Albuquerque – It wasn’t quite like a last laugh, but at least a beleaguered Air Force football team has a smile to get through the winter after stepping up with its best game of the season Saturday and averting the worst record in coach Fisher DeBerry’s 22 years at the helm.
Using a daring, no-huddle game plan, the Falcons never trailed in a 42-24 victory over New Mexico before 33,791 fans at University Stadium. The Falcons finished with 464 yards, led by quarterback Shaun Carney’s total of 280.
The sophomore passed for 186 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown as the Falcons completed their 50th varsity season with a 4-7 record (3-5 Mountain West).
Carney’s performance was supported by fullbacks Jacobe Kendrick and Ryan Williams, who combined for 130 yards rushing and three touchdowns in what DeBerry called a “masterfully constructed offensive game plan.”
While the AFA offense played without committing a turnover for the first time this year, it may have been the Falcons’ defense that turned the tide. While clinging to a 21-16 lead early in the fourth quarter, AFA defenders Nelson Mitchell, Drew Fowler and Josh Clayton stopped New Mexico running back DonTrell Moore short of a first down on successive running plays with a yard to go at the Falcons’ 28. Air Force took over and drove 73 yards in 10 plays for a clinching touchdown, Kendrick’s second of the game, and a 28-16 lead.
“When they didn’t get that first down, it turned the whole game around,” AFA linebacker Overton Spence said. “Whenever you get a big stop or turnover like that, it’s a big momentum change in the game. We had two big interceptions and those plays had a lot to do with the victory today. You have to play good defense to win.”
Air Force, which started the season 2-0, broke a three-game losing streak. New Mexico fell to 6-5 (4-4 MWC).
“A lot of teams would have punched it in,” DeBerry said. “But I know our players won’t quit. Our focus was that we saved the best for last. To win their last game should give them great motivation going into the offseason and a great belief in themselves. The last one is always the one you remember the most.”
Said senior wide receiver Jason Brown, who had five catches for 94 yards: “All year long we knew we could play well and we finally did. It felt really good.”
Added senior wideout Greg Kirkwood: “It has been an up and down season. It took us all the way to Game 11 before we finally put everything together. Looking back, we should have done that every week.”
If the Falcons had lost Saturday, they would have been DeBerry’s first team to win fewer than four games.
“We’ve had our day. We lost four games by a total of 10 points,” DeBerry said. “You keep trying to get me to say that we haven’t had a good effort all year. I dispute that. Our players have played their butts off all year. It came to fruition today.”
New Mexico coach Rocky Long said he told his bowl-eligible team “that we played poorly and we didn’t deserve to win. I thought Air Force executed better than we did. Toward the end, I thought we gave in a little bit on defense.”
New Mexico’s chances were hurt when starting quarterback Chris Nelson left the game midway through the fourth quarter with an injured shoulder. Backup Bryan Clampitt completed 11-of-17 passes for 129 yards and a TD. But it wasn’t enough to rescue the Lobos, who wasted 143 yards rushing from Moore, the MWC’s all-time leading rusher.
New Mexico linebacker Mike Mohoric, who made 20 tackles, wouldn’t credit the AFA no-huddle offense as being a factor.
“It was a little wrinkle, but we expect everything going into a game against these guys,” Mohoric said. “We were all communicating and on the same page. I don’t know what happened.”
The Falcons converted seven- of-15 times on third down.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-820-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
