B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

Chucking it downfield seems to be San Jose State's preferred method of transportation. I haven't been able to do it since Remsberg graduated.

The comebacks in this game are crazy! Gotta watch your back...

Comebacks giveth and comebacks taketh away in this game. We saw it in the final minute of that game. I'm not sure I've ever played a version of NCAA Football in which the CPU has the ability to come from behind like it does in this one. I like it! There were times I just knew the CPU was incapable of coming back and I had a game won if I was leading with under two minutes to go. The CPU still does stupid things, like rush to the line with under 10 seconds left to spike the ball when there's a timeout available, leaving itself time for only one more play or maybe even having the clock run out.

[BDawg35]

2021 SEASON, GAME 10


Air Force defensive end Quinton Sanders sacks Colorado State quarterback Judd Erickson, forcing a fumble that
the Rams recovered.

Grinding it out
Air Force sticks to run game,
finally beats Colorado State

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — B-Dawg didn’t want the 2021 Air Force-Coloardo State football game to degenerate into an aerial circus.

He knew that was a battle he probably couldn’t win.

The Rams were in full robo-QB mode in their first three games against the Falcons in this dynasty, beating Air Force each time.

Colorado State quarterbacks were 83-for-103 (80.6%) for 1,158 yards, 10 touchdowns and no interceptions in those games, as the Rams averaged 54 points a game.

It’s the stuff of B-Dawg’s worst nightmares.

“No team scares me more than Colorado State,” B-Dawg said this week. “They don’t always have a good record, but their chuck-and-duck style of play eats us alive. I feel powerless to stop it.”

The best defense, B-Dawg figured, was an offense that kept the ball away from the Rams.

No. 21 Air Force carried out its game plan to the letter, racking up a huge advantage in time of possession to finally win the Ram-Falcon Trophy, 47-28, on Nov. 13, 2021.

The Falcons had the ball for 23:49, while Colorado State had it for only 12:11. The Rams still milked plenty of plays out of a small time of possession total, as quarterback Judd Erickson threw the ball 48 times, completing 37 passes for 458 yards and three touchdowns.

Air Force (8-2) countered by revitalizing the Heisman Trophy candidacy of junior halfback Trey Taylor, who ran 23 times for 210 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons ran the ball 45 times for 265 yards and still got 284 yards through the air on only 27 pass attempts.

“Their run defense is ranked 120th in the nation, so we figured we would have some success on the ground while keeping the ball away from their quarterback,” B-Dawg said. “It’s amazing they still got the ball in the air that much in 12 minutes. I’m a firm believer that you still have to run the ball to win in football, despite the ridiculous numbers being posted in this era.”

It looked like robo-QB was in full effect once again when Erickson completed his first 14 passes for 167 yards in just over a quarter of play. Auston Deason broke up a pass to end that streak with 8:15 left in the second quarter and a dropped third-and-14 pass inside the 10-yard line two plays later led to a failed 47-yard field goal attempt.

“Those are the kinds of breaks we weren’t getting against these guys before,” B-Dawg said. “We just need a few. We can score points; we just can’t be in a position where we’re forced to match touchdown for touchdown.”

After Air Force took a 21-14 lead on the next drive, Erickson came right back and threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Falcon killer Tyler Smith. The senior receiver caught seven passes for 112 yards and two touchdowns and has 23 catches for 380 yards and six touchdowns in four games against Air Force.

“I will be happy to never see Tyler Smith again,” B-Dawg said.

Smith’s touchdown came with 3:57 left in the second quarter. Given the fact the Rams put up a record 72 points against Air Force last season, nobody could have seen the Falcons’ defense shutting out the Rams until they scored a meaningless touchdown on the final play of the game.

The Falcons scored 26 straight points to win going away.



Air Force receiver Cameron Everts grabs a touchdown catch from Haaziq
Daniels.

Next man up

Things looked dicey for Air Force when starting quarterback Zachary Larrier was injured with 7:43 left in the first quarter while delivering a pass.

But there isn’t much of a drop off from Larrier, who is 81 OVR, to his backup Haaziq Daniels, who is 78 OVR.

Daniels couldn’t have been much better keeping the seat warm until Larrier returned, going 7-for-9 for 92 yards and a touchdown. On Daniels’ first pass, he connected with Cameron Everts for a 22-yard touchdown.


Mmmmmm … paaaaaancakes!

Pancake blocks have been a rarity in this dynasty, so it was shocking to see the Falcons’ performance as blockers against the Rams.

As a team, Air Force had 13 total pancakes. Tight end Chris Kane set a record with five and fullback Brad Tremblay tied the old mark with three.

That’s more pancakes in one game than Air Force has had in any one entire season. The Falcons had only six pancakes in 2018, three in 2019 and 11 in 2020.

