Air Force Falcons @ New Mexico Lobos Football Recap

Air Force 42, New Mexico 0

The Air Force Falcons have already played the two toughest teams in the Mountain West Conference plus the team that was expected to finish in third place when the season started. Accordingly, life has been very difficult for the high-flyers from Colorado Springs. However, the good part of a front-loaded conference schedule is that when the calendar enters late October, the wins should come pouring forth. Such is the case for the young men with the bolts on the helmets.

Yes, the toughest part of this college football season has come and gone for Air Force. Boise State, TCU, and San Diego State have already had their say against the Falcons, overwhelming coach Troy Calhoun’s club with superior offensive firepower. Those three teams won’t play Air Force again this season, however, and that’s why the Falcons’ record is going to improve. It certainly went up a notch after dealing with the New Mexico Lobos this past weekend. Air Force sent UNM to the canvas this past weekend with a lopsided win in Albuquerque. The non-competitive affair dropped the Lobos’ record to 0-8 while lifting Air Force to the .500 mark.

Things are certainly not getting any better for New Mexico, a team that endured a (necessary but still disruptive) coaching change earlier this season. Before it and after it, the results have been the same for one of the 10 worst teams in the FBS division of college football. In the aftermath of the firing of former coach Mike Locksley, Los Lobos endured its second straight shutout, a clear sign of a program’s deeply-rooted dysfunctionality.

In a normal game, Air Force throws for an average of 150 yards despite being a triple-option team—so that the Falcons threw only needed to throw three passes for 26 yards is a strong indicator of the ease in which they gained yards. Quarterback Tim Jefferson left the game early in the second quarter with an injury, but after having led three touchdown drives to give Air Force a 21-0 lead. Backup quarterback Connor Dietz teamed with fullback Mike DeWitt to account for all 74 yards on a scoring drive on his first possession. Dietz added a 39-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter to give Air Force a 35-0 halftime lead.

Ten different players ran the ball for the Falcons, who rushed for 335 yards on the afternoon, led by Dietz with 87 yards of his own. New Mexico struggled to 223 total yards, with Crusoe Gongbay and Demarcus Rogers combining for 117 rushing yards. After some back and forth between Tarean Austin and B.R. Holbrook at quarterback in previous games, Holbrook went the distance for the Lobos this game, going 17-27 for 109 yards and two interceptions. The Lobos have been outscored 160-7 in their last three games, and travel to San Diego State (4-3) next week. Air Force got back to 4-4 with the win after a rough stretch of games, and will host Army (3-5) for sole possession of the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy.

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By: Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer