FORT WORTH, Texas — The talk all week in the Air Force camp was about raising the program’s bar of expectations. In the Armed Forces Bowl here Thursday, the Falcons climbed up a few pegs, routing No. 25 Houston 47-20 for their first bowl win in three tries under third-year coach Troy Calhoun.
Air Force was spectacular, dominating all phases of the game. It rushed for 402 yards and intercepted six passes thrown by Houston quarterback Case Keenum, who had thrown only nine all season.
Calhoun had his offense going full tilt, converting three fourth-down tries, two for touchdowns, and successfully pulling off a fake punt that kept alive an 18-play, 75-yard scoring drive that sealed the game early in the fourth period.
“You play to win,” Calhoun said. “I think hands down we lead Division I football in going for it on fourth down. You better be able to live with it, one way or the other.”
When quarterback Tim Jefferson completed that long scoring march, sneaking in from 1 yard out on fourth down, Air Force led 41-20 with 14 minutes left.
“I knew how good this team (Houston) was, but I never thought that we didn’t have a chance,” Jefferson said. “I don’t ever take anything away from our team.
“Houston lined up in the formations we thought they would. I made my reads and our offensive linemen got their blocks. When you get those two things going, the option can be difficult to stop.”
The Falcons, who finished 8-5, lost in this same bowl the previous two years, including 34-28 to Houston a season ago. The Cougars finished 10-4.
This time, AFA’s defense made sure the Falcons weren’t going to be denied, rattling Keenum into the worst performance of his career. The junior finished 24-of-41 for 222 yards and a touchdown, along with the six picks.
“Give Air Force all the credit and I’ll take all the blame,” said Keenum, who had a 78-second postgame statement before walking off without taking questions. “I’m going to learn from this.”
Houston coach Kevin Sumlin said: “Every time something like this happens, you’re always looking for a reason. We weren’t sharp. Air Force created its own breaks. We were outplayed.”
Jefferson was much sharper than his highly touted counterpart, completing 10-of-14 passes for 161 yards to complement an option running game that proved unstoppable. The Falcons chalked up 563 total yards and held the ball for more than 41 minutes.
With fullback Jared Tew and tailback Asher Clark combining for 302 yards and four touchdowns, nine ball carriers shredded Houston’s defense for 402 yards. Clark earned Air Force’s MVP honors with 129 yards and two scores. But even with the muscle, it took a spectacular kickoff return early in the second half to keep the momentum in Air Force’s favor.
With the Falcons leading 24-6, Houston’s Tyron Carrier started the second half with a sensational return of 79 yards, cutting the lead to 24-13. But Air Force’s Jonathan Warzeka answered with a 100-yard return for a touchdown to push the lead back to 18 points.
“Anytime you’re playing a ranked team, they’re going to make plays and land some punches,” Calhoun said. “You have to be able to counterpunch.”
Warzeka acknowledged he ran through Clark’s signal to down the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
“They can put up points in a blink of an eye,” Warzeka said. “I just wanted to get good field position. The next thing I knew, there wasn’t anyone in front of me.”
Air Force’s senior-dominated offensive line allowed the Falcons to do anything they wanted.
“It’s up to seniors to lead the team,” said tackle Chris Campbell, from Waxahachie, Texas. “We knew with their offense if we could keep them off the field, good things would happen.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Key stat
41:03: Air Force’s goal was to control the clock, and that’s exactly what it did. The Falcons’ offense was a first-down machine, preventing Houston from getting the ball and creating a 25-play advantage.
Key play
Air Force kickoff returner Jonathan Warzeka seized the moment early in the third period after Houston’s Tyron Carrier returned the second- half kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown, cutting Air Force’s lead to 24-13. Warzeka returned the following kickoff 100 yards for a score that took the air out of a potential Houston comeback.
