Air Force football coach Fisher DeBerry could think only about what might have been.
Falcons safety Bobby Giannini and cornerback Chris Sutton tried to put their best spin on it. But there wasn’t any way to soften the shock of San Diego State’s 19-12 victory Saturday night at Qualcomm Stadium.
AFA players and coaches were trying to put the pieces back together after their first Mountain West Conference loss of the season and a blown chance of an unbeaten MWC matchup this week against Brigham Young (5-2, 3-0) at Falcon Stadium.
There were a lot of negatives in losing to the Aztecs, who hadn’t won in five previous games and were allowing more than 32 points a game.
Without a team ranked in the national polls, the MWC needed a benchmark, and two unbeaten teams in conference play battling for the lead would have been a natural. BYU did its part, thrashing Nevada-Las Vegas 52-7.
Air Force (3-3, 3-1) was trying to go to 4-0 in league play. But those hopes disappeared when the Aztecs, trailing 12-10, scored nine points in the last two seconds on a 30-yard field goal and a special-teams touchdown.
“We knew BYU was going to be a big game for us anyway,” Sutton said. “We know it’s going to be a battle. We just have to get ready for it.”
DeBerry holds on to thoughts of his team’s big second-half comeback against Colorado State on Oct. 12. The Falcons scored 21 unanswered points to beat the Rams 24-21.
“Against BYU, we have to play four full quarters, as we played in the second half against Colorado State,” DeBerry said.
Giannini wasn’t ready to discard optimism.
“We still have a chance at the conference championship,” Giannini said. “We know this is the ultimate test. But it’s going to be difficult for them to play at our place with our home crowd.”
BYU quarterback John Beck’s credentials give the Cougars the upper hand. Beck has completed 140-of-199 passes (.704) for 1,810 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Air Force’s chances could be determined by its defense’s ability to harass Beck. However, the Falcons didn’t get a single sack of San Diego State freshman quarterback Kevin Craft, who completed 12-of-19 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown. Air Force didn’t fare any better against freshman tailback Atiyya Henderson, who gained 142 yards on 25 carries.
DeBerry hinted the Falcons may have been looking ahead to the matchup with the Cougars.
“It was a disappointing loss because all of us had visions of going into the game against Cougars with them and ourselves being unbeaten and seeing what happens,” DeBerry said. “I’m disappointed that we allowed San Diego State to drive down and kick a (late, winning) field goal after we got the lead.”
However, DeBerry could have put the burden of rising up on his offense. The Falcons faced a fourth down and less than 2 yards to go at the Aztecs’ 21-yard line before Zach Sasser’s 38-yard field goal with 3:06 left. If they had gone for the first down and made the yardage, the Falcons would have been in control of the clock and in good position to score a touchdown.
“I thought about it,” DeBerry said. “I didn’t think about it too long. All we had to do was make a stop and we couldn’t do it.”
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
EYE ON … The Cougars
BRIGHAM YOUNG AT AIR FORCE
Noon, Saturday
For the record: BYU is 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the Mountain West Conference.
Streaking: The Cougars have won four consecutive games for the first time since 2001.
Who’s hot: Senior quarterback John Beck’s efficiency rating has exceeded 200 the past three games. Beck has thrown 11 touchdown passes in those games, including four in the Cougars’ 52-7 rout of UNLV over the weekend.
Who’s not: After committing only 15 penalties during a three-game stretch, BYU was charged with a season-high 12 penalties for 114 yards in the UNLV game.
Key stat: BYU has outscored opponents 75-12 in the first quarter.
FYI: BYU scored a combined 103 points in its past two games against Air Force. This year, the Cougars are averaging 36.1 points per game and allowing 15.9.
Injury report: Linebacker Aaron Wagner (ankle) and running back Fui Vakapuna (ankle) could play.
Coachspeak: “John (Beck) continues to run one of the more high-
powered offenses in the country as if it’s second nature. I think he’s poised and he has his vision not only each week, but also the long term. His goal is a conference championship, and I think he expects to go out there and perform at a very high level each week. It has been fun to watch. Our goals still are out there for us to reach.” – BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall, on the play of his star quarterback and the team’s expectations
IRV MOSS
