FORT WORTH, Texas — Not tonight, not tomorrow, not anytime. It wasn’t in the cards Saturday night for an upset against No. 4 TCU.
The Horned Frogs were mightier and way above Air Force, leaving the Falcons a little discouraged underneath the weight of a 38-7 thrashing in Amon G. Carter Stadium.
With TCU quarterback Andy Dalton dazzling the Falcons with his arm and legs, and tailback Ed Wesley galloping to 209 yards rushing, the Horned Frogs (8-0, 4-0 Mountain West) racked up a season-high number of points for an AFA opponent.
Air Force’s usually productive offense ran into a brick wall. The Falcons’ seven points were a season-low, and they rattled through the last 55 minutes of the game with nothing to show on the scoreboard.
“Right now, there’s a gap between the programs,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “TCU is really, really good. We have to play better fundamentally across the board. We can play better.”
TCU, which has outscored its past four opponents 141-10, showed the Falcons where to look for their weaknesses. Dalton was a teacher, completing 11-of-20 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown. He added 93 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
“He’s a very confident quarterback,” Air Force safety Jon Davis said. “They’re just a confident team in everything they do.”
Wesley, who was not made available to reporters after the game, did his damage on 28 carries to lead a rushing game that amassed 377 yards and four TDs. When the show was over, TCU had a 71-48 advantage in total plays, a 30-13 edge in first downs and a 562-231 advantage in total offense.
The Falcons, who came in leading the nation in rushing (346.9-yard average), finished with a season-low 184 yards rushing. Receiver Kyle Halderman led the way with 53 yards, and quarterback Tim Jefferson added 39 yards and a 16-yard touchdown.
TCU coach Gary Patterson didn’t know where to start in his evaluation.
“You’ve got to give our offense line credit,” Patterson said. “A lot of people say our defense played great. The defense played great, because it was standing on the sidelines for a lot of the game.”
The Horned Frogs were a machine in the third quarter. They first flicked away Air Force’s opening possession of the second half at their 39-yard line and then went on to score two touchdowns to open a 31-7 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Jefferson said TCU’s defense came to life after the Falcons drove 89 yards for their only score.
“They got a glimpse of how fast we play in running the option,” Jefferson said. “They made their adjustments and it was amazing how fast they could fly around the field.”
Air Force’s defense kept the Falcons in the game most of the first half, but Dalton took TCU on an 89-yard scoring drive in the final minutes.
His 8-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jeremy Kerley boosted TCU to a 17-7 lead with 16 seconds left before halftime.
Up to that point, Air Force defenders had stopped a fourth-down try at their 25 and forced a 30-yard field goal by Ross Evans that made it 10-7 with 6:03 left in the half.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Three questions for AFA
How will Air Force’s rushing offense fare against TCU’s touted defense without workhorse fullback Jared Tew? The Falcons needed Tew and a Mack truck. They ended up with 184 yards rushing, their lowest total of the season. Nathan Walker gained 30 yards from the fullback position.
Will Air Force coach Troy Calhoun stay on track of not losing three consecutive regular-season games in his four years? After losing two in a row, Air Force faces Utah, another top-10 team, Saturday in Falcon Stadium. They may be hanging on with their fingertips against a third straight loss.
Will Air Force’s triple-option offense find a way to carve out scoring drives against a defense that doesn’t allow the opposition on the field very long? The Falcons managed one scoring drive of 89 yards to tie the game at 7 in the first quarter. Otherwise, they converted just 4-of-11 third-down tries and punted six times.
Key stat
31: After Air Force scored to tie the game at 7 with 6:36 left in the first period, TCU tallied 31 unanswered points. After the scoring drive, the Falcons had just 42 yards the rest of the first half.
Key play
Already trailing 17-7, Air Force’s chance to get back in the game fizzled on the opening possession of the second half. The Falcons reached TCU’s 39-yard line but had to punt, and TCU scored eight plays later for a 17-point lead.
