Air Force Academy – Quarterback Shaun Carney said the Air Force offense had played “terrible” through the first three quarters Thursday night, and it looked like his team’s storybook season was going to have a bad early chapter.
But everything seemed to come together to rescue the Falcons, who didn’t waste a strong defensive performance that kept them in the game.
“We finally showed up,” Carney said. “Our defense played outstanding. We had penalties. I missed throws. We finally said with about 13 minutes to go that we had to do something.”
The Falcons scored the game’s last 17 points to defeat Texas Christian 20-17 in overtime.
Coach Troy Calhoun joined the critique of the offense.
“We had too many mistakes on offense,” Calhoun said. “Field position was a big part of the game. When we were down 17-3, I never saw a change in energy on either side of the ball.”
“I feel like our conditioning paid off,” Carney said. “Our offensive line wasn’t tired. Our running backs weren’t tired. Our conditioning is paying off.”
Long wait
Tailback Jim Ollis had his opportunity after missing most of the preseason practice with an ankle injury. He didn’t play against South Carolina State and had only a few plays Saturday against Utah. He finished with 138 yards on 16 carries Thursday.
“Getting to play at that point (senior year) makes it a little sweeter,” Ollis said. “But I don’t care who gets to go out there as long as we win.”
Defensive end Jake Paulson had the answer for the defensive-offensive combination performance.
“We have faith in them, and they have faith in us,” Paulson said.
