Air Force Academy – The giant splash made Saturday night by the Utah Utes at Falcon Stadium was big and loud enough that it caused a ripple effect sure to be felt over the next two weeks.
Utah jumped firmly into the postseason bowl picture when Louie Sakoda kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired, lifting the Utes to a 17-14 victory over Air Force. The decisive kick put an end to a furious fourth-quarter comeback by the Falcons, whose future is nothing more than a ripple in a season that once held great promise.
The victory pushed the Utes to seven wins for the season, the seemingly magic number for serious bowl consideration in the Mountain West Conference. The loss left Air Force (4-6, 3-3) in need of closing road victories over Nevada-Las Vegas and Texas Christian just to reach .500, the minimum for postseason eligibility.
Tom Starr, director of the Dec. 23 Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas, created one of the ripples. Starr said Saturday’s winner at Falcon Stadium had a leg up in the race for his bowl, but there are decisions ahead.
“We’ll wait until the last game to make a decision,” Starr said of Air Force’s Dec. 2 game at TCU.
Utah quarterback Brett Ratliff was 24-of-38 passing for 236 yards and Eric Weddle had 73 yards on 12 carries to pile up too much offense on the Falcons. But the MWC game came down to the Utes’ 13-play, 60-yard drive in the last 4:07 that led to Sakoda’s winning field goal.
“I’ve been working to be mentally prepared for these situation,” said Sakoda, a sophomore from San Jose, Calif. “That last little push made me think it was just a chip shot.”
Ratliff said the guessing game with the Air Force defense was the difference.
“They seemed to be in a coverage scheme,” Ratliff said. “A sack anywhere in there would have been a real problem for us.”
AFA linebacker Drew Fowler said the scheme at the end called for some blitzes, but the Falcons’ defenders couldn’t work free from the Utes’ protection.
“This game had the most intensity that I’ve seen all year for Air Force,” AFA quarterback Shaun Carney said. “Both teams wanted it pretty badly. It came down to who had the ball last.”
That was the end result, but the Utes (7-4, 5-2) also had the upper hand through most of the game. Their defensive effort, led by 15 tackles from linebacker Joe Jianonni, stuffed Air Force’s running game for just 116 yards rushing, the lowest total for the Falcons since they had 104 yards against Notre Dame in 2004.
“This is the best we ever played against them,” Weddle said. “To hold them to 116 yards is unbelievable.”
Carney tried to rally the Falcons with strong second-half passing, especially in the fourth quarter. Overall, he completed 16-of-22 passes for 218 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for a touchdown. But a 14-point fourth quarter was too little too late to offset the first three quarters when the Falcons stumbled and seemed to be asleep.
Air Force’s offense woke up at the start of the fourth quarter. The Falcons drove 67 yards in six plays, capped by a 6-yard, third-down pass from Carney to receiver Victor Thompson to tie the game 7-7 with 12:13 to play.
But the the Utes answered with Weddle, a transfer from the defensive unit used from the shotgun and running straight ahead, and quarterback Ratliff taking the Utes 63 yards in five plays for a 14-7 lead. Weddle scored on a 4-yard smash up the middle with 9:46 left.
With their season slipping away, the Falcons stormed back to tie the score 14-14 on Carney’s 1-yard TD run to the right side. Air Force took 14 plays to drive 80 yards for the tying score with 4:07 left in the game.
Zach Sasser missed field-goal attempts of 35 and 34 yards in the second quarter, the closest thing to early points for the Falcons. His 37-yard punt after Air Force’s second possession put the Utes at the Air Force 48-yard line. The Utes scored eight plays later for a 7-0 lead when Weddle went in from 6 yards out.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
THE GRADES
Offense
D
Air Force’s game plan at Falcon Stadium was to take the ball and put the Utes on their heels, but the Falcons ran just six plays in their first two possessions. For a team that touts its offense, it’s worth noting that Air Force has been held scoreless three times this season in the first half.
Defense
C
Air Force kept Utah’s big plays to a minimum. But late in the fourth quarter with the score 14-14, Utah drove 60 yards on 13 plays to win the Mountain West Conference game, which ended on Louie Sakoda’s 37-yard field goal for the Utes.
Special teams
F
Two missed field goals by the Falcons were bad enough in a game of this significance. But a low kickoff – after Air Force had tied the score 7-7 – was returned to Utah’s 37-yard line, and the Utes quickly scored in five plays for a 14-7 lead.
Overall
D
This was the season for the Falcons. There was a chance for them to even their record at 5-5 and take a big step toward postseason play. But the performance on the field, though full of effort, fell short of what Air Force needed.
IRV MOSS
