AIR FORCE ACADEMY — A beautiful day and lousy football developed today at Falcon Stadium.
Good defense was disguised by fundamental offensive miscues on both sides. Offside and personal-foul penalties dominated the day, with Air Force and Wyoming combining for 12 penalties and 115 yards in the scoreless first half.
But the Falcons, who had only 2 passing yards, dominated field position in the second half and triumphed 10-0 in a Mountain West Conference game.
Erik Soderberg made a 29-yard field goal late in the third quarter and Jared Tew scored on a 17-yard run on Air Force’s ensuing possession. It was the Falcons’ first shutout over a conference opponent since beating Colorado State 24-0 in 1997.
Air Force improved to 4-3 overall, 3-1 in conference; Wyoming fell to 4-3, 2-1.
Wyoming freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels completed 12-of-31 passes for 74 yards. The Cowboys accumulated just 174 yards.
Air Force, which produced 267 yards on the ground, finally produced points on short drives after continually pinning Wyoming deep in its end in the second half.
Early on, Air Force failed to capitalize on the game’s first turnover. Luke Hyder intercepted a Carta-Samuels pass and made a 27-yard return to the Wyoming 48. But a personal foul call on the Falcons brought it back to the Air Force 27.
Still, the Falcons produced their best drive of the game, driving to the 2-yard line before a pass to the corner on a fourth-and-goal situation fell incomplete.
Wyoming’s best drive ended as time expired in the first half, when Ian Watts’ 47-yard field goal was blocked.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