COLORADO STATE RAMS at AIR FORCE FALCONS
Nov. 13, 2021	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Colorado State Rams (3-8)	14	7	0	7	28
#21 Air Force Falcons (8-2)	14	13	14	6	47

Team Stats Comparison
	CSU	AFA
Total Offense	474	549
Rushing Yards	17-16	45-265
Passing Yards	458	284
First Downs	23	26
Punt Return Yards	0	21
Kick Return Yards	0	93
Total Yards	474	663
Turnovers	0	0
3rd Down Conversion	4-10	6-10
4th Down Conversion	0-2	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	3-3-0	6-5-1
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Possession Time	12:11	23:49

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER		CSU	AFA
5:47	(CSU) J. Fletcher 7 run (T. Wilson kick)	7	0
5:21	(AFA) C. Everts 22 pass from H. Daniels (D. Chapeau kick)	7	7
4:56	(CSU) T. Smith 4 pass from J. Erickson (T. Wilson kick)	14	7
:43	(AFA) T. Taylor 2 run (D. Chapeau kick)	14	14
SECOND QUARTER		CSU	AFA
4:52	(AFA) T. Taylor 5 run (D. Chapeau kick)	14	21
3:57	(CSU) T. Smith 53 pass from J. Erickson (T. Wilson kick)	21	21
1:59	(AFA) D. Chapeau 43 field goal	21	24
:00	(AFA) D. Chapeau 20 field goal	21	27
THIRD QUARTER		CSU	AFA
5:50	(AFA) L. Sturbelle 14 pass from Z. Larrier (D. Chapeau kick)	21	34
:27	(AFA) T. Taylor 4 run (D. Chapeau kick)	21	41
FOURTH QUARTER		CSU	AFA
:42	(AFA) B. Tremblay 1 run (pass failed)	21	47
:00	(CSU) J. Fletcher 7 pass from J. Erickson (T. Wilson kick)	28	47

COLORADO STATE RAMS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Judd Erickson 37/48 458 3 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Joel Fletcher 10 39 3.9 1 Judd Erickson 7 -23 -3.2 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD A'Jon Vivens 8 106 13.2 0 Isiah Pannunzio 8 79 9.8 0 Tyler Smith 7 112 15.9 2 Nikko Hall 4 54 13.5 0 Trey McBride 4 39 9.7 0 Joel Fletcher 4 37 9.2 1 Alex McDowell 2 31 15.5 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Joctavis Phillips 1 0 James Foster 1 0 Trey McBride 1 0 Barry Wesley 0 3 Kavesz Sherard 0 2 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Zach Schlager 10 1 0 0 Corey Ridgeway 9 0 0 0 Chris Armstrong 8 0 0 0 Bryant Chambers 6 1 0 0 Quinn Brinnon 6 1 1 0 Dajon Owens 4 1 0 0 Devin Phillips 4 0 0 0 Rashad Ajayi 3 0 0 0 DeQuan Jackson 3 1 0 0 Brandon Derrow 3 0 0 0 Christian Cumber 2 0 0 0 Trey McBride 1 0 0 0 Michael Newsome 1 1 0 0 Ryan Huffman 1 0 0 0 Livingston Paogofie 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Travis Wilson 0/2 4/4 4 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Kevin Foster 2 86 43.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Team 0 0 0.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Team 0 0 0.0 0

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Zachary Larrier 13/18 192 1 0 Haaziq Daniels 7/9 92 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Trey Taylor 23 210 9.1 3 Zachary Larrier 11 27 2.4 0 Joshua Stoner 5 19 3.8 0 Luc Sturbelle 3 6 2.0 0 Matt Howard 1 1 1.0 0 Brad Tremblay 1 1 1.0 1 Haaziq Daniels 1 1 1.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cameron Everts 7 126 17.9 1 Luc Sturbelle 4 68 17.0 1 Trey Taylor 4 50 12.5 0 Trent Brown 3 12 4.0 0 Chris Kane 1 18 18.0 0 Brad Tremblay 1 10 10.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Chris Kane 5 0 Brad Tremblay 3 0 Graham Lakin 2 0 Tommy Brandt 1 0 N.Hoffman/J.McDowell 1/1 0/0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Grant Donaldson 9 3 1 0 Jeff Porter 6 3 1 0 Jalen Mergerson 6 0 0 0 Auston Deason 5 0 0 0 Gary Mossop 4 0 0 0 Jace Bobo 4 3 1 0 Mark Monroe 3 1 0 0 Demonte Meeks 3 0 0 0 Eian Castonguay 3 0 0 0 Nate Wilson 2 0 0 0 Quinton Sanders 2 2 2 0 Isaiah Nunez 2 1 1 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG David Chapeau 2/2 5/5 11 43 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Fabrizio Pinton 2 83 41.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Luc Sturbelle 4 93 23.3 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Luc Sturbelle 2 21 10.5 0

