Nevada edges Air Force, 45-42

  • Published
  • By John Van Winkle
  • Air Force Academy Public Affairs
RENO, Nev. --  A career rushing day for Falcons quarterback Karson Roberts was not enough to hold off the University of Nevada Wolfpack, as the Falcons fell 45-42 Saturday.

Roberts made his first start Saturday after spot duty in several games this season. Taking the helm of the Falcons offense, Roberts executed the Falcons' triple-option rushing attack with precision to grind out 375 yards on the ground.

"I Stepped into the role coach gave me, trying to do the best that I (could)," said the sophomore quarterback. "Coach said to always prepare to be the starter, so that's been my mindset all along."

Roberts led the Falcons rushers, carrying the ball 23 times for 161 yards and two touchdowns. The highlight of his rushing was a 60-yard gain triggered by the offensive line.

"It was pretty easy, (right tackle) Jerry Henry blew up the defensive end and created a huge hole," Roberts said.

That drive ended in a Jon Lee touchdown one play later, and marked one of several quick scoring drives for the Falcons offense. Nevada stayed on pace with Air Force, however, and kept the game close until the game's fourth quarter.

The Falcons had the chance to seal the game on a late drive with just under six minutes left. Ahead 42-37, the Falcons faced a third-and-1. Then things went haywire, as the Falcons drew two consecutive flags for illegal substitution.

"Those were the right calls," said Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun. "We had a guy on the field that could not be on the field. We had a chance on the third down to convert still. The official was dead on."

Those two flags moved the Falcons back to third-and-11, and a subsequent dropped pass forced the punt. Nevada seized the opportunity to score the go-ahead points, but left the Falcons with 1:39 left on the clock to decide the game.

The Falcons advanced down the field quickly on 10 plays to set up a third-and-3 at the Nevada 35-yard line with only a few seconds left. Roberts attempted a pass on the very last play, but was ultimately intercepted by the Wolfpack, effectively sealing their victory.
"It was a tough fight, we both went to the wire, we wanted the win but props to Nevada," Roberts said.

Despite the loss, the Falcons are making steady progress.

"Every week we have to make progress, and this week was strides better than last week," said wide receiver Sam Gagliano. "We almost doubled our points. It's something that will take some fine tuning, but we're definitely going to get some things rolling."

The Falcons ended with 453 yards of total offense, and only punted three times for the entire game. The defense also made several critical stops early in the game.

"I thought we played exceptionally hard, incredibly hard. Some of the pluses are for a good number of guys it was the first time they were in a close game, especially on the road," Calhoun said. "We missed some opportunities to make some plays, which you have to make to be able to close out a football game, especially against a quality squad."

The loss to Nevada drops the Falcons to 1-4 on the season and 0-3 in the Mountain West Conference. This is the Falcons' worst start since 1993.

Regardless, the Falcons look to stay positive and build off of the highest-scoring game they've had thus far.

"We know we got some hope for sure," Roberts said.