Air Force Academy – Louie Sakoda’s 37-yard field goal as time expired lifted Utah to a 17-14 victory over Air Force on Saturday night.
The Utes (7-4, 5-2 Mountain West) started the winning drive with 3:55 remaining and drove to the Air Force 20, where Sakoda split the uprights after two Air Force time outs for the Utes’ third straight win.
Air Force (4-6, 3-3) must beat UNLV and TCU on the road to avoid its third consecutive losing season, something that’s never happened in coach Fisher DeBerry’s 23 years at the academy.
Eric Weddle overpowered Air Force on both offense and defense, making several key stops as a defensive back and rushing for two touchdowns for the Utes.
Weddle scored on a 6-yard run that gave the Utes a 7-0 halftime lead and added a 4-yard run with 9:46 left that made it 14-7.
Shaun Carney, who hit Victor Thompson with a 6-yard touchdown toss, scored on a 1-yard keeper with 4:07 remaining to tie it at 14.
