BOISE, Idaho -- A dominant running game and strong linebacker play carried the Air Force Academy to a 38-24 victory over Western Michigan in the rain-soaked Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Dec. 20.

Four quarters of steady rain made for a wet and saturated field, turning the blue artificial turf into a gigantic water slide and had a considerable impact on game play. Wet footballs made ball handling tricky, accounting for four fumbles and a stifled passing game for both teams.

The Falcons fumbled on their first offensive play, resulting in a turnover.

"We ran a triple-option play the first play of the game, and you let me know how that turned out," said Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun. "After that, the triple option went out the window."

With the pitch option from the quarterback to the trailing tailback effectively drenched, the Falcons went to a double-option approach, using the fullback dive and fake option to set up a handoff to a running back or quarterback run. Both proved effective enough to generate a 5.47-yard rushing average for the Falcons in the first half, and a 4.4 yard-per-carry average by game's end.

When the Falcons were on defense, they concentrated on stopping the run, making the Broncos win the game through the air.

"They'd shoot two guys through a gap and blitz off the edge and that was very difficult to run against," said Western Michigan head coach P.J. Fleck.

The Falcons defense held the Broncos to just 79 yards rushing, despite the Broncos having a 1,500-yard running back in 220-pound freshman Jarvion Franklin. But the Falcons limited Franklin to 21 yards rushing at the bowl game.

"I think our number one objective each week is stop the run," said Falcons senior linebacker Jordan Pierce, who racked up 10 tackles, with three tackles-for-loss and two sacks. From an inside linebacker standpoint, Pierce said the constant rain "wasn't too bad."

"Rain is just something you have to deal with. It's not ideal conditions, but we just have to go out there and play our game," Pierce said.

Through the air, the Broncos drew blood, with quarterback Zach Terrell airing it out for 297 yards and three touchdowns to wide receiver Corey Davis. That kept scoring close, until Air Force's linebackers made the decisive play of the game.

The Broncos were down 23-17 early in the fourth quarter, when Terrell was caught from behind on a quarterback run by Falcons outside linebacker Spencer Proctor. The senior linebacker forced the football free. Fellow linebacker Dexter Walker scooped up the slick ball and found space along the Western Michigan sideline to make a run for the end zone. Sixty yards later, Walker scored the Falcons' first defensive touchdown in two years.

"Little man Dex was in front of me to scoop it up, because I wanted it," said Pierce, with a grin. "That touchdown really turned the game in our favor, and that was all she wrote."

Walker's touchdown put the Falcons up 29-17. Quarterback Kale Pearson found wide receiver Jalen Robinette alone in the end zone for the two-point conversion to give Air Force a 31-17 lead. The teams would exchange touchdowns in the remainder of the fourth quarter, but the Broncos couldn't overcome the scoring deficit in the time left, and the Falcons took home a 38-24 win in their latest bowl game.

"Having 11 days to face the falcons' triple-option offense was a near impossible challenge," said Broncos head coach P.J. Fleck. "Statistically they had 361 yards of offense. That's okay for them; that's not a mind-blowing game for them."

Game MVP Shayne Davern accounted for 101 of Air Force's 284 ground yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown was a 55-yard run, after he ran into the middle of the pile and three Broncos missed tackles. But Davern kept going.

"I kept looking back expecting someone to be there. But there was no one there. That doesn't happen often," Davern said. "For the MVP award, credit goes to the offensive line and the offense, and to the defense for keeping us in the game."

The win finishes the 2014 Falcon football season at 10-3, which is the most wins in the Calhoun era, 2007 to present. Going into the game, Air Force, Western Michigan and TCU were tied three ways for the best turnaround since 2013, with each team winning seven more games in 2014 than in their respective 2013 seasons.

Winning in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl closes the book on a complete team turnaound: The Falcons were at 10-loss team in 2013 and are now a 10-win team in 2014. That turnaround is an all-time new record for Air Force, and could be the NCAA's best turnaround for 2014, pending the result of TCU's bowl game.
This was also the final football game for 27 Falcons seniors, but greater things await them after football, Calhoun said.

"As great as it's been to follow a group of champions like this 2014 Falcon Football, just wait and see what they do five years from now on active duty," said Calhoun. "They're going to be great leaders, great officers and great representatives of our Air Force Academy."