Provo, Utah – The trip to LaVell Edwards Stadium turned out to be the Reality Bowl for Air Force, and the truth set in like a hard slap to the face.
With Brigham Young quarterback Max Hall picking apart the Falcons and running back Harvey Unga running right through them, the Cougars made it look as if the new Falcons were the same old thing in the Cougars’ 31-6 victory. Hall’s two touchdown passes, including a 29-yard fourth-down strike to Unga, pushed BYU’s win streak to four against the Falcons.
Hall’s pass to Unga, who finished with 111 yards rushing, on fourth-and-9 at the AFA 29 pulled the Cougars to a 24-0 advantage early in the third quarter. The sophomore went on to complete 23-of-33 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns.
BYU amassed 25 first downs, 452 yards of total offense, and converted 8-of-16 third downs and 2-of-2 fourth downs. Air Force cornerback Carson Bird’s third-quarter interception led to the Falcons’ only touchdown.
“Our coaches are stressing that if we’re always moving forward we can’t look back,” Bird said. “BYU had big, strong running backs, and they were able to break tackles.”
The Cougars were coming off an embarrassing 55-47 loss to Tulsa, and coach Bronco Mendenhall applauded his team’s work ethic after the loss.
“I did feel an increased urgency, from player to player,” Mendenhall said. “I saw many more conversations and many more players willing and anxious to improve and not repeat a night like we had against Tulsa.”
This week the Cougars (2-2) can talk about getting into the thick of things in the Mountain West Conference race after winning their conference opener.
Coach Troy Calhoun and the Falcons (3-1, 2-1) had been riding high with a redesigned offense and defense and a new attitude on the field. The new model seemed to be working with victories over South Carolina State and surprisingly over Utah and Texas Christian in conference play.
But the 25-point loss to the Cougars sent Calhoun back to Colorado Springs in search of some answers. The Falcons finished with a season-low 231 yards of offense.
“I do know we played a very good football team today,” Calhoun said. “It’s a long haul. When something happens you don’t like, you have to have enough stability especially at an academy to bounce back.
“You have to learn from what happened regardless of the outcome especially when you take it in the teeth.”
The Cougars’ defense started it rolling early when safety Quinn Gooch intercepted a Shaun Carney pass at the AFA 44 on the Falcons’ opening drive. From there, it took Hall six plays to claim a 7-0 lead.
Air Force’s only other chance for points in the first half turned into a blocked Ryan Harrison field-goal attempt of 56 yards.
About the only bright spot for the Falcons’ offense was Chad Hall’s 80 yards receiving on six catches.
“The main thing we don’t want to do is let this game affect us next week,” Hall said.
AFA: THE GRADES | By Irv Moss
Offense
D: It’s an understatement to say the offense was inconsistent. Twelve first downs and a deficit of 14:20 in possession time don’t stand up in a shootout.
Defense
D: A look at the third- and fourth-down conversions tell the story. The Cougars were 8-of-16 on third down and 2-for-2 on fourth down.
Special teams
D: A blocked field goal and ineffective punting by Ryan Harrison couldn’t add up to a higher grade. Harrison averaged 35.2 yards on six punts.
Overall
D: There’s nothing like a 25-point loss to ignite questions despite a 3-0 start that included victories over Utah and Texas Christian.
Staff writer Irv Moss can be reached at 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com.
