 |
BYU Falls to Air Force in WAC Championship, 13-20
LAS VEGAS, NV -- Matt Farmer turned an inside screen pass into a 59-yard touchdown with 3:49 left as No. 13 Air Force rallied for a wild 20-13 victory over Brigham Young in the Western Athletic Conference championship.
Blane Morgan, nursing an injured left ankle, replaced the ineffective Cale Bonds in the second quarter and hobbled along for the remainder of the game. Air Force's leading rusher out of the option, Morgan used his arm to rally the Falcons (11-1), hitting Farmer on an inside screen to the left side. The receiver exploded through the defense and cruised into the end zone for a touchdown that gave Air Force a 14-13 lead.
The Falcons had the ball with a chance to run out the clock after fullback Spanky Gilliam bulled for a first down on 3rd-and-2 near the two-minute mark. On the next play, Gilliam broke through the line for a 29-yard touchdown run and Jackson Whiting's extra-point attempt was blocked, leaving Air Force with a 20-13 lead with 1:43 left.
Strangely, that touchdown actually allowed Brigham Young back into the game, since Morgan could have taken a knee to run out the clock. But the Cougars were unable to significantly move the ball on their possession, and Kevin Feterik's pass on 4th-and-11 from inside his own 35-yard line fell incomplete with 27 seconds left.
Gilliam picked up 92 yards on just 10 carries as Air Force won its third WAC title and denied BYU (9-4) its 20th.
The schools will headline a breakaway group that will form the Mountain West Conference next season, making this the offical end of the WAC for themselves, Colorado State, New Mexico, San Diego State, Utah, Nevada-Las Vegas and Wyoming.
BYU's LaVell Edwards finished with a WAC record of 166 wins, while Air Force's Fisher DeBerry finished his conference stint second with 75 triumphs.
Owen Pochman atoned for a pair of first-half kicking gaffes with fourth-quarter field goals of 32 yards with 12:26 left and 34 yards with 5:44 remaining. In the first half, Pochman had one field goal blocked and another hit an upright.
No matter the outcome, both schools had their bowl destinations determined beforehand. Air Force will play in the Hawaii doubleheader on Christmas Day, while Brigham Young will meet unbeaten Tulane in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee on New Year's Eve.
Air Force finished just two points shy from a perfect season, having suffered a 35-34 defeat to Texas Christian on September 26th. The Falcons closed their season with eight straight wins and beat BYU for the second straight time after a 12-game losing streak, improving to 3-16 in the all-time series.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th f
afa 0 0 7 13 20
byu 0 7 0 6 13
falcons 20
cougars 13 final
1st quarter
no scoring
2nd quarter
byu - Mike Rigell 12-yard catch from Feterik
(Pochman kick)
3rd quarter
af - Blaine Morgan 2-yard run (Whiting kick)
4th quarter
byu - Owen Pochman 32-yard field goal
byu - Pochman 34-yard field goal
af - Matt Farmer 59-yard catch from Morgan
(Whiting kick)
af - Spanky Gillam 29-yard run (kick blocked)
Byu Air Force
First downs 29 11
Rushed-yards 48-132 39-111
Passing yards 258 149
Sacked-yards lost 7-45 5-33
Return yards 9 14
Passes 20-42-1 8-13-0
Punts 3-36.7 6-39.0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 3-1
Penalties-yards 3-43 5-49
Time of possession 36:02 23:58
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING: Byu-Jenkins 25-91, Mahe 11-56, Sitake 1-9, Feterik
11-minus 24. Air Force-Gilliam 10-91, Brown 4-19, Singleton
4-19, Becker 2-4, Rillos 1-1, Paroda 1-0, Bonds 5-minus 1,
Mckay 1-minus 2, Morgan 11-minus 20.
PASSING: Byu-Feterik 20-42-1-258. Air Force-Bonds 5-7-0-59,
Morgan 3-6-0-90.
RECEIVING: Byu-Ofahengauo 5-90, Hooks 5-45, Rigell 3-47, Nuno
2-27, Cupp 2-20, Sitake 2-15, Atuaia 1-14. Air Force-Farmer
2-79, Newman 2-43, Mckay 2-24, Brown 2-3.
Att: 32,745
BYU v. Air Force - WAC Championship Game Summary
(Source: Blue & White Sports Network)
1st Quarter:
Air Force looks good on their first drive of the game, getting down to the BYU
30-yard line. On third-and-one, quarterback Cale Bonds to tackled in the
backfield by Derik Stevenson. AFA goes for it on fourth-and-four, but a pass
falls incomplete to give the ball to BYU.
BYU looks horrible on their first possession, with QB Kevin Feterik sacked
on the first two plays and a bad screen on third down. The Cougars punt the
ball back to the Falcons. Air Force returns the favor, however, as they go
three-and-out also.
The Cougars look a little better on their second series, as they get down to
the Air Force 13-yard line. A loss of 3-yards on a sweep, an incompletion,
and another sack sets up a 37-yard field goal try by Owen Pochman. It hits
the upright and bounces out to keep BYU off the scoreboard. KEY PLAYS:
Feterik to Margin Hooks for 12-yards, twice; Carlos Nuno from Feterik for
18-yards.
Thanks to a great catch by Scott McKay, the Falcons get into BYU territory
on their next possession. The drive stalls at the BYU 40 and Air Force punts
the ball away. BYU takes over on their own 12. They run out to the 21 behind
Ronney Jenkins as the quarter ends.
2nd Quarter:
BYU commits the first turnover of the game, as Kevin Feterik's pass is tipped
at the line of scrimmage by Mike Tyler and picked off by C.J. Zanotti. The
Cougars were driving and had the ball at the Falcon 25-yard line. Following
the interception, Air Force takes over at their own 20. The Falcons can't get
anything going and they are forced to punt. The Cougars answer with a punt
of their own.
Air Force brings in Blane Morgan at quarterback for the first time in the
game, but he can't spark the offense either, and the Falcons punt again. The
defensive battle continues as the Cougars are stopped once again, and BYU
punts the ball. BYU gets a break quickly, however, as Air Force fumbles and
the Cougars recover on the AFA 25.
The Cougars capitalize, as Kevin Feterik finds Mike Rigell in the back of the
endzone for the touchdown. The TD was set up by an Air Force fumble
earlier. The Falcons also hurt themselves with a defensive holding penalty.
Air Force gets the ball back, but doesn't go anywhere to end the quarter.
3rd Quarter:
BYU takes the opening kickoff of the second half and drives down to the Air
Force 5. A holding call there forces the Cougars back to the 19-yard line.
The Cougs are stopped, and Owen Pochman is forced to try a field goal.
That kick is blocked and the Falcons recover out near midfield.
The Air Force offense explodes there, scoring on a Blane Morgan touchdown
four plays later. That ties the game at 7-7 after the extra-point is good. KEY
PLAYS: Morgan to Dylan Newman from 30-yards; Spanky Gilliam 15-yard
run.
The Cougars put together another good drive that gets down to the AFA
19-yard line. On fourth down and inches, BYU goes for it but is stopped on
the quarterback sneak and turns the ball over to the Falcons. The Cougars
were also stopped on third down from the same spot. Air Force goes
three-and-out on their series, thanks in part to a Byron Frisch sack of
Morgan. A short Falcon kick sets BYU up at the AFA 42. On the last play of
the quarter, Feterik hooks up with Donny Atuaia to the Air Force 28-yard
line.
4th Quarter:
Owen Pochman's 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter puts BYU in
front 10-7 in this low-scoring WAC Championship. The Cougars drive got to
the Air Force 15, then they stalled out to force the Pochman FG. KEY
PLAY: Feterik to Atuaia for 14-yards.
The BYU defense gives up a first down, but then forces Air Force into
another punting situation. The Cougars set themselves up in a position to put
the game away, but BYU can't sustain a touchdown drive once again. They
get down to the AFA 5-yard line, before Feterik is sacked two straight times.
Owen Pochman makes his second field goal in the quarter to put the
Cougars up 13-7.
That sputter costs the Cougar dearly, as Morgan hooks up with Matt Farmer
for a 59-yard touchdown strike with 3:49 remaining. The extra-point gives Air
Force the 14-13 lead. The screen pass for the score came on 3rd
down-and-11. KEY PLAY: Gilliam 22-yard run.
BYU gets out to their own 42, thanks in part to personal foul penalty on the
Falcons. But the Cougars can't convert and turn the ball over on downs at
their own 42. That forces the defense to stop Air Force or the game is over.
On third-and-2 for the Falcons, Spanky Gilliam fights forward for the first
down. On the next play, Gilliam breaks loose for a 29-yard touchdown run to
put Air Force up 20-13 after the extra point is blocked. The touchdown,
however, keeps the Falcons from running the clock out and gives BYU one
last chance.
The Cougars can't get done, and turn the ball over at their own 33 with under
30 seconds on the clock. AFA takes a knee and wins their first outright
WAC Championship.
(Source: Blue & White Sports Network)
|
