AIR FORCE ACADEMY — There wasn’t much need for an ice cream man Saturday evening in chilly Falcon Stadium, but TCU quarterback Andy Dalton served up two flavors that were bittersweet for the Air Force Falcons.
With a white uniform barely stained and the wind chill at 9 degrees at kickoff, Dalton led the No. 10 Horned Frogs to a tough 20-17 victory, but not before the Falcons took the outcome down to an onside kick. The crowd was announced at 30,104, but there were plenty of no-shows in the winter conditions.
Dalton mixed timely keepers for 38 yards and some pinpoint passing at crucial times for 198 yards to lead unbeaten TCU (5-0, 1-0 Mountain West) to 23 first downs, 80 offensive plays, 393 total yards and a 7:50 edge in possession time. Dalton spread the ball around to six rushers and eight receivers.
But after appearing to be overmatched in the first period, Air Force (3-3, 2-1) roared back with sophomore quarterback Connor Dietz getting the start over injured Tim Jefferson. Dietz led the Falcons in rushing with 71 yards and completed 6-of-17 passes for 42 yards.
But once again, it was a salty Air Force defense that prompted a possible upset bid with three turnovers — fumble recoveries by Chris Thomas and Reggie Rembert and an interception by linebacker Andre Morris.
“We easily could have scored 35 to 40 points,” TCU coach Gary Patterson said. “We felt like we did a good job today moving the football against a defense that is highly ranked. You can’t turn the ball over in the red zone against good teams and win. We were lucky that we did today.”
Morris’ interception on a tipped pass came in the first period at the AFA 4-yard line. Rembert recovered running back Joseph Turner’s fumble at the Air Force 6 with 9:25 left in the third period.
Dalton made Air Force pay with his feet and arm. With the Falcons recovering from a slow start, the TCU junior pulled the ball down and rammed ahead 15 yards to the Air Force 1. The Horned Frogs scored two plays later to take a 14-0 lead with 3:44 left in the first half. In the first period, on third down at the AFA 27, Dalton connected with receiver Jimmy Young for 24 yards on the way to the game’s first score.
Late in the third quarter, facing fourth-and-2 at the AFA 36, he found Jeremy Kerley for a 17-yard pass play. But TCU lost the ball three plays later on a Turner fumble.
“There were three plays in particular that I thought were big-time plays,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said of Dalton’s performance. “I thought the fourth-down play where he rolled out . . . that’s a seasoned player. They’re incredibly talented. He’s able to take advantages of his resources.”
Added Calhoun: “We gave up quite a few first downs. We gave up a good bit of ground tonight. Our defense is much better when it has to play against fewer snaps.”
While TCU had 393 yards on 80 offensive plays, AFA had 287 yards on 63 plays.
Even with the edge, TCU was on the ropes in the last 3:36 of the game. Thomas’ fumble recovery at the AFA 46 gave the Falcons a chance. Dietz completed the drive with an 8-yard run, and the Falcons trailed by three points with 57 seconds left.
Erik Soderberg, who kicked a 38-yard field goal in the third period and the extra point after Dietz’s touchdown, sent on onside kick to his right, but it was recovered by TCU.
Thanks to a little trickery late in the second quarter, the Falcons were finally able to get in the end zone, getting their first touchdown in 164:41 minutes — or almost 11 quarters. Jonathan Warzeka’s halfback pass found receiver Kevin Fogler wide open to pull within 14-7.
Air Force’s defense, which had been competitive throughout, roughed up Dalton on successive sacks before halftime.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Key stat
One TD in three tries: Air Force forced three turnovers (two fumbles and an interception) but could convert them into only seven points.
Key play
It had been 10 long quarters since Air Force scored a touchdown, but the Falcons finally did so in style, with halfback Jonathan Warzeka getting the ball and tossing a 16-yard pass to Kevin Fogler in the end zone in the second quarter, cutting the TCU lead to 14-7.
Three questions
A look at how Air Force answered Irv Moss’ three questions in Saturday’s game against No. 10 TCU:
1. One of coach Troy Calhoun’s criteria in measuring an offensive performance is first downs. Can the Falcons keep the edge against TCU? No. The Falcons had just one first down in the first half (37 total yards on 12 plays), and the Falcons lost the battle of first downs overall 23-14.
2. Air Force tailbacks Asher Clark and Savier Stephens have almost identical statistics, but will one break out against TCU? Neither had an impressive outing as they combined for just 14 yards on five carries in the first half. Stephens finished with 46 yards, while Clark came in with 35.
3. Will the Falcons go 3-0 in conference play by beating TCU? The loss to TCU put the Falcons at 2-1 in Mountain West play. They next face Wyoming, which has won three in a row, then play at Utah and at Colorado State.
