NORMAN, Okla. — Oh, for sure, Air Force got all the “nice game” words of praise imaginable Saturday after the Falcons came close to upsetting seventh-ranked Oklahoma before 84,332 fans at Memorial Stadium.
But in the end, Sooners quarterback Landry Jones and his high-powered offense were able to run out the clock to secure a 27-24 victory and turn any praise heard by the Falcons into shallow rewards.
What made the loss so hard to take, said coach Troy Calhoun, was that his team didn’t play the Sooners to be close.
“We’re not interested in close,” Calhoun said. “We came in here with one focus and that was to win a football game. Oklahoma is a heck of a football team. They’re well-prepared, with great potential to be great.”
But the Sooners (3-0) wouldn’t cooperate as they stretched their home-field winning streak to 33 games. With Jones turning up the pressure after halftime, Oklahoma scored 17 consecutive points in the third quarter to break away from a 10-10 tie to a 27-10 lead going into the final quarter.
But the Falcons weren’t done. With some precision of his own, junior quarterback Tim Jefferson piloted the Falcons on scoring drives of 80 and 65 yards to cut Oklahoma’s lead to 27-24. Receiver Kyle Halderman’s 15-yard run with 3:41 left in the game trimmed the Falcons’ deficit to three points, and the capacity crowd stood to witness the final minutes of the game.
With three timeouts, Calhoun decided to kick deep, and the Sooners took possession at their 20-yard line. With six DeMarco Murray runs and Landry’s 10-yard pass, the Sooners picked up two first downs and 45 yards to keep Air Force’s offense off the field.
“We had to come up with a stop at that point,” Calhoun said.
The Sooners didn’t let it happen.
Murray gained 110 yards on 26 carries, including touchdown runs of 3 and 5 yards. He also had a 17-yard scoring reception from Jones for the 27-10 lead. OU’s best receiver, Ryan Broyles, caught 10 passes for 116 yards.
“It’s great to see them come out and once again make the plays,” OU coach Bob Stoops said of his star Sooners.
Air Force had the edge in total offense, outgaining the Sooners 458 yards to 367. Eight players had carries as the Falcons amassed 351 yards rushing, led by Jefferson’s 96 yards and fullback Jared Tew’s 93.
“I’m glad we don’t have to face another offense like that,” Oklahoma defensive end Jeremy Beal said of Air Force’s triple option.
The Falcons could look back on two mistakes that were instrumental in the outcome. Kicker Erik Soderberg missed a 49-yard field goal on the last play of the first quarter, and Jefferson fumbled away a promising drive at the Oklahoma 24 in the third quarter when Air Force was trailing 20-10. OU scored 10 plays later to take a 27-10 lead.
“We didn’t play well enough to get the job done,” said Jefferson, who had a 38-yard touchdown run that tied the game 10-10 and passed for 107 yards (8-of-14 accuracy). “We were driving down the field and the ball was taken away just like that. It was nobody but me and ball security. Who knows what would have happened on that drive. It was a game-changer.”
Air Force safety Jon Davis said it wasn’t a total lost cause.
“I think this game showed how good of a team we are,” Davis said. “I wish we could have had one more chance on offense. It wasn’t our day for turnovers. It was a pretty rough day.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Key stat
7-3: Both teams scored on their first possession of the game, but Oklahoma’s offense started with a touchdown and Air Force’s offense settled for a field goal.
Turning point
With the Sooners ahead 20-10 after backup kicker Jimmy Stevens’ 41-yard field goal, the Falcons had a promising drive going. However, quarterback Tim Jefferson fumbled the ball away when he was hit from behind at Oklahoma’s 24.
Three questions
A look at how Air Force answered Irv Moss’ three questions going into Saturday’s game against Oklahoma:
One of Air Force’s expected strengths coming into the season was its defensive secondary. How will it measure up vs. Oklahoma’s touted passing game?
The Air Force secondary didn’t create a turnover. Safety Jon Davis ranked second on the defense with nine tackles. He also had a pass breakup, as did cornerback Anthony Wright. The Sooners passed for 254 of their 367 total yards.
Will Air Force’s running game, which amassed 846 yards in a 2-0 start, be able to run through the Sooners and gain an advantage in time of possession?
The Falcons did their thing on the ground with 351 yards rushing. Quarterback Tim Jefferson led the way with 96 yards, fullback Jared Tew had 93 and halfback Asher Clark contributed 68. Air Force had the ball for 34 minutes, 11 seconds. The Sooners had it for 25:49.
Will Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones continue his hot start?
When the Sooners scored 17 points in the third quarter and built a 27-10 lead, Jones was superb. He finished the game with 26 completions in 42 attempts for 254 yards and a touchdown.