[BDawg35]

2021 HEISMAN UPDATE/AWARDS FINALISTS



1. JAELEN GILL, HB, Ohio State, rJr.
Stats: 240 carries, 1,388 yards, 13 TD; 32 catches, 424 yards, 5 TD

2. TREVOR LAWRENCE, QB, Clemson, Sr.
Stats: 211-for-297, 3,082 yards, 39 TD, 6 int.; 116 carries, 481 yards, 4 TD

3. CORDARRIAN RICHARDSON, HB, Texas A&M, rSr.
Stats: 179 carries, 1,266 yards, 18 TD; 22 catches, 293 yards, 1 TD

4. TREY TAYLOR, HB, Air Force, Jr.
Stats: 227 carries, 1,107 yards, 20 TD; 40 catches, 299 yards, 2 TD

5. DESMOND RIDDER, QB, Cincinnati, rSr.
Stats: 212-for-308, 3,522 yards, 37 TD, 4 int.; 77 carries, 244 yards, 2 TD





GROZA AWARD

1. Anders Carlson, Auburn, rSr.
Stats: 20-21 FG, 54 long; 12 touchbacks

2. David Chapeau, Air Force, Jr.
Stats: 15-for-15 FG, 51 long, 62 touchbacks

3. Peyton Henry, Washington, rSr.
Stats: 16-for-18 FG, 52 long, 11 touchbacks

[Deuce2223]

Re: B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

So I got no idea who that Gabers kid is at QB for the Broncos, but I am so proud of him and my Broncos. You know you got my support for every game but that one. Was shocked to see you fall to the Spartans. Obviously you are still going bowling and have had a successful season, but I am sure that was not a loss you expected.

It's sad how much the Heisman vote loves dual stat guy's. Its either a RB who has 300+ yds and some receiving TD's or a QB who has rushing stats and TD's to go with his passing #'s.

But I will say I am impressed by your actually normal looking stats. I am on a Facebook page for NCAA14 and guy's are posting stats where their QB is throwing for 8000 yds and 70 TD's in a season or a RB with 3000 yds and 50 TD in a year.. Must be fun playing on Freshman mode and spamming 4 verts all the time for some people.

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

So I got no idea who that Gabers kid is at QB for the Broncos, but I am so proud of him and my Broncos. You know you got my support for every game but that one. Was shocked to see you fall to the Spartans. Obviously you are still going bowling and have had a successful season, but I am sure that was not a loss you expected.

It's sad how much the Heisman vote loves dual stat guy's. Its either a RB who has 300+ yds and some receiving TD's or a QB who has rushing stats and TD's to go with his passing #'s.

But I will say I am impressed by your actually normal looking stats. I am on a Facebook page for NCAA14 and guy's are posting stats where their QB is throwing for 8000 yds and 70 TD's in a season or a RB with 3000 yds and 50 TD in a year.. Must be fun playing on Freshman mode and spamming 4 verts all the time for some people.

I can't remember now if that Boise State quarterback is a recruit since the dynasty started or a holdover from the 2018 roster.

I hear you on the video game numbers. When I first bought NCAA 2003 way back when, I put on cheat pennants and played 15-minute quarter games to see what kind of numbers I could rack up. That was fun for maybe a nano-second. I take pride in having a pretty balanced attack most of the time. Things got a little silly with Kadin Remsberg, but now that I don't have that mismatch to exploit, I need to spread the ball around. Slot receivers running routes of 8 to 15 yards are particularly valuable in my attack now.

[djp73]

Re: 2021 SEASON, GAME 8

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospects/2017/chase-garbers-18439

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb...garbers-1.html

[BDawg35]

2021 SEASON, GAME 11


Quinton Sanders sacks Sean Chambers on a 2-point conversion in the third quarter.

Fulfilling promise
Sanders’ sack on 2-point attempt
critical play in win over Wyoming

LARAMIE, Wyo. — In order to talk sophomore defensive end Quinton Sanders into staying at Air Force, coach B-Dawg promised him, among other things, that he would get 20 tackles and five sacks.

Sanders is lagging behind in those categories, with only 14 tackles and three sacks through 11 games. He has played in every game, meeting the promise that he’d played in at least nine games.

Ironically, Sanders’ biggest sack of the season won’t even count toward his official stats.

Sanders brought down Wyoming quarterback Sean Chambers during a 2-point conversion with 6:41 left in the third quarter, which allowed 18th-ranked Air Force to maintain a 2-point lead. It also allowed the Falcons to go ahead by two possessions with subsequent touchdowns in a 42-33 victory over the Cowboys on Nov. 20, 2021.

