AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Because Wyoming lost and failed to put any points on the board, the Cowboys’ offense accepted blame for Saturday’s woeful performance at Falcon Stadium.
“Disappointed and ashamed,” Wyoming quarterback Austyn Carta- Samuels said after Air Force’s ragged 10-0 victory. “We need to fix a lot of things. It’s embarrassing to come off the field over and over and over again when you know the 11 guys on the other side of the ball are taking care of business.”
Wyoming’s defense allowed only 269 yards, including just 2 through the air. But the Cowboys amassed just 174 yards and continually went backward because of penalties. They committed 10 infractions for 71 yards.
“Mental errors, mental mistakes, penalties — they were killing us all game,” Wyoming running back Brandon Stewart said. “We would come close to scoring range and have a penalty here, personal foul there, and it was just eating us up. I just think it was a lack of focus.”
Said Cowboys coach Dave Christensen, “Absolutely awful job on my part of preparing our kids.”
Wyoming’s longest drive went 50 yards and resulted in a blocked field goal to end the first half. The Cowboys got into Air Force’s end four other times, but those drives ended on an interception, two punts and a failed fourth-down conversion.
Wyoming was 4-of-16 on third- down conversions, and Air Force’s defense sacked Carta-Samuels six times, many of those in third- and-long, late-game situations, and limited him to 74 yards passing.
Field position also hurt the Cowboys, who had produced at least 30 points in their past three games. Three of their 11 drives started inside their 10-yard line and two others at their 20.
Air Force’s two scoring drives went 32 and 67 yards.
“I thought we did a pretty good job of shutting them down,” Wyoming defensive lineman John Fletcher said. “We just have to take the positives out of this and go on.”
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
