Air Force Academy – The name Bramlet was stamped on the backside of the Air Force football team again Saturday in Falcon Stadium.
With the Falcons nursing a 6-point lead, Wyoming quarterback Corey Bramlet completed three passes and then smashed over the middle of the line for the final yard and the tying touchdown with 1 minute, 25 seconds left, and kicker Deric Yaussi’s extra point produced a 29-28 victory for the Cowboys in a thrill-packed Mountain West Conference game before 41,240.
Wyoming’s decisive drive covered 65 yards on six plays, after Air Force took a 28-22 lead with 3:27 left on Shaun Carney’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Jason Brown.
The longtime Front Range rivals traded the upper hand throughout, and the outcome wasn’t decided until Wyoming junior safety John Wendling intercepted Carney with 48 seconds remaining to end AFA’s chances at a winning field goal.
Carney put his right arm into the game on five of six plays on the Falcons’ final possession, which started at the AFA 20 after Bramlet scored. The sophomore quarterback completed a 15-yard, fourth-down pass to Brown to keep AFA hopes alive before the turnover, and finished 4-of-12 for 53 yards and two interceptions.
“Everybody had a hand in it, special teams, defense, everybody,” Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said of his Cowboys, who improved to 2-1 overall and 1-0 in the MWC. “Both teams fought so darn hard, but Air Force couldn’t win over a tough and gritty Wyoming team today. Corey really was slick on that last drive.”
Bramlet was Air Force’s nemesis when it counted, bringing the Cowboys from behind twice. Overall, the Falcons didn’t play the type of game needed to derail the Wyoming senior, who completed 19-of-29 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. His 63-yard scoring pass to Jovon Bouknight late in the first quarter erased Air Force’s 7-0 lead and set up a chess match the rest of the way.
The Cowboys’ 65-yard drive at the end was enough to overtake the mistake- plagued Falcons (2-1, 1-1). Air Force plays defending MWC champion Utah on Thursday night in Salt Lake City, while Wyoming plays Saturday at Ole Miss.
Yaussi, a senior from Poudre High School, led the contribution of the Cowboys’ special teams with field goals of 30, 50 and 23 yards. Wyoming’s defense collected three Air Force turnovers, and Bramlet converted the mistakes into nine points.
While the AFA defense had its moments, forcing the three field goals by Yaussi, the Falcons’ special teams didn’t keep up.
Donny Heaton’s 16-yard punt just before halftime led to Yaussi’s 50-yard field goal. A high snap on Scott Eberle’s point-after attempt with 3:27 to play stymied the kick and left the Falcons holding only a six-point lead at 28-22.
“Am I disappointed? Very much so. It was a game we should have won,” AFA coach Fisher DeBerry said. “But you have to make plays all the way through the game. We talked about our kicking game being more consistent and it came back to haunt us today.”
After the Carney-to-Brown touchdown pass gave the Falcons a late lead, Robert O’Dea’s kickoff was subpar, allowing the Cowboys to start their decisive drive at their 35 after Devin Moore’s 24-yard return.
“We were able to come into the opposing team’s backyard and put a drive together at the end,” Bramlet said. “That showed the maturity of our offense and our team right now. We kept on fighting and we got one.”
Bramlet said he talked to older brother Casey, who had some thrilling moments against the Falcons as a Wyoming quarterback, before Saturday’s game. Now the brothers have combined to win three of the past four games against the Falcons.
“He told me it was the last time I’d be here and to make it memorable,” Bramlet said.
The Falcons played in spurts, but a 15-point salvo late in the third quarter and into the fourth seemed to put them in charge. With fullback Jacobe Kendrick pounding the middle and wide receiver Greg Kirkwood gaining 18 yards on a reverse, the Falcons drove 80 yards on 13 consecutive running plays to pull within 16-14.
In the fourth quarter, the Falcons converted Wynel Seldon’s fumble into a 39-yard scoring drive, capped by Chad Hall’s 16- yard TD run with 14:40 to play. Lineman Robert Kraay’s lateral run for a two-point conversion gave the Falcons a 22-16 lead.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