Stats from 2-point conversions don’t count, so there’s no record of Sanders picking up a sack against Wyoming. But, the way B-Dawg saw it, that was the biggest play in a game dominated by offense.

“Because Quinton made that sack, we were able to breathe a little more easily whenever we scored a touchdown,” B-Dawg said. “Granted, our defense was pretty leaky today and gave up touchdowns like they were going out of style, but we were able to maintain the lead the rest of the way because of that play.”

The teams traded touchdowns the rest of the way, with Air Force’s leads alternating from two points to nine points.

Wyoming kept the heat on the Falcons, cutting their lead to 35-33 on a 4-yard run by Xazavian Valladay with 4:15 left in the game. Valladay bowled over linebacker Demonte Meeks, who had a roughing the passer penalty earlier on the drive.

It was the Falcons’ turn to match the touchdown and prevent the Cowboys from getting the ball back with a chance to win the game.

Air Force marched 78 yards in seven plays, re-establishing its nine-point lead when Trey Taylor scored on a 12-yard run with 1:53 remaining.

Taylor strengthened his Heisman Trophy candidacy by running 24 times for 234 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor has 47 carries for 444 yards and five touchdowns in the last two games. He also caught four passes for 36 yards, which will certainly appeal to EA Sports’ Heisman engine.

Wyoming’s final possession ended with a dropped pass on fourth-and-four with 13 seconds remaining.

Air Force came into the game with the top-ranked rushing defense in the nation, but allowed 182 yards on 31 carries. The Falcons also allowed Chambers to go 27-for-33 for 306 yards through the air.

“Offenses that can mix it up give us the most problems,” B-Dawg said. “If a team is one-dimensional, we can zero in on their strength and nullify it. Wyoming kept us on our heels, never knowing what was coming next.”


Linebacker Grant Donaldson celebrates a big play by the Air Force defense.

AIR FORCE FALCONS at WYOMING COWBOYS
Nov. 20, 2021	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
#18 Air Force Falcons (9-2)	7	14	7	14	42
Wyoming Cowboys (5-6)	7	6	6	14	33

Team Stats Comparison
	AFA	WYO
Total Offense	560	488
Rushing Yards	44-372	31-182
Passing Yards	188	306
First Downs	26	25
Punt Return Yards	5	7
Kick Return Yards	171	27
Total Yards	736	522
Turnovers	1	1
3rd Down Conversion	2-5	3-10
4th Down Conversion	1-2	2-3
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-1
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	6-6-0	6-3-2
Penalties	1-15	0-0
Possession Time	19:29	16:31

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER		AFA	WYO
6:57	(AFA) Z. Larrier 5 run (D. Chapeau kick)	7	0
2:56	(WYO) S. Chambers 21 run (L. Willis kick)	7	7
SECOND QUARTER		AFA	WYO
8:09	(AFA) T. Taylor 1 run (D. Chapeau kick)	14	7
4:34	(WYO) L. Willis 32 field goal	14	10
2:31	(WYO) L. Willis 19 field goal	14	13
:18	(AFA) Z. Larrier 4 run (D. Chapeau kick)	21	13
THIRD QUARTER		AFA	WYO
6:41	(WYO) J. Scott 2 pass from S. Chambers (pass failed)	21	19
3:14	(AFA) J. Stoner 1 run (D. Chapeau kick)	28	19
FOURTH QUARTER		AFA	WYO
7:20	(WYO) X. Valladay 2 run (L. Willis kick)	28	26
5:44	(AFA) J. Stoner 5 run (D. Chapeau kick)	35	26
4:15	(WYO) X. Valladay 4 run (L. Willis kick)	35	33
1:53	(AFA) T. Taylor 12 run (D. Chapeau kick)	42	33

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Zachary Larrier 18/21 188 0 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Trey Taylor 24 234 9.7 2 Joshua Stoner 9 81 9.0 2 Zachary Larrier 10 57 5.7 2 Luc Sturbelle 1 0 0.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Trent Brown 5 27 5.4 0 Trey Taylor 4 36 9.0 0 Cameron Everts 3 34 11.3 0 Luc Sturbelle 2 30 15.0 0 Joshua Stoner 2 8 4.0 0 Chris Kane 1 27 27.0 0 Hunter Williams 1 26 26.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Brad Tremblay 4 0 Chris Kane 2 0 Ryan Keating 1 0 Jackson McDowell 1 0 Graham Lakin 1 0 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Demonte Meeks 9 1 0 0 Grant Donaldson 8 1 0 0 Gary Mossop 8 0 0 0 Jalen Mergerson 8 1 0 0 Isaiah Nunez 4 2 1 0 Auston Deason 4 0 0 0 Jeff Porter 4 0 0 0 Mark Monroe 4 1 0 0 Jace Bobo 2 0 0 1 Quinton Sanders 1 0 0 0 Eian Castonguay 1 0 0 0 Brad Tremblay 1 0 0 0 Nate Wilson 1 0 0 0 Kamakani Crosby 1 0 0 0 Luc Sturbelle 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG David Chapeau 0/0 6/6 6 0 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Fabrizio Pinton 1 39 39.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Luc Sturbelle 7 171 24.4 34 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Luc Sturbelle 1 5 5.0 5

