Falcons dominate Lobos, 48-23

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Christopher DeWitt
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
FALCON STADIUM --  The Air Force Academy Falcons dominated the New Mexico Lobos with their rushing offense, beating the Lobos 48-23 in the final home game of the season at Falcon Stadium.

Senior Day at the Academy proved too much for New Mexico to handle as the Falcons totaled 461 yards to the Lobos' 258 in the crushing defeat, showing why the Falcons have earned the Commander's-in-Chief Trophy.

Tim Jefferson, junior quarterback, walked into the end zone after a 7-yard run to break a tie in the second quarter and start a scoring spree from which the Lobos would not recover.

New Mexico's junior linebacker Carmen Messina recovered an Asher Clark fumble on the opening play of the game that would later setup a 2-yard run by Lobo junior James Wright. James Aho's extra point completed the 5-play, 24-yard drive that gave the Lobos their only lead of the game.

New Mexico continued to look good after shutting down an 11-play push down the field by Air Force on the next drive, ending in a missed field goal attempt by kicker Erik Soderberg.

After forcing the Lobos to punt on their next drive, the Falcons went on a 15-play, 70-yard drive, capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run by Asher Clark, who led with a total 95 yards and two touchdowns for the evening. Soderberg secured the tying point with his kick attempt ending the first quarter 7-7.

Receiver Zack Kauth wrapped up the first half with a 28-yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Connor Dietz who threw seven times with five completions for 67 yards against New Mexico. Soderberg iced the cake with his kick, sending the Lobos to the locker room facing a 21-7 lead by the Falcons.

"We were in a position to make plays, and we don't make the plays," said Mike Locksley, New Mexico head coach. "We've got to make sure that our guys are capable of making the plays. We've got to do a better job coaching."

Falcons quarterback Jefferson would sit the remainder of the game following a tough tackle halfway through the second quarter ending his evening with one touchdown, 82 rushing yards, and 2 completions for 21 yards.

"You just look: ... Fogler out, Tew out ... Warzeka, and he goes down, the quarterback out ... you just keep going through it," said Troy Calhoun, Air Force head coach. "Yet these guys have won the Commander's-in-Chief Trophy."

New Mexico topped the opening drive of the third quarter with a field goal by Aho from the 24 to cut into the Academy lead to 21-10.  The Falcons responded by turning on the afterburners and going on to add two more touchdowns in the third, a 1-yard rush by senior Nathan Walker and a 14-yard quarterback keeper by Dietz.

Both teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the fourth, starting with a 14-yard reception from New Mexico freshman quarterback Stump Godfrey to wide receiver Ty Kirk. Air Force answered with an 8-play drive led by a series of runs by Walker, who totaled 95 yards against New Mexico. Clark capped the drive with a 2-yard run, stretching the Falcons' lead to 41-17.

A Lobo touchdown by Godfrey, who had 15 of his 24 pass attempts caught for 99 yards, gave New Mexico their final score for the evening, 41-23. Air Force chewed up the clock on an ensuing 11-play, 41-yard drive, culminated by an 8-yard touchdown run by senior Rya Southworth, his first career touchdown. Zach Bell, another senior, closed the day's scoring with his kick attempt to make it Falcons 48, Lobos 23.

"You kind of keep reaching and grabbing and finding different ways here (to win)," Coach Calhoun said. "It's neat to see, just because that's the only way you have a chance here at the Academy is to do it with a cohesive group that is not only willing but accepts their roles in a way where they stall are able to help. Some days that means a bunch of snaps, some days it may mean very few, yet to be able to respond even when you don't know how many exactly you're going to pay ... that happened tonight.

"For these guys, these seniors, they've had a heck of a run," Coach Calhoun added. "These guys have won 19 games in four years, they've been 19-5...that's a lot of wins. They're a great group of kids."

With bowl decisions just a few weeks away, the Falcons are likely to be selected for the Independence Bowl, and Coach Calhoun knows that "our best ball may be somewhere out in front of us, it just might be."

"Don't get me wrong, it's been a good little go," he said of the Falcons, whose win brings the Academy's record up to 7-4 overall and 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference while the Lobos record drops to 1-9.

Junior Jordan Waiwaiole and senior Reggie Rembert led the defense with eight tackles each, while senior Rick Ricketts and senior Andre Morris both added a sack to their record to help shut down the Lobos offense.

The Falcons will face off against the University of Nevada - Las Vegas under the lights in Las Vegas Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. Pacific Time.