AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. — The Air Force triple option attack ran roughshod over the New Mexico Lobos on Saturday as the Falcons cruised to a comfortable victory over the Lobos, ending UNM’s hopes of bowl eligibility.
The Falcons took home a 42-24 victory, their first since a win over UNLV on Oct. 19 and racked up 623 yards of total offense, 478 of which came on the ground, the most that the Lobos have given up on the ground since they gave up 417 to Wisconsin.
“We’re not real good right now,” head football coach Bob Davie said. “We had our opportunities, at least we forced some turnovers to try and make it a competitive game.”
UNM struggled to create much offense early on in the first quarter, as all three drives for UNM ended with punts.
Air Force found its offensive rhythm immediately, as DJ Hammond III got the start for the Falcons at quarterback and wasted no time leading a march down the field that ended with an opening drive touchdown and gave the Falcons at 7-0 lead.
The Lobos started Coltin Gerhart at quarterback for the second straight week, which had been in doubt leading up to the game after Davie said on Tuesday that Gerhart had suffered a setback in his recovery from a Lisfranc injury against San Diego State, a game that he had only been at 70 percent heading into.
However, Gerhart’s stint at starter was short lived, as he took a massive hit and fumbled on the second drive of the game. He would come out for the final drive of the quarter before being replaced by Sheriron Jones.
Davie said that the switch was not related to the hit, and that the plan had been to play both from the beginning, as he feels that Jones provides the Lobos with big play potential, something Gerhart lacks.
The Lobos got some offense going in the second, going for 71 yards and a touchdown on their first drive of the quarter. The bulk of those yards came courtesy of a 56-yard completion from Jones to Anselem Umeh before Zahneer Shuler finished things off with a three yard touchdown run to get the Lobos on the board at 14-7.
UNM would score again two possessions later, as Daevon Vigilant carried the team down the field, gaining all but four of the 45 yards picked up on the possession himself, before punching it into the endzone to tie the game at 14.
Air Force wasted no time answering as Kadin Remsberg broke off a 54-yard run to put the Falcons back in front, 21-14. Remsberg capped off the night with a big personal moment, as he proposed to his girlfriend Kailey, who he met in the eighth grade. The two will marry after he graduates from the Academy in two years, as Cadets aren’t allowed to have dependents.
What started as a promising drive for UNM with time winding down fizzled out after three runs from inside the five were stuffed by the Falcons defense to force the Lobos into settling for the field goal, which Andrew Shelley converted as time ran out to cut the deficit to 21-17.
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The second half began with a pair of of drives that were exactly what the Lobos needed to avoid.
After getting the ball first to open the half, Jones tried to force a pass into double coverage deep down the field and paid for it. The pick gave USAFA the ball back at its own six-yard-line, but the Falcons promptly drove the length of the field and scored on a 43 yard pass to tight end Kade Waguespack that more than doubled the Falcons total passing yards from the first half, which they finished with 39.
On the ensuing possession, Tyrone Owens fumbled on a screen pass that the Falcons recovered at the UNM 21-yard-line and set up another touchdown pass to Waguespack.
Another UNM three-and-out on the following drive was followed by a school record 84-yard punt from Tyson Dyer that forced the Falcons to set up at the one-yard-line. Hammond fumbled on first down and Jalin Burrell recovered for the Lobos lone touchdown of the second half.
When the Lobos got the ball back, Gerhart was back in the game at QB, however, the results were the same as they had been for the majority of the day, as the Lobos struggled to move the ball.
“The second half was just a lot of mistakes by us as an offense, we can’t really blame the defense,” Vigilant said. “We have to capitalize, that’s really on us. The defense played their butt off today.”
On the first play of the fourth quarter, the Lobos defense provided the offense with another opportunity, as Michael Sewell Jr. forced a fumble that UNM recovered, but again the offense couldn’t capitalize.
With ten minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Falcons added another one. Cole Fagan capped off a drive that saw USAFA record another long pass play, this one going for 54 yards. A UNM three-and-out allowed Air Force to run out the clock.
“In the second half, I thought we had a chance to come back and win the game quite honestly, but we turned it over twice on offense, went three-and-out a couple of times,” Davie said. “We have to keep fighting, keep working to try and win a game.”
Cameron Goeldner is a senior reporter and photographer for the Daily Lobo. He primarily covers men’s soccer, women’s basketball, softball and the Albuquerque Isotopes, but also contributes content for all other sports. He can be reached at sports@dailylobo.com or on Twitter @goeldfinger.
