm PT and will be televised on FS1.

Footer

The appearance of hyperlinks does not constitute endorsement by the u.s air force of non-u.s. government sites or the information, products, or services contained therein. Although the u.s. air force may or may not use these sites as additional distribution channels for department of defense information, it does not exercise editorial control over all of the information that you may find at these locations. Such links are provided consistent with the stated purpose of this website.