WYOMING COWBOYS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Sean Chambers 27/33 306 1 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Xazavian Valladay 19 98 5.1 2 Sean Chambers 11 82 7.4 1 Kyle Green 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Gunner Gentry 7 66 9.4 0 Gary Wayne 6 117 19.5 0 Nate Weinman 5 24 4.8 0 Jared Scott 3 40 13.3 1 Kyle Green 3 32 10.7 0 Xazavian Valladay 3 27 9.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Gary Wayne 1 0 Patrick Arnold 1 0 Nate Weinman 1 0 Eric Abojei 1 0 Keegan Cryder 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Ryan G. Gaupula 10 2 0 0 Mike Davis 8 0 0 0 Chad Muma 7 0 0 0 Jack Odom 7 0 0 0 Jelani Ellison 7 1 0 0 Blake Blount 5 0 0 0 Keyon Blankenbaker 5 0 0 0 Davon Wells-Ross 4 1 1 0 Miles Williams 2 0 0 0 C.J. Coldon 2 0 0 0 Gavin Dunayski 2 1 0 0 Daniel Reddick 2 0 0 0 Victor Jones 2 0 0 0 Ayden Eberhardt 2 0 0 0 N.Weinman/J.Jackson 1/1 0/0 0/0 0/0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Lance Willis 2/2 3/3 6 33 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Walter Huff 2 55 27.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Xazavian Valladay 1 27 27.0 27 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Chad Muma 1 7 7.0 7

[BDawg35]

2021 BCS UPDATE

Boy-Z State could play for natty

Could a Mountain West Conference football team play for the 2021 national championship?

Boy-Z State is in position to earn a berth in the BCS championship game following recent shakeups near the top of the rankings.

The Broncos moved to second in the rankings after they beat New Mexico, 35-17, and No. 2 Cincinnati lost to Southern Methodist, 42-35. The Bearcats plummeted to No. 11 after the loss.

One week earlier, top-ranked Michigan State was beaten by Maryland, 21-16.

Oregon tops the rankings, protecting its status with a 42-21 victory at Arizona State. Notre Dame is No. 3, moving up two spots after being idle, and Florida No. 4 after battling for a 48-42 overtime victory at Missouri.

[BDawg35]

2021 HEISMAN UPDATE



1. TREY TAYLOR, HB, Air Force, Jr.
Stats: 251 carries, 1,341 yards, 22 TD; 44 catches, 335 yards, 2 TD
Last game: 24 carries, 234 yards, 2 TD; 4 catches, 36 yards in 42-33 victory at Wyoming

2. JAELEN GILL, HB, Ohio State, rJr.
Stats: 260 carries, 1,490 yards, 14 TD; 33 catches, 451 yards, 5 TD
Last game: 20 carries, 102 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 27 yards in 37-20 victory at Indiana

3. TREVOR LAWRENCE, QB, Clemson, Sr.
Stats: 224-for-319, 3,300 yards, 42 TD, 6 int.; 134 carries, 579 yards, 4 TD
Last game: 13-for-22, 218 yards, 3 TD; 18 carries, 98 yards in 42-20 victory vs. Boston College

4. CORDARRIAN RICHARDSON, HB, Texas A&M, rSr.
Stats: 196 carries, 1,384 yards, 18 TD; 27 catches, 363 yards, 2 TD
Last game: 17 carries, 118 yards; 5 catches, 70 yards, 1 TD in 41-31 victory vs. Alabama

5. C.J. VERDELL, HB, Oregon, rSr.
Stats: 194 carries, 1,301 yards, 15 TD; 18 catches, 275 yards, 2 TD
Last game: 16 carries, 105 yards, 2 TD in 42-21 victory vs. Arizona State

[BDawg35]

2021 SEASON, GAME 12


Joshua Stoner scores the winning touchdown on a 5-yard run in overtime.

DODGING BULLET
Overturned fumble changes momentum
for Air Force in OT victory over Hawaii

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — It couldn’t have been a much worse start for Air Force’s football team, but the hole looked like it was about to get deeper.

Trailing 14-0 after allowing two long touchdown runs to Hawaii, the Falcons were at risk of having more damage inflicted on them when Heisman Trophy front-runner Trey Taylor fumbled the ball with 1:34 left in the first quarter.

