Falcons blitzed on hart-stopper
AIR FORCE ACADEMY — Dee Hart rushed for 115 yards on 23 carries Friday against Air Force, giving the Colorado State junior tailback 100 or more yards seven times in his first season with the Rams.
But Hart, a transfer from Alabama, was stopped short on a pivotal fourth-and-2 play at Air Force’s 42-yard line during the game’s final minute.
“We had an outside zone call, and they just blitzed right into it,” Hart said of the play. “They had one more guy actually than we could block, and they stopped it.”
Asked if the 27-24 loss to the Falcons took anything away from the Rams’ accomplishments this season, Hart said, “No, we had a great season.”
Exit polls. The Rams probably will drop out of the top 25 in The Associated Press media poll and USA Today coaches poll, and will remain unranked in the College Football Playoff’s top 25.
Previously undefeated Marshall of Conference USA lost 67-66 in overtime to Western Kentucky on Friday, thinning the competition for the Mountain West champion for the major bowl berth that will go to the CFP’s highest-ranked champion from a nonpower conference.
CSU won’t play in the Mountain West title game Dec. 6, so the Rams no longer are in contention for a major bowl berth.
“We’ve just got to regroup,” said CSU coach Jim McElwain. “We’ll get back together on Sunday, bury the film, learn from it and then get ready to set the schedule moving forward, figuring we’ll probably be in one of those bowl games on the 20th.”
Dec. 20 bowls with Mountain West ties are the Las Vegas, New Orleans, Famous Idaho Potato and New Mexico. The league’s other bowls are the Poinsettia (Dec. 23) and Hawaii (Dec. 24).
Higgins update. With his 12 catches for 193 yards and two touchdowns Friday at Falcon Stadium, Rashard Higgins finished the regular season with 89 receptions for 1,640 yards and 17 TDs. He passed David Anderson for the CSU receptions record. Anderson had 86 catches in 2005.
Will power. McElwain saluted Air Force senior kicker Will Conant, whose 39-yard field goal on the last play won the game. “The good thing is, that guy’s defending our country. He doesn’t choke under pressure,” McElwain said.
