Knoxville, Tenn. – With a splash of blue barely visible in an otherwise sea of orange Saturday night in Neyland Stadium, the Air Force Falcons almost turned the color scheme to their advantage with a late fourth-quarter rally that fell short by a two-point conversion.
Playing the 11th-ranked and heavily favored Tennessee Volunteers before a crowd of 105,466, the Falcons fashioned two touchdown drives in the final 6:35.
Quarterback Shaun Carney led the Falcons 58 yards in six plays on the final drive, cutting the deficit to 31-30 with 1:35 remaining.
That proved to be the final score as coach Fisher DeBerry opted for a two-point conversion and the win instead of the extra point and a tie to force overtime.
Tennessee defensive end Xavier Mitchell stormed across the line of scrimmage and dropped Air Force halfback Chad Hall well short of the goal line.
“We didn’t come here to lose,” DeBerry said. “My team fought their guts out tonight. They never quit. Losing this game hurts, but we made a statement.”
Vols coach Phillip Fulmer agreed.
“They came in here to win the game and didn’t want to play overtime,” Fulmer said. “When you’re the underdog, sometimes that’s the best thing to do. The clock was in their favor and it was their call. I’m glad they went for it and glad they didn’t get it.”
When a second onside kick went to the Vols at the 43-yard line, Air Force’s upset bid was over and Tennessee escaped with the win.
Everyone expected Tennessee’s touted offense to have a big advantage over Air Force, and quarterback Erik Ainge made it seem huge most of the way.
While Ainge’s pinpoint passing behind a protective offensive line finally proved superior, Carney didn’t play second fiddle by much.
After Julian Madrid intercepted Ainge on what could have been a clinching drive midway through the fourth quarter, Carney took the Falcons on a 78-yard touchdown drive. Fullback Ryan Williams slashed into the end zone from the 3 and Zach Sasser’s extra-point kick cut Tennessee’s lead to 31-24.
The Falcons then executed a successful onside kick with Daniel Hill recovering at the 42-yard line. Carney’s third-down, 24-yard pass to halfback Justin Handley put the Falcons at Tennessee’s 31-yard line with 1:53 remaining. Vols cornerback Inquoris Johnson was injured on the play and left the field on a stretcher. Two plays later, Carney hit wideout Spencer Armstrong for another 24-yard gain to the 1, and Williams went the final yard to make it 31-30.
The Vols opened a 14-point lead – seemingly a safe advantage – on Ainge’s 5-yard TD pass to Robert Meachem on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Tennessee’s offensive power rendered the AFA defense helpless in the third quarter. The Vols drove 99 yards on 11 plays to open the half. The Falcons even got a break when Tennessee’s Demetrice Morley touched down at the 1-yard line while returning the kickoff. But the Vols took a deep breath and marched down almost unopposed for a 24-10 lead.
During one stretch of the third period, Ainge completed 15 straight passes. He finished 24 of 29 for 333 yards and three touchdowns.
The third period turned wild when the Falcons responded to Tennessee’s 99-yard drive by mounting a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive of their own, fueled by the running of Williams. Carney’s 1-yard dive to end the drive triggered controversy when the Vols thought he fumbled. But after a challenge, the play stood and the Falcons trailed 24-17 with 6:14 left in the quarter.
AFA report card
Offense
A – Compiling 408 yards against Tennessee was plenty. The Falcons drove 72 yards in 10 plays for the first score of the game.
Defense
D – Allowing the Vols scoring drives of 16 plays, 11 plays and 12 plays doesn’t get it done. Nine of 11 third-down conversions told the story for Tennessee.
Special teams
B – Air Force had the only two punts of the game, with Chris Carp averaging 32 yards, and the Falxons also recovered an onside kick. A successful two-point conversion would have given it an A-plus.
Overall
B – The performance against the 11th-ranked team in the nation was just shy of an A. Air Force’s report card was a plus for the first grading period.
Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