It was what Air Force coach B-Dawg calls a “hit the reset button” moment.

But the Falcons finally caught a break, complements of replay review.

It was ruled that Taylor was already down when the ball came loose, but the Falcons flirted with disaster further when quarterback Zachary Larrier legit fumbled on a scramble later in the drive. This time, it was receiver Cameron Everts who bailed out the Falcons, recovering the loose ball.

After dodging two bullets, 16th-ranked Air Force finally scored a touchdown, reversing Hawaii’s early momentum in what would become a 38-31 overtime victory over the Warriors on Nov. 27, 2021.

“If we lose that fumble by Trey, or even the fumble by Zachary, this game gets away from us in a hurry,” B-Dawg said. “Game momentum is real. This would have spiraled into something really ugly. Conversely, things settled down once we got into the end zone.”

The Falcons still had a major battle on their hands against an unranked Hawaii team that finished its season with a 5-7 record, missing a bowl game with the loss. But at least Air Force wasn’t chasing the game, which would have been the case if Hawaii managed to get up 17-0 or 21-0 following the early fumbles.

Taylor broke the Air Force single-season record for rushing touchdowns when his 16-yard run for the Falcons’ first score boosted his total to 23. He broke the mark of 22 set by Chance Harridge in 2002.

After back-to-back 200-yard rushing games, Taylor ran for 109 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.

But Taylor wasn’t the rushing hero in this game.

Because of how players fatigue out of games in NCAA ’14, Taylor wasn’t around with the game on the line. That enabled backup running back Joshua Stoner to have some moments he’ll never forget.

Stoner’s 3-yard run with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter sent the game to overtime before his 5-yard run won the game. The Falcons called “strong stretch” on the play, but Stoner had the presence of mind to cut the ball inside because the outside edge was covered. It took Air Force six plays to cover the 25 yards on the first possession of overtime.

Hawaii started its possession with a 15-yard catch by Julius Allen before the Falcons’ defense stepped up. Cornerback Eian Castonguay tackled quarterback Jeremy Moussa for a 1-yard loss on second-and-eight, cornerback Mark Monroe broke up a pass on third down and defensive tackle Kamakani Crosby hit Moussa on the fourth-down pass from the 9-yard line, forcing the ball to fall harmlessly to the ground.

“My wife called just before the third down play, so I had the game paused and had a lot of time to think about how I wanted to defend things,” B-Dawg said. “It’s not like I wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying, but I wasn’t paying attention to what she was saying.”

B-Dawg went with Max Zone out of the 4-2-5, but rushed the defensive ends, rather than having them drop into coverage.

It was the first overtime victory in this dynasty for the Falcons, who were 0-3 in games that went beyond regulation time.



Hawaii’s Hekili Keliliki had 159 yards and 2 TD’s only 8 carries.

Hawaii’s option deadly

Also outperforming Taylor on the ground on this day were Moussa and Hekili Keliliki. Moussa ran the option to perfection, leading the Warriors to 295 yards on 42 carries against the top-ranked rushing defense in the nation.

Moussa ran 18 times for 67 yards and a 34-yard touchdown, but did his best work with timely pitches to Keliliki, who had 159 yards and two touchdowns on only eight carries.

“We had a 21:08 to 14:52 advantage in time of possession,” B-Dawg said. “If we didn’t keep the ball away from them as well as we did, those numbers could have been in the stratosphere. We slowed them a bit after they had two long touchdowns to start the game, but I never felt comfortable on defense.”


Winning in spite of QB

Air Force had no business winning this game if you took Larrier’s passing performance into account.

Larrier threw five interceptions, the first of which led to the second Hawaii touchdown. He was 22-for-39 for 256 yards and didn’t throw a touchdown.

Triston Anderson, an 84 OVR red-shirt junior cornerback, had three interceptions.

“I’ve had quarterbacks throw five interceptions plenty of times, but I’m not sure I’ve ever won a game in which the quarterback threw five picks and didn’t throw for a touchdown,” B-Dawg said.

HAWAII WARRIORS at AIR FORCE FALCONS
Nov. 27, 2021	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Hawaii Warriors (5-7)	14	7	0	10	0	31
#16 Air Force Falcons (10-2)	0	17	7	7	7	38

Team Stats Comparison
	HAW	AFA
Total Offense	443	444
Rushing Yards	42-295	42-188
Passing Yards	148	256
First Downs	15	27
Punt Return Yards	0	40
Kick Return Yards	23	138
Total Yards	466	622
Turnovers	1	5
3rd Down Conversion	3-11	7-12
4th Down Conversion	0-1	1-1
2-Point Conversion	0-0	0-0
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	4-2-1	7-5-1
Penalties	0-0	0-0
Possession Time	14:52	21:08

Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER		HAW	AFA
6:49	(HAW) H. Keliliki 63 run (J. Harrell kick)	7	0
2:27	(HAW) J. Moussa 34 run (J. Harrell kick)	14	0
SECOND QUARTER		HAW	AFA
8:55	(AFA) T. Taylor 16 run (D. Chapeau kick)	14	7
5:02	(AFA) T. Taylor 7 run (D. Chapeau kick)	14	14
:25	(AFA) D. Chapeau 20 field goal	14	17
:02	(HAW) E. Rooks 8 pass from J. Moussa (J. Harrell kick)	21	17
THIRD QUARTER		HAW	AFA
2:25	(AFA) T. Taylor 11 run (D. Chapeau kick)	21	24
FOURTH QUARTER		HAW	AFA
7:35	(HAW) J. Harrell 17 field goal	24	24
4:51	(HAW) H. Keliliki 20 run (J. Harrell kick)	31	24
:28	(AFA) J. Stoner 3 run (D. Chapeau kick)	31	31
OVERTIME		HAW	AFA
---	(AFA) J. Stoner 5 run (D. Chapeau kick)	31	38

HAWAII WARRIORS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jeremy Moussa 10/17 148 1 0 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Hekili Keliliki 8 159 19.8 2 Jeremy Moussa 18 67 3.7 1 Jason Bozeman 4 37 9.2 0 Eddie Curry 11 25 2.2 0 Miles Reed 1 7 7.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Julius Allen 4 49 12.2 0 Drake Stallworth 3 46 15.3 0 Eric Rooks 2 48 24.0 1 Eddie Curry 1 5 5.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Hekili Keliliki 2 0 Noah Bean 1 0 Eric Rooks 1 0 Dan Adams 1 0 Jimmy McDaniel 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Jay Dominique 13 2 0 1 Tim Richardson 8 0 0 0 Paul Scott 6 2 0 0 Triston Anderson 6 0 0 3 David Stewart 5 2 0 0 Blessman Ta'Ala 5 1 1 0 John Franklin 5 3 0 0 Akil Francisco 4 0 0 0 Kevin Flowers 3 0 0 0 Donovan Dalton 3 0 0 1 Sam Dougherty 2 0 0 0 Kevin Davis 2 0 0 0 Austin Austin 2 1 0 0 Jonah K. Welch 1 1 0 0 Kai Kaneshiro 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Jason Harrell 1/3 4/4 7 18 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Charles McNamara 4 162 40.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Eric Rooks 1 23 23.0 23 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Team 0 0 0.0 0

AIR FORCE FALCONS PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Zachary Larrier 22/39 256 0 5 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Trey Taylor 23 109 4.7 3 Zachary Larrier 9 46 5.1 0 Joshua Stoner 9 35 3.8 2 Matt Howard 1 -2 -2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Cameron Everts 6 82 13.7 0 Trey Taylor 6 41 6.8 0 Hunter Williams 3 56 18.7 0 Luc Sturbelle 3 48 16.0 0 Chris Kane 2 18 9.0 0 Joshua Stoner 1 12 12.0 0 Brandon Lewis 1 -1 -1.0 0 BLOCKING PANCAKE SACK Graham Lakin 0 1 DEFENSE TACK TFL SACK INT Jalen Mergerson 8 1 0 0 Gary Mossop 7 3 0 0 Nate Wilson 5 2 0 0 Isaiah Nunez 4 1 1 0 Demonte Meeks 3 1 1 0 Jeff Porter 3 1 0 0 Mark Monroe 3 0 0 0 Auston Deason 3 1 0 0 Tommy Brandt 2 0 0 0 Cameron Everts 2 0 0 0 Jace Bobo 2 1 0 0 Kamakani Crosby 2 0 0 0 Grant Donaldson 2 1 0 0 Quinton Sanders 2 0 0 0 Eian Castonguay 1 1 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG David Chapeau 1/2 5/5 8 21 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Fabrizio Pinton 1 49 49.0 1 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Luc Sturbelle 5 138 27.6 41 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG LG Luc Sturbelle 3 34 11.3 13 Auston Deason 1 6 6.0 6

[BDawg35]

2021 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP WEEK/FINAL BCS RANKINGS

SDSU spoils Boy-Z State’s
national championship hopes

It would have been a major feather in the cap of the Mountain West Conference, not to mention quite a few dollars in the coffers of the member schools, if Boy-Z State got one of the bids in the BCS championship game.

But San Diego State wasn’t interested in taking one for the conference.

The Aztecs ended the Broncos’ national championship hopes by beating them, 35-28, in overtime in the MWC championship game.

Boy-Z State entered the game No. 2 in the BCS rankings.

