Provo, Utah — There wasn’t anything new in the BYU-Air Force game today — and it was the same old story for the Cougars, who rolled to a 31-6 win.
There had been new hope for the Falcons coming into LaVell Edwards Stadium. They were 3-0, 2-0 in the Mountain West Conference, and thinking maybe they could end BYU’s three-game winning streak in the series. The Falcons had been beaten by BYU by an average of 19 points in their past three meetings.
BYU didn’t settle for its normal kicks, thumping the Falcons by 25 points.
Quarterback Max Hall was Air Force’s nemesis all game, but the Falcons also faced a tough ground game, with Harvey Unga racking up the yardage and working the clock. Unga surpassed the 100-yard mark, with 111 yards, while Hall completed 23-of-33 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
Air Force (3-1, 2-1) was the league’s surprise team, with a new offense, new defensive scheme and a new attitude. The Falcons finally put together enough offense late in the third quarter to avoid a shutout. Quarterback Shaun Carney ended a 67-yard march with an 8-yard touchdown run with 3:31 left in the quarter. A two-point conversion try failed, leaving the Cougars ahead 24-6.
But the 18-point margin lasted only 4:41. The Cougars drove 80 yards to open a 31-6 lead with 13:51 left in the game on a 2-yard blast by Unga.
The only play Hall missed came in the second half, when he left the game after getting hit by AFA linebacker Drew Fowler. Otherwise, it was all his game and BYU’s dominance on both sides of the ball.
Hall’s second touchdown pass of the game pummeled the Falcons. Faced with fourth-and-8 at the AFA 28, Hall found Unga running loose down the sidelines and Hall’s strike led Unga into the end zone for a 24-0 lead.
The Cougars were on the verge several times in the first half of making it a runaway game. But the Air Force defense forced a punt and a fumble.
Carney couldn’t get the offense to work in the first 30 minutes. He spent most of the time being chased by BYU blitzes and finished the first half with just seven completioins in 12 attempts for 46 yards.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached on 303 954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
