Air Force edges Utah State 35-28 with 4th quarter defensive stand

  • Published
  • By John Van Winkle
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  Falcon safety Weston Steelhammer's fourth quarter pass deflection in the end zone secured a 35-28 Air Force win over Utah State, Nov. 14 at Falcon Stadium, keeping Air Force undefeated at home for the second straight year.

The Aggies drove to the Falcons 11-yard line but the Falcons stayed strong. Two unsuccessful Aggies' passes and a sack by Falcons defensive end Alex Hansen and linebacker D.J. Dunn left the Aggies facing a do-or-die fourth-and-17 from the 18-yard line with 42 seconds left in regulation.

Aggie quarterback Kent Myers took the snap and several Aggie receivers sprinted for the end zone. Linebacker Jacob Onyechi was tight on his coverage of Utah State wide receiver Andrew Rodriguez and both jumped for Myers' pass. Steelhammer slid over the duo bat the ball away in the end zone.

The win advances the Falcons to 7-3 on the season.

"It was good for our seniors to have another undefeated season at home," said Falcons' head coach Troy Calhoun. "Our seniors had a great game and came up huge for us when we needed them to."

Offensively, the Falcons' racked up stats like a slot machine. The Falcons ground game racked up 64 carries for 309 yards, with 79 yards each from fullback D.J. Johnson and wide receiver Tyler Williams. Quarterback Karson Roberts gave the Falcons the edge with a career-high 271 yards passing. Wide receiver Jalen Robinette was the main beneficiary of Roberts' passing, pulling in seven receptions for 210 yards and one touchdown.

"Jalen Robinette had a great game and it was good to see," Calhoun said. "He worked hard to get those balls that always seemed to be contested. He made some crucial grabs. The game also unfolded in such a way that we were able to continue to get the ball to him."

Next up for the Falcons is a Nov. 20 game at Boise State and a shot at the Mountain West conference title. Air Force leads the Mountain Division with a 5-1 conference record and 7-3 overall. Boise State fell to New Mexico Saturday, dropping to 4-2 in the conference but 7-3 overall.

New Mexico is in the mix to represent the Mountain Division in the conference championship game. The Lobos, 6-4 overall and 4-2 in the Mountain Division, host Air Force Nov. 28 to close the regular season.

The conference championship game is scheduled for Dec. 5 and will be hosted by the team with the strongest record among division winners. San Diego State has a clear two-game lead in the West Division at 7-3 overall and 6-0 in the conference.

The Falcons need to take care of business in Boise before looking at a conference championship game or how the last two games will affect the bowl picture. 

Kickoff for the Air Force-Boise State game is 7:30 p.m. (MT) Nov. 20. The game will be televised on ESPN2. Falcon fans can follow the action at KVOR 740 AM in Colorado Springs; The Fan 104.3FM in Denver; KTMM 1340AM in Grand Junction and online at goairforcefalcons.com.