AIR FORCE ACADEMY — A goodbye kiss.
The Air Force Falcons puckered up and planted a smooch on the cheek of their biggest tormentor Saturday, sending Mountain West Conference power Brigham Young into next season’s independent status with memories of an unpleasant visit to the Rampart Range.
With junior quarterback Tim Jefferson playing his best game at Air Force, the Falcons put a 35-14 haymaker on the Cougars in the teams’ final MWC meeting, which attracted a sellout crowd of 46,692 to Falcon Stadium.
On an emotional day with ceremonies throughout to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the Falcons (2-0) added their own drama on the field. They pounded the Cougars with 409 yards rushing.
“Let’s just say that we feel we sent them off on the right note,” said Jefferson, not claiming it was a kiss.
With the Cougars leaving the MWC, the Falcons won’t be playing them again in football in the foreseeable future. Even with a satisfying victory, the Falcons still trail in the series 24-7.
But the Falcons were only thinking of this day.
“This was a good one, a very good one,” coach Troy Calhoun said. “We missed some opportunities, but our defense was absolutely special.”
Facing the Cougars’ touted quarterback duo of junior Riley Nelson and freshman Jake Heaps, Air Force didn’t allow a point after the 2:29 mark of the first quarter. The Falcons gained three turnovers, two on fumbles, while limiting the high-powered Cougars (1-1) to 103 total yards in the second half.
Air Force’s defense was so effective, BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall stopped alternating his quarterbacks and stayed with Nelson through most of the second half.
“Air Force’s execution overall in Week 2 of the season was superior to ours,” Mendenhall said. “They played assignment football and they played hard. At the critical moments, Air Force made the plays.”
A fumble recovery by AFA linebacker Patrick Hennessey in the end zone during the first quarter halted a BYU threat and resulted in a touchback.
Jefferson was a cool customer in the pilot’s seat of the Air Force offense. The Falcons broke away from a 14-14 tie at the 9:42 mark of the second quarter and scored 21 unanswered points. They got the upper hand with big plays on reverses, a 33-yard run by receiver Mikel Hunter and a 46-yard gallop on fourth down by receiver Jonathan Warzeka.
The Falcons had a fourth-and-2 situation at BYU’s 46-yard line late in the third quarter. A pitch to the right sent Warzeka down the sideline for a touchdown and a 28-14 lead with 2:24 left in the quarter.
Calhoun didn’t call the fourth-down gamble the turning point of the game, but he noted it was time to make something happen.
“We felt like we had to make a statement at that point,” Warzeka said.
“I think the whole offense knew we were going,” Jefferson said. “We knew if we got it, it would be a defensive morale killer for them.”
Hunter scored Air Force’s first touchdown. He was wide open on a 37-yard pass from Jefferson that tied the game 7-7 with 8:34 left in the first quarter.
Air Force’s offense finished with 477 total yards and a 36:59 to 23:01 advantage in time of possession.
Junior tailback Asher Clark gained 121 of the Falcons’ 409 yards rushing. Air Force averaged 6.3 yards per rush and 6.1 yards per offensive play.
“I knew their players were going to be bigger than us,” Clark said. “My mind-set was to just run hard and break as many tackles as I could.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Key stat
126: After the Cougars amassed 183 yards and 14 points in the first quarter, they had just 126 yards and zero points the rest of the game.
Key play
Leading 21-14 late in the third quarter, Air Force went for it on fourth-and-2 at BYU’s 46. Jonathan Warzeka took a pitch from QB Tim Jefferson and ran nearly untouched to the end zone, doubling the Falcons’ lead.
Three questions
A look at how Air Force answered Irv Moss’ three questions going into Saturday’s home game against BYU:
Will a patched-up secondary be able to match up against BYU’s high-powered offense? The Falcons limited the Cougars to 88 yards and five first downs passing. BYU’s Jake Heaps, a high-profile freshman, completed only 2-of-6 passes for 15 yards and threw one interception.
Will the Air Force offense be up to the challenge of continuing long scoring drives to eat up the clock? The Falcons had scoring drives of 80 and 76 yards, which helped build a big advantage (13:58) in time of possession. They converted 10 of their 19 third-down plays.
Will the Cougars continue their dominant role against the Falcons in what could be the final game in the series? Air Force got the last laugh with a 21-point victory. However, the Cougars still lead the series 24-7.
