Fort Collins – Just when Air Force reached the point in its schedule when bragging rights are important, it was time to stop talking. The Falcons got clobbered by Colorado State on Thursday night 41-23 at Hughes Stadium.
From coach Fisher DeBerry to quarterback Shaun Carney to halfback Chad Hall, the thought on everyone’s mind was there had to be a victory at the end of next week’s road trip to Annapolis, Md., to play Navy. If the Falcons can’t end Navy’s two-game winning streak, their season could be without rewards. And the way Colorado State handled its Front Range rival, there wasn’t any indication Air Force could beat Navy.
“We have to quit talking about it and do it,” said Hall, who rushed for 107 yards. “It’s a must-game for us.”
For the Falcons, who have struggled to three straight losses in Mountain West Conference play, the chance to recover the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy has become crucial. A loss to Navy would keep the trophy at either Army or Navy, which has won the service academy prize the past two years.
Carney was quiet after completing only 9-of-18 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown, but he coughed up an errant pitch in the first quarter that led to a 7-0 CSU lead.
“We need people to step up,” Carney said. “I’m dying to be one of those guys. We have to stop and look each other in the eye and start playing. Something has to change.”
DeBerry left little doubt Air Force has reached the point of no return. After losing close conference games to Wyoming and Utah, Thursday’s loss left the Falcons 1-3 in league play, out of the running for title consideration.
“It’s an important game because (the trophy) is the No. 1 goal in our program,” DeBerry said.
There was little need to ignore the obvious from the thrashing by CSU. “They beat us,” Carney said.
“I’ve always said the key to CSU football has been their offensive line,” DeBerry said. “This is the first time this year that we’ve been knocked off the ball at the line of scrimmage.”
The Rams put together a 10-play, 88-yard drive that took just 58 seconds as quarterback Justin Holland shredded Air Force’s defense.
“We got outplayed on the line,” defensive end Erik Anderson said. “We couldn’t stop them.”
DeBerry tried to guard against doubts, but they are creeping in.
“I’m not going to comment about any of our players or any changes we might make until I have looked at the films,” DeBerry said. “We’ll look at some things, but we’ll never make a decision after a game.”
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
