AIR FORCE ACADEMY — There sure was cause for panic Saturday afternoon at Falcon Stadium. Army was ahead 14-0 and seemed to have everything going its way.
The Commander-in Chief’s Trophy was up for grabs, and Air Force was scrambling to get back over .500 for the first time since Oct. 8.
What to do?
“We woke up and came out and played with passion,” quarterback Tim Jefferson said, in explaining how the Falcons staged one of their most dramatic comeback victories ever.
Jefferson scored two touchdowns and kicker Parker Herrington drilled three field goals as Air Force (5-4) scored 24 unanswered second-half points to pull out a 24-14 victory and clinch the trophy for the second consecutive season before a sold-out crowd of 46,709 that braved a chilly wind.
There wasn’t a sign of panic, just sharp performance. Jefferson’s 4-for-6 passing for 97 yards in the second half limbered up Air Force’s running game, which finished with 179 yards, 78 by Asher Clark and 66 by Jefferson.
“Our passing definitely opened up our offensive options,” Jefferson said. “It’s not like we struggled running the ball; we didn’t run the ball as effectively as we normally do. We put the ball on the ground a couple of times, and we had some penalties.”
Even though they were able to put a sleep-walking first half behind them, the Falcons had some uneasy thoughts of what could have happened.
The Black Knights (3-6) had two other potential touchdowns in the second quarter go the other way in play reviews, helping to send the Black Knights home. Army has been the poor cousin in the trophy race with Air Force and Navy, and once again the Black Knights went home with just their luggage.
“We could have gone into the half leading 28-0 if those plays had gone our way,” Army halfback Jared Hassin said. “The second half might have gone a different way. We need to find that fire in the second half.”
Army amassed 340 yards rushing and a 20-16 advantage in first downs.
“We won’t get picky today,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “We’ll do that Monday. These service academy games are very competitive. I thought in the first half we were a little antsy. I thought in the first half that maybe they wanted to achieve something too much. But I’ve never had to jump-start this group.”
Air Force’s defense, behind 14 tackles by linebacker Brady Amack and 12 by safety Jon Davis, buckled down in the second half.
Just as two fumbles, one by Jefferson at his 18-yard line that led to Army’s second touchdown, hurt the Falcons in the first half, three fumbles and a pass interception by Air Force safety Davis crushed Army in the second half.
The Falcons’ offense took advantage.
Herrington’s 39-yard field goal that tied the score at 14 with 3:35 left in the third quarter followed an Army fumble by quarterback Max Jenkins at his own 29-yard line.
A fumble on a fake punt recovered by linebacker Stephan Atrice at the Army 14 set up Jefferson’s second touchdown and gave Air Force its first lead, 21-14 with 15 seconds left in the third quarter.
Davis forced and recovered a fumble early in the fourth quarter, leading to a 39-yard field goal that gave Air Force a 10-point lead and breathing room.
Then, Davis’ interception in Falcons territory with 3:53 remaining put the game away.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296 or imoss@denverpost.com
Three questions
Key stat
24: After falling behind 14-0 in the first half, Air Force scored 24 second-half points and pulled out a 24-14 victory Saturday over Army and clinched the Commander- in-Chief’s Trophy for the second consecutive year.
Key play
With 25 seconds left in the first half, Army’s Scott Williams appeared headed for the goal line in hopes of putting the Black Knights up 21-0. But he met Air Force’s Josh Hall at the goal line and Hall pulled the ball loose. It skipped through and out of the end zone, giving the Falcons possession on their 20-yard line and leaving Army without any points.
“I had the feeling back in September that we’re a team that’s not going to dazzle you. We’re not a 10 in appearance, but this team has a lot of savvy, guts and moxie. We could play better football too.”
Troy Calhoun, Air Force coach
