Air Force opens season with a 34-0 win over Duquesne

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Duquesne	0	0	0	0	0
Air Force	7	13	7	7	34

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2nd

3rd

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Duquesne

Air Force

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Air Force football cruised to a 34-0 win over Duquesne in its season opener on Saturday, Sept. 5, at Falcon Stadium.

Big days from seniors, tailback Rocco Conti and fullback Kemper Hodges, led a dominant Falcon rushing attack that ended the day with 431 rushing yards, the most in a season opener since 2022.

Junior quarterback Liam Szarka controlled the game well in his first opener as a starter, doing most of his damage on the ground with a multi-touchdown day; Sophomore QB Evan Medders took the field for the first time as a Falcon, adding a touchdown of his own.

Sophomore place kicker Carter Cremascoli made the first field goal of his young career, splitting the uprights on both of his attempts today.

The Falcons were first on the board, as a Szarka 18-yard completion to junior wide receiver Matt Long set up Hodges, who stumbled into the endzone for a four-yard touchdown, giving Air Force a 7-0 lead with 8:08 remaining in the first quarter.

Air Force kept its foot on the gas pedal with a 15 play, 80-yard drive, spanning eight minutes, that ended in Szarka's first rushing touchdown to extend the Falcon lead at 14-0 with 12:17 to go in the second quarter.

Junior defensive back Max Mustell notched the first interception of the day for the Air Force defense with 10:24 left in the second quarter, setting up a 23-yard field goal for Cremascoli to make the score 17-0.

Cremascoli tacked on three more points before the half was over, banging home a 52-yarder to extend Air Force's lead 20-0 with 4:04 in the half.

Junior defensive back Korey Johnson landed the second interception of the day for the Falcon defense on the final play of the second half, stifling a Dukes drive that was threatening to score.

The Falcons went into halftime leading 20-0.

Senior inside linebacker Blake Fletcher was all over the field to start the second half, notching 1.5 TFL's and a sack on the Dukes opening two drives of the half.

Hodges broke free for a 29-yard scamper with 4:19 left in the third quarter, that set up Szarka's second rushing touchdown of the day, taking a two-yard keeper into the blue paint to push the Air Force lead to 27.

Medders' first career rushing touchdown ended the scoring for the Falcons, resulting in a final score of 34-0.

The Falcon defense suffocated a Duquesne offense who led the Northeastern Conference in average points per game (28.4) in 2025, allowing only 106 yards of total offense. The 34-0 final is the first time the Falcons have shutout their week one opponent since defeating Stony Brook 38-0 on Sept. 1, 2018.

With the win, Air Force has won 21 of its last 22 season openers at home; The Falcons improved to 20 consecutive wins in season openers, which stands as the second-longest active streak in the nation, trailing only Ohio State (26); Air Force improved to 30-0 all-time against Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) teams, with all 30 meetings taking place in Falcon Stadium; Head Coach Troy Calhoun improved to 20-0 against the FCS in his Falcon coaching career.

Up Next:
Saturday, Sept. 12, Air Force football takes on North Dakota State at Falcon Stadium. Kickoff is set for 8:00pm MT.

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