LARAMIE — As a linebacker, Connor Healy plays with a relentess determination.
The Air Force Academy junior out of Mullen High School was at it again Saturday night while chalking up six tackles against Wyoming, but the Cowboys won, 17-13, on a 3-yard pass by quarterback Colby Kirkegaard to J.D. Krill with 58 seconds left in the game.
After the game, Healy was asked if the loss could lead to a similar fall as a year ago, when Air Force stumbled to a 2-10 record, its worst ever.
Healy hit as hard as he could with an emphatic no.
“Last year’s team is in the rearview mirror,” Healy said. “This is a completely new team. We ended up with a loss tonight and it hurts. We didn’t play well enough. It wasn’t one or two players, it was the whole team. That’s football.”
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun agreed.
“We had too many missed chances,” Calhoun said. “When you get opportunities, you have to seize them.”
The Falcons, 1-1 overall, 0-1 in the Mountain West, scored just one touchdown and their vaunted running game gained just 151 yards.
Quarterback Kale Pearson had a career game with 226 yards on 17 completions, but the Air Force option offense is not designed to throw the ball that much.
Wyoming is 2-0 under first year coach Craig Bohl.
“This was a hard fought win and we’re going to enjoy it,” Bohl said.
Air Force consistently came up short on offense. In the third quarter, Air Force had just 50 yards.
“We shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times between penalties and somebody not making a play,” Pearson said. “I think everyone wished they had some plays back tonight. Wyoming was keying on the run, but there were plays in our passing game we had to make.”
Next up for Air Force is a trip to Atlanta to play Georgia State. Wyoming plays at Oregon.
Irv Moss: 303-954-1296, imoss@denverpost.com or
