ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The words from Air Force linebacker Justin Moore could barely be heard, but they came through loud and clear in describing what happened Saturday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium.
All 37,820 fans would have to agree with Moore.
“Navy knows how to finish games better than we do,” Moore said after Navy kicker Joe Buckley’s 38-yard field goal boosted the Midshipmen to a 16-13 overtime victory.
The reason Moore talked so softly was he and his teammates had just suffered their seventh consecutive loss to Navy and elimination from contention to win the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy for the same number of years. When it came time to match Buckley’s three points and keep the overtime moving, Air Force’s Erik Soderberg’s attempt at a 31-yard field goal was wide left.
Navy not only knew how to finish the game on Buckley’s kick, its defensive unit stepped up in overtime to wrestle the momentum back from the Falcons. Needing a touchdown to win, Air Force coach Troy Calhoun turned gambler on a fourth-and-1 play at the Navy 16 in the overtime.
“We were trying to win the game at that point,” Calhoun said. “We came here to win the football game. We did not do it. Physically, that was an extraordinary football game.”
The Falcons made the first down, but four plays later Soderberg’s final try came with the Falcons facing fourth-and-10 at the 14.
“It felt pretty solid,” Soderberg said. “It felt good. I looked up and it started to veer off to the left. I just pulled it.”
While the Falcons were subdued at the outcome, the victory touched off a loud response from the Midshipmen and their followers. “Beat Army” was the call, and if Navy beats Army on Dec. 12 in Philadelphia, the Midshipmen will set a record in the trophy series with seven in a row.
“Anytime there’s seven in a row, there’s a difference in the programs,” Calhoun said. “The only way you can change is through assertion. They probably occupied the ball in terms of time of possession in the first half.”
Calhoun pointed to a costly fourth-quarter turnover by the Falcons and five penalties for 50 yards in the first half as key factors.
“I’m on cloud nine right now,” Buckley said. “Doing something like that is a dream come true.”
The Navy junior had plenty to dream about. He also had field goals of 47 yards, the longest of his career, with eight seconds left in the first half for a 10-7 lead and 37 yards early in the fourth quarter for a 13-10 lead.
Air Force’s defense gave quarterback Ricky Dobbs and the Navy offense all it wanted. Defensive back Anthony Wright intercepted a Dobbs pass and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown to tie the score 7-7 with 5:33 left in the second quarter. However, Dobbs was a big factor early with a 13-yard run for the game’s only offensive touchdown with 8:55 left in the first quarter. The Navy junior finished with 92 yards on the ground and a touchdown and 3-of-4 passing for 36 yards.
The big factor for Navy was a 7:40 advantage in possession time and three conversions on fourth-down plays, including one that led to Dobbs’ touchdown.
But Air Force’s offense wasn’t in the same league, stretching the string of quarters without an offensive touchdown to nine. Quarterback Tim Jefferson was out of the game for part of the second half when he reinjured his right ankle but returned for overtime. The Air Force sophomore completed 6-of-14 passes with one interception and rushed for 34 yards.
“We had second and third lives,” Calhoun said. “You can’t rely on multiple lives. If you’re going to win football games over the long haul, you have to score touchdowns. It’s going to be every bit as tough next week, if not more so.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Three questions
A look at how Air Force answered three questions in Saturday’s game at Navy:
Which team will win the battle of third-down conversions and how will it affect the outcome of the game? Third down wasn’t as big a factor as Navy converting all three of its fourth-down tries, leading to 10 points.
Will the Air Force defense continue to chalk up the advantage in turnover margin? The Falcons and Midshipmen came out even on turnovers, each committing two.
AFA quarterback Tim Jefferson and Navy QB Ricky Dobbs played against each other in high school, leaving the question of who would have the upper hand in their first meeting in college? It was Dobbs again. His team beat Jefferson’s team twice in football in high school.
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
Key play
Roughing-the-passer penalty on Navy linebacker Tony Haberer to nullify Wyatt Middleton’s interception, giving Air Force a first down at the Navy 29 late in the fourth quarter. Three plays later, Erik Soderberg kicked a 39-yard field goal with no time left to send the game into overtime, 13-13.
Key stat
183: Net yards rushing for Air Force, which entered the game leading the nation with an average of 319 per game. John Henderson, The Denver Post
