SAN DIEGO — Air Force’s two-week flirtation with national recognition in the polls ended with a thud Saturday night in a 27-25 loss to surging San Diego State at Qualcomm Stadium.
With quarterback Ryan Lindley and running back Ronnie Hillman tormenting Air Force’s defense, the Aztecs had just enough firepower to end a three-game losing streak to the Falcons.
Abel Perez’s 27-yard field goal with 12:48 left in the game stretched San Diego State’s lead to eight points, and the Aztecs held on to hand the 23rd-ranked Falcons (5-2, 3-1) their first Mountain West Conference loss of the season.
Perez missed a 19-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that kept the Falcons within striking distance.
Junior quarterback Tim Jefferson was determined to rally Air Force to a road victory but ended up falling short. Jefferson converted a fourth-and-9 play, and fullback Nathan Walker blasted in from the 4 for a touchdown to pull the Falcons within 20-18 with 2:08 remaining in the game. On the ensuing two-point conversion try, Jefferson’s pass to halfback Asher Clark came up short because Clark’s knee hit the ground before he got into the end zone. It was initially ruled good, then overturned upon review.
“In the heat of the moment, you think you’ve scored, and I thought I got the extra two points,” Clark said. “But I guess it wasn’t that way.”
The Falcons’ tried an onside kick and failed to recover, and the Aztecs scored on Hillman’s 44-yard run for a 27-18 lead.
But the Falcons didn’t give up. They drove 65 yards on 11 plays to score with 18 seconds left on Chaz Demerath’s 7-yard reception from Jefferson.
The Falcons’ second onside kick was again recovered by the Aztecs.
With a defense that had Air Force’s offense in a pin hold, Lindley gunned the Aztecs into command. On a 66-yard scoring drive, he completed three passes, including an 8-yard scoring toss to tight end Gavin Escobar for a 17-6 lead with 7:49 left in the third.
But this time Air Force roared back on Clark’s 20-yard touchdown run to pull to within 17-12 with 3:24 left in the third. Clark’s try for a two-point conversion failed when couldn’t handle a pitch from Jefferson.
The Falcons struggled through a first half that gave little indication they’re a top-25 team.
Their chances of getting off to a fast start melted away on an illegal block penalty by Demerath that called back a 68-yard would-be touchdown play from Jefferson to receiver Kyle Halderman. Air Force’s first possession ended on Jefferson’s off-balance throw that was intercepted at the San Diego State 22-yard line.
Later in the first period, kicker Erik Soderberg continued his season-long problems, missing a 47-yard attempt with 5:12 left in the quarter.
“You can’t leave all of those points out there against a good team like San Diego State,” Jefferson said. “It comes down to our execution. It just wasn’t all there.”
With 8:39 left in the half, Hillman said enough of the routine. He weaved his way 65 yards through missed tackles in the secondary to open the scoring.
“I was just following the blocks,” Hillman said. “The receivers did a great job of harassing the corners and DBs all game. They all did a great job of downfield blocking, so I was just following them.”
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Key stat
191: Aztec freshman running back Ronnie Hillman rushed for 191 yards and two touchdowns. His touchdown runs were for 65 yards and 44 yards.
Key play
With the Falcons closing the deficit to 20-18 with 2:08 left in the game, Hillman answered the call with a 44-yard scoring run on a first down after Air Force tried an onside kick.
Three questions for AFA
Will Air Force’s rushing defense recover in time from a poor showing against CSU to stop San Diego State tailback Ronnie Hillman? Hillman made the answer a resounding “no.” He ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns as the Aztecs gained 205 yards on the ground.
Will Air Force reverse a recent trend of having a difficult time against the Aztecs in San Diego? The Falcons didn’t reverse the trend as the Aztecs stopped a three-game losing streak overall to the Falcons. San Diego State now has won three of the past four games in San Diego.
Will Air Force equal its best start to a season since 2003? A win would have put the Falcons at 6-1 and equaled the start of the 2003 team. Instead, the Falcons are 5-2 for the third time under coach Troy Calhoun. They were 4-3 at this point last season.
