News>Air Force overcomes Army to keep Commander-in-Chief's Trophy
Photos
U.S. Air Force Academy wide receiver Jonathan Warzeka blocks an U.S. Military Academy (Army) defensive lineman for Air Force running back Asher Clark during the Air Force-Army game Nov. 5, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Air Force scored 21 points in the third quarter en route to a 24-14 victory over Army and their second consecutive Commander in Chief's Trophy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Raymond McCoy)
U.S. Air Force Academy wide receiver Zach Kauth snatches a Tim Jefferson pass during the Air Force-Army game Nov. 5, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Air Force scored 21 points in the third quarter en route to a 24-14 victory over Army and their second consecutive Commander in Chief's Trophy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raymond Hoy)
Falcons quarterback Tim Jefferson leaps over his lineman during the Air Force-Army game at Falcon Stadium Nov. 5, 2011. Jefferson finished with 66 yards on 20 rushes with two touchdowns. The Falcons scored 21 points in the third quarter en route to a 24-14 victory over the Black Knights and their second consecutive Commander-in-Chief's Trophy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raymond Hoy)
U.S. Air Force Academy defenders swarm U.S. Military Academy (Army) running back Larry Dixon in the Air Force-Army game Nov. 5, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo . Air Force capitalized on five Army turnovers to defeat them 24-14. (U.S. Air Force photo/Raymond McCoy)
U.S. Air Force Academy running back Asher Clark gets the corner during the Air Force-Army game nov. 5, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Clark rushed for 78 yards on 16 attempts. Air Force scored 21 points in the third quarter en route to a 24-14 victory over Army and their second consecutive Commander in Chief's Trophy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raymond Hoy)
Fans cheer during the Air Force-Army game Nov. 5, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Air Force scored 21 points in the third quarter en route to a 24-14 victory over Army and their second consecutive Commander in Chief's Trophy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raymond Hoy)
U.S. Air Force Academy superintendent Lt. Gen. Mike Gould crowd surfs during the Air Force-Army game Nov. 5, 2011, at Falcon Stadium in Colorado Springs, Colo. Air Force scored 21 points in the third quarter en route to a 24-14 victory over Army and their second consecutive Commander in Chief's Trophy. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Raymond Hoy)
11/5/2011 - FALCON STADIUM, Colo. -- In Air Force's battle to keep the Commander-in-Chief's trophy, Army drew first blood ... and second, and if not for a few big plays on defense, the Black Knights would also have drawn third, fourth and fifth blood.
But Air Force's defense continued to make plays in the second half, forcing three fumbles to set up 24 unanswered points and a 24-14 Air Force victory.
Air Force's offense didn't spend much time on the field in the first half, with less than 10 minutes time of possession. When they had the ball, they appeared to have trouble finding their rhythm. The Falcons went three and out on their first possession, and quarterback Tim Jefferson fumbled on the first play of their second possession. That fumble and Army's recovery led to the Black Knights' second touchdown to take a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Black Knights ran for almost 300 yards in the first half, helping keep the Falcons' offense off the field. But while moving the ball downfield came easily for the Knights, scoring did not: in five first-half trips inside the red zone, Army scored only 14 points.
Air Force's first red zone stop came on Army's second drive, with Ryan Gardner and Jordan Waiwaiole stuffing Larry Dixon on fourth and 2 from the Falcons' 19. The second came at the goal line, this time with Alex Means and Brady Amack combining to stop Army quarterback Max Jenkins inches shy of the goal line.
The third key play came within 30 seconds of halftime, when Falcons defensive back Josh Hall stripped Army running back Scott Williams of the ball just outside the goal line. The ball bounced out of the end zone for a touchback, and the Falcons went into the locker room with a flicker of life, trailing 14-0.
"I thought they came out and slugged us right in the face, and they knocked us on our heels," Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun said. "That's a real credit to their coaches and the young men at West Point."
Army Lt. Gen. David Huntoon, the U.S. Military Academy superintendent, said he was pleased with the halftime score.
"I learned long ago not to predict the outcome of football games, especially service academy games," Huntoon said. "But I'm delighted right now."
Air Force, which came in with a 4-13 record when their opponents scored first, faced an uphill climb in the second half, but while the Knights had the lead, the Falcons had the momentum. They emerged from the locker room looking like the team that had put a scare into the No. 5 Boise State Broncos Oct. 22, blitzing down the field in their first possession of the second half. Parker Herrington kicked his first of three field goals to give the Falcons their first points of the day.
After Air Force's defense stopped Army at midfield, the Falcons struck again. Jefferson got the Falcons into striking range with passes of 21 yards and 35 yards to Joshua Freeman and Zack Kauth to set up a two-yard touchdown run. Asher Clark carried in the two-point conversion to make it 14-11. A fumbled snap on Army's next possession set up Herrington's second field goal of the game to tie the score.
On the Knights' subsequent possession, the Falcons again held fast, forcing fourth and 6 from the Army 36. In a play reminiscent of Air Force's failed fake punt against Boise State, Army receiver Justin Allen fumbled the handoff from punter Kolin Walk, and Stephan Atrice recovered for Air Force at the Army 14. Four plays later, Jefferson ran untouched into the end zone to give Air Force the go-ahead touchdown.
Two more Army turnovers in the fourth quarter sealed the game for the Falcons. Jon Davis forced a fumble from Army running back Jared Hassin and ran it back to the Army 19, setting up Herrington's third field goal of the day. Davis also intercepted Army's Jenkins at the Air Force 30 with 2:37 to play, allowing the Falcons to run out the clock.
"In the second half, it was a tale of turnovers for us," Army head coach Rich Ellerson said. "We like to play, and we've got to play better. These guys love to compete, and they love to play hard; they just need to be better. If you don't do the things consistently that measure success, then the scoreboard is going to be upside-down like it was today."
The Falcons held Army to 80 yards of total offense in the second half. Jefferson finished 6-of-12 for 122 yards in the air. Army held the Falcons' third-ranked rushing offense to 200 yards, including 66 by Jefferson and 78 by Clark.
The Falcons face Mountain West Conference rival Wyoming at home Nov. 12.
Comments
11/18/2011 10:53:07 AM ET The new AF Football uniforms are fantastic.
Frank M. '93, Crossville TN
11/7/2011 4:27:55 PM ET Congrats to the Falcons for a great game and victory. Being retired USAF, I wore my US Air Force tie to work today; by the way, I work for the US Army now as a civilian. I even sang the Air Force Song a couple of times today.
Chief Wheeler-Retired, Huntsville AL
11/7/2011 10:45:02 AM ET Air power theorists should be pleased with this weekend's Air Force Academy win over West Point. The Falcons showed how airpower can absorb a ground assault and at its culmination strike decisively to reverse the attackers gains. Any student of John Warden recognized the five rings at work. By striking at Army's critical centers of gravity, West Point quickly collapsed. In the second half Ar...my could not advance the ball nor hold on to it. Airpower shut them down completely; one might argue that strategic attack into the Army rear ISR and strong cheerleading were the keys to Saturday's win. Not so fast! Air Power as the decisive arm of combat is the exception and not the rule. The 80s San Diego Chargers attempted to use Air Power to cement victory in the NFL, but ultimately failed. Football games are won on the ground. The Cadets must remember the integration of aerospace, cyberspace AND ground forces are the key to future success. It was a fun day all round with friends and family.
