AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Either way, Bobby Giannini’s 85-yard touchdown return of a Wyoming fumble would be the turning point of the Mountain West Conference game.
The play could stand, giving Air Force a 14-9 lead in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Or the play could be reversed after review and running back Wynel Seldon would be ruled down at the 15-yard line to keep Wyoming in field-goal range or possibly in position to gamble on fourth down. And, more important, keep the Cowboys’ 9-7 lead at Falcon Stadium intact.
Giannini, who also forced the fumble, ran out the play just in case.
“It was kind of a strange play,” said Giannini, a senior safety. “I took off right away. There wasn’t anything going on. I looked back and saw only Drew (Air Force linebacker Drew Fowler) chasing me. I just made sure I crossed the goal line just in case. It may have been the slowest touchdown in history, but it still counted.”
The Falcons had some anxious moments as the play was reviewed. In the third quarter, Air Force cornerback Carson Bird returned a fumble by Wyoming quarterback Karsten Sween 42 yards for an apparent touchdown. But that play was challenged and reversed because Sween’s knee was judged down.
“We had a lot of close plays,” Wyoming coach Joe Glenn said after the Falcons won 20-12. “That’s why we have the challenge. We might as well use it.”
Giannini lost his starting job earlier in the season but regained it over the past couple of weeks and delivered a big performance against the Cowboys.
In addition to his fumble return for a touchdown Saturday, Giannini led the Falcons in tackles with 15. And he forced two fumbles.
Bowl business. Weldon Donaldson, representing the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego, attended Saturday’s game and said his Dec. 20 bowl game would continue to follow the Air Force-Wyoming winner.
Donaldson said there is interest in his bowl game staging a rematch between the Falcons (6-2) and Navy.
“We haven’t talked to the Navy coach (Paul Johnson), but it would be up to him to agree to a rematch,” Donaldson said. “We would be interested in that game if both Navy and Air Force stay on our list. We’d have a team from the East and a team from the West and we have a lot of military and retired military in the San Diego area.”
Navy beat Air Force 31-20 three weeks ago in Annapolis, Md.
Injury report. Tailback Kip McCarthy (knee), nose guard Jared Marvin (knee) and quarterback Shaun Carney (heel) are questionable for Thursday’s game at New Mexico.