San Diego State led 21-14 after three quarters, allowed a touchdown with 2:50 remaining, then forced overtime on a 6-yard run by Zach Castillo with 17 seconds remaining. The Aztecs won the game on a 25-yard pass from Carson Baker to Rashad Scott in overtime.

Boy-Z State wasn’t the only team to blow a shot at the BCS championship game. Oregon, which came into the Pac-12 Conference championship game ranked No. 1, lost 35-28 to USC.

The championship game will pit Michigan State against Florida. MSU was ranked No. 1 before a loss to Maryland, but rallied to win its last three games. The Spartans were No. 4 coming into conference championship week.

Florida rose from No. 3 to No. 2 simply by sitting at home. The Gators didn’t play in the SEC championship game because of a 43-28 loss to Georgia in October. Florida won its final three games, including a 48-42 overtime decision over Missouri to end the regular season.


2021 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES

Conference USA: Texas-San Antonio 20, Florida Atlantic 10
American: Cincinnati 48, Houston 41 (OT)
SEC: Auburn 31, Georgia 28
Mountain West: San Diego State 35, Boy-Z State 28 (OT)
Pac-12: USC 35, Oregon 28
ACC: Clemson 38, The U 26
Big Ten: Michigan State 35, Nebraska 30
MAC: Toledo 34, Akron 28


FINAL 2021 BCS RANKINGS

1. Michigan State (12-1)
2. Florida (11-1)
3. Clemson (12-1)
4. Oregon (12-1)
5. Auburn (11-2)
6. USC (10-3)
7. Cincinnati (12-1)
8. Boy-Z State (12-1)
9. Notre Dame (9-3)
10. The U (11-2)
11. Nebraska (11-2)
12. Maryland (9-3)
13. Georgia (10-3)
14. Ohio State (8-4)
15. Oklahoma (10-2)
16. AIR FORCE (10-2)
17. Tulsa (10-2)
18. Houston (11-2)
19. LSU (9-3)
20. Minnesota (8-4)
21. Wisconsin (8-4)
22. UCLA (9-3)
23. Texas A&M (8-4)
24. San Diego State (10-3)
25. Virginia Tech (8-4)

[Deuce2223]

Re: 2021 SEASON, GAME 8

https://n.rivals.com/content/prospec...-garbers-18439

https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb...garbers-1.html

Good to know. Looks like Boise State actually tried recruiting him in real life too, but we actually signed Chase Cord in 2016 for the 2017 class.. Sadly Cord (great kid and talented player) struggled with injuries and ended up calling it a career this year. BSU has Hank Bachmeier and the USC transfer Jack Sears battling it out for this upcoming season but will be interesting to see if the new coaching staff can land some future talent.

[Careless Whisper]

Re: B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

Really exciting regular season, I can see why this dynasty feels different from the Western Michigan one from back in the day. Each opponent and game can provide a variety of outcomes and there hasn't been many contests that felt like sure wins before kicking off. Looking forward to the bowl and if Taylor brings home the Heisman!

[Deuce2223]

Re: B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

Not going to lie, seeing BSU lose breaks my heart..

[BDawg35]

Re: B-Dawg's Air Force Falcons: Flying high A.F.

Good to know. Looks like Boise State actually tried recruiting him in real life too, but we actually signed Chase Cord in 2016 for the 2017 class.. Sadly Cord (great kid and talented player) struggled with injuries and ended up calling it a career this year. BSU has Hank Bachmeier and the USC transfer Jack Sears battling it out for this upcoming season but will be interesting to see if the new coaching staff can land some future talent.

Yeah, with transfers in this game there will be some guys ending up at schools they don't play for in real life. I remember the first time I saw something like that years ago with Shane Vereen. I always assumed he was an Air Force running back, because that's where he was when I played a game against Air Force, but he actually played for Cal (like Garbers). I'm wondering with coaching changes in this game if I'm going to play Army or Navy one of these years and they're chucking the rock all over the field. (They should, because I seem to have solved their option attacks.)

Really exciting regular season, I can see why this dynasty feels different from the Western Michigan one from back in the day. Each opponent and game can provide a variety of outcomes and there hasn't been many contests that felt like sure wins before kicking off. Looking forward to the bowl and if Taylor brings home the Heisman!

I get excited every time I sit down to play a game. I try to squeeze in 4-5 games a week during weekday afternoons. I played a game yesterday that I won 40-13, but it was pretty tense well into the third quarter before I pulled away. In my current season (2024), I've had great defensive games against nationally ranked teams and been lit up like a Christmas tree by a MWC team. Every game is a mystery, which makes it exciting.

Not going to lie, seeing BSU lose breaks my heart..

Getting to play them twice a year, and every other year on that glorious blue turf, was one of the appeals of coming to Air Force. They're too good to do a start-up dynasty with, though I've always wanted to.