AIR FORCE ACADEMY — As the points and the yards piled up at Falcon Stadium Saturday night during Air Force’s 49-46 victory over Colorado State, the attendance was announced as 23,467.
Which prompted one smart alec in the press box to opine: “Oh, I thought that was the total yardage.”
It was that kind of night, which ended with the Falcons (7-3 overall, 3-3 in the Mountain West) winning their third consecutive game. Colorado State (5-5, 3-3) remains a victory shy of being bowl eligible.
With a nearly full moon shining bright, both offenses went wild, combining for 1,093 total yards. The 95 combined points scored were the most in the 55-game history of the rivalry, surpassing the 84 scored in Air Force’s 44-40 victory in 2000 at Falcon Stadium.
“They made their fair share of plays and they won more of the one-on-one battles, and that was the difference in the game,” CSU coach said.
Air Force coach Troy Calhoun offered this assessment: “CSU is so dynamic offensively, we’d rather not have them get too many possessions. But in yet another game we were able to find a way to win.”
The Falcons’ defense finally put up a solid defensive stand with 13 minutes, 20 seconds left in the game when linebacker Grant Ross stuffed CSU’s Izzy Mathews for no gain on a fourth-and-1 play at the Falcons’ 33.
That set the stage for a 11-play, 67-yard drive, capped off by an 8-yard TD scamper by junior tailback Tim McVey, who set a career high with four rushing touchdowns and finished with 184 yards on the ground.
“It was a good shootout,” McVey said. “When know when you’re on offense, if it’s going to be a game like that, you’ve got to get it done. We put together some good drives.”
In most games, McVey’s final TD would have been the dagger that put the game out of reach. But the resilient Rams countered with a six-play, 75-yard drive, capped off by a 7-yard pass from to . The two-point conversion — also Stevens to Gallup — trimmed the Air Force lead to 49-46 with 6:43 left in the game.
Colorado’s State’s final attempt to rally ended when Gallup fumbled the ball after a 24-yard reception. The fumble was forced by Ross and recovered by Brodie Hicks with 1:21 left in the game.
“Our defense came in handy right when you need them,” McVey said. “That strip by Grant Ross — unbelievable.”
Air Force’s option attack sliced and diced the CSU defense for a season-high 485 yards rushing. Sophomore quarterback Arion Worthman rushed for a career-high 143 yards, including a 54-yard score in the second quarter.
“Our quarterback played really, really well for us,” Calhoun said. “He’s a fast, fast learner and he played like a big fella when we needed him to.”
The Rams were clearly frustrated with their inability to slow down the Falcons.
“The big thing was on the perimeter,” Bobo said. “The quick pitch to their slot back and the late-option pitches were executed well and they were picking up the right blocks. We didn’t do enough to get off the blocks.”
On a night when defense was an afterthought, Stevens passed for a career-high 374 yards and Gallup hauled in 13 passes for 213 yards, both career highs.
“I think we worked really hard on getting on the same page all week in practice,” Stevens said. “They told us he was going to get a few more touches and it paid off tonight.”
In a game filled with big plays, there was also one weird, big play. Air Force stretched its lead to 35-24 early in the third quarter when McVey pinballed through the CSU defense for 34 yards until CSU linebacker punched the ball loose and into the end zone. That’s where center Dylan Vail fell on it for a touchdown, the first of his career.
The first half ended in controversy and a 28-24 Air Force lead.
The Falcons’ Jesse Washington intercepted a pass from Stevens, but Stevens was leveled by Ross after releasing the ball. Ross was originally flagged for targeting, which would have wiped out the interception, but the call was overturned on review, much to the livid displeasure of Bobo.
Air Force took over at the CSU 22 and scored two plays later on McVey’s 15-yard run, his third rushing touchdown of the half.
Fans of Mountain West shootouts got a hint of what was to come early on. The two offenses combined for 588 yards and there were no punts in the first half.
With their option attack keeping the Rams guessing and missing tackles, the Falcons rushed for 278 yards in the first half, averaging 8.2 yards per carry.
CSU’s offense wasn’t too shabby. It averaged 6.5 yards per carry, led by . On the game’s third play from scrimmage, Dawkins found a seam, cut right and found nothing but wide-open spaces for a 61-yard touchdown. The Rams had a 7-0 lead with only 1:01 taken off the clock.
Undeterred, Air Force struck back with a quick TD drive of its own, with McVey busting in from 10 yards out. The Falcons’ drive took a little longer than the Rams’ — eight plays, 75 yards — but CSU’s defense was back on its heels for most of those eight plays. That, and missed tackles, were major themes of the night.
“We had a lot of missed tackles on the perimeter and getting off blocks was really the biggest thing that hurt us,” CSU safety said.