SOUTH BEND, IND. — Misery may love company, but once-downtrodden Air Force wasn’t about to return down that path with Notre Dame as the Falcons handed the Irish their ninth loss of the season.
Powered by Chad Hall’s 142 yards rushing on 32 carries, and Shaun Carney’s two touchdown passes in the third quarter, the Falcons never trailed Saturday and left Notre Dame Stadium with a 41-24 victory. It was only Air Force’s sixth win over the Irish in 28 games, but the 17-point margin of victory was the biggest for the Falcons in the series.
The Falcons (8-3) have distanced themselves from the memory of three consecutive losing seasons and continue their turnaround in the first year under coach Troy Calhoun.
“I really never felt threatened,” Carney said. “At the end of the game, we got a little worried because they started making plays. Coming off the sideline after our last touchdown, we knew it was over. It was a special game for us.
“Hopefully we were able to solidify a spot in a bowl game. I hope someone realizes we have a special team and a bunch of special players. It would great for the country to see us play in a bowl game.”
The Falcons’ regular-season finale is Saturday against San Diego State with a chance to become only the 10th team in Air Force’s 51-year history to win as many as nine games.
Carney scored the touchdown that iced the game with 1:55 left. Just over two minutes earlier, Notre Dame freshman quarterback Jimmy Clausen was stopped short on a fourth-down run at the Irish’s 25-yard line by nose guard Jared Marvin and safety Bobby Giannini. The Falcons were up to the occasion defensively all game, sacking Clausen six times and holding Notre Dame’s running game to 58 yards.
Air Force outside linebacker John Rabold also scored, returning a fumble 19 yards for a 10-0 lead with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.
Carney completed 10-of-16 passes overall for 120 yards and the two touchdowns and kept the Irish defense guessing. Hall fueled the Air Force running game, and receiver Spencer Armstrong scored on an 8-yard reverse for a 17-10 halftime lead.
Hall added 99 yards on three kickoff returns, including a 52-yard, momentum-building return to the Notre Dame 33 after the Irish had cut Air Force’s lead to 31-17. The long return led to a 37-yard Ryan Harrison field goal, providing a 17-point margin with 10:07 left in the game. Harrison’s 19-yard field goal put the Falcons ahead 3-0 after Notre Dame tight end John Carlson fumbled the ball away on the game’s first play. Giannini forced the fumble, and safety Chris Thomas recovered at the Notre Dame 30.
“Air Force had too much firepower for us, especially in the running game,” said Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis, whose team fell to 1-9. “They did a good job spreading us out, and they played well in space.”
The Irish lost to Navy 46-44 in triple overtime last weekend. Weis said the big difference Saturday was Carney operating out of the shotgun at times.
“They had some of that read option element when they’re in the shotgun versus what we saw last week,” Weis said.
For Calhoun, it was a special game in his season of turning around the Air Force program.
“There’s still plenty of football to be played, I’d like to think,” Calhoun said. “This is a quality win – yes, sir, absolutely.”
Calhoun noted the Irish scored two of their touchdowns on a short field, one when he called a fourth-down gamble that failed at midfield. Clausen took the Irish 50 yards in eight plays, helped by a roughing the passer penalty, to tie the score at 10 with 2:32 left in the first half.
The Irish cut Air Force’s lead to 31-17 early in the fourth quarter on Clausen’s 21-yard pass to receiver David Grimes after Harrison’s sky kick gave Notre Dame possession at its 43.
But Calhoun also credited his team with keeping the momentum with a gutsy 67-yard scoring drive to open the third quarter. Carney ended the drive with a 7-yard scoring pass to receiver Sean Quintana and the Falcons led 24-10.
Guessing game
The Falcons’ offense didn’t rely solely on Chad Hall and kept the Notre Dame offense guessing. A look at their offensive display:
1. Quarterback Sean Carney, who worked out of the shotgun at times, threw two short touchdowns passes and also ran for one.
2. Seldom-used receiver Spencer Armstrong (two catches this season) scored on an 8-yard reverse in the second quarter. It was his first carry of the season.
3. Hall ran for 142 yards and had 272 all-purpose yards but did not get in the end zone for the first time in the past seven games.
The Grades | By Irv Moss
OFFENSE
A: Total offense of 405 yards, 15 first downs rushing and an 8:12 advantage in possession time.
DEFENSE
A: Held the Fighting Irish to 58 yards rushing, had a touchdown on a fumble return and six quarterback sacks, and forced a fumble on the first play of the game – cheers for everyone.
SPECIAL TEAMS
A: A 52-yard kickoff return by Chad Hall, field goals of 19 and 37 by Ryan Harrison and Harrison’s average of 44.8 yards on four punts – not even a grumpy old teacher could give anything less.
OVERALL
A: This wasn’t just a victory over Notre Dame.The 17-point margin of victory was Air Force’s largest in the series.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
