Falcons defense stifles Wyoming

Laramie, Wyo. — A 74-yard end-around by U.S. Air Force Academy wide receiver Kyle Halderman broke a defensive slugfest and gave the Falcons the game-deciding play against Wyoming Sept. 6 in Laramie.

The teams relied solely on the run and traded field goals while the defenses ruled the first two and a half quarters with the score 6-3 in the Falcons’ favor.

“It was a little frustrating to only get field goals as points, and in the next few games we have to turn those into touchdowns,” said Falcons head coach Troy Calhoun.

But by calling the end-around, Coach Calhoun found a way to find one touchdown. From the Falcons’ 25-yard line, quarterback Shea Smith gave the ball to Halderman, who picked up just enough key blocks to get around the outside. Emerging from traffic, the wide receiver dashed for daylight down the left sideline in what would be the game’s longest play.

“I thought for sure Halderman’s run would get into the end zone. On a play like that you have to make sure you don’t hit a triple and then squeeze in a run, you want to be able to get a score on that play,” Coach Calhoun said.

Wyoming safety Chris Prosinski took just enough of an angle to tackle Halderman at the 1-yard line.

Two plays later, quarterback Shea Smith dove into the end zone to score the game’s first touchdown. Kicker Ryan Harrison added the extra point, giving the Falcons a comfortable 13-3 lead with four minutes left in the third quarter.

With a 13-point lead, the Falcons kept the ball on the ground with a double tight-end formation to grind out the clock and wear down the Wyoming defenders. Well into the fourth quarter, the Falcons’ ball-control offense kept piling on the yards, until fullback Todd Newell dove over the pile for a one-yard touchdown. Harrison added another extra point giving Air Force a 23-3 lead with only 2:27 left on the clock.

But Wyoming still kept coming. Starting at their own 20, the Cowboys opened up their aerial attack behind quarterback Dax Crum and drove to midfield. Then Falcons defensive end Jake Paulson stripped the ball from Crum while fellow defensive lineman Rick Ricketts recovered the fumble. A few kneel-downs later and the Falcons recorded a 23-3 victory.

The three points allowed by Air Force is the team’s best-ever defensive effort in a Mountain West Conference game, in the 10 years that the conference has been in existence. It also notches an important win on the Falcons’ 2-0 season record.

“Anytime you win on the road it’s a big win,” Coach Calhoun said. “But when you beat a team that has a tough defense and a good offensive line, then it becomes a little bigger.”

Coach Calhoun was quick to credit the win to his defense, which has only allowed opponents to score 10 total points this season. But he will be expecting more from his defenders as the season progresses.

That defense was led by senior defensive end Jake Paulson, who recorded two solo tackles, one assist, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and his third quarterback third sack of the season. Joining him in the offense’s backfield today was fellow defensive end Ryan Kemp, who broke up one pass, recovered a fumble and recorded three tackles. The falcons’ defensive leader was junior strong safety Chris Thomas with eight solo tackles, five assists, one sack, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Together, the Falcon defenders held Wyoming to 140 yards rushing and 216 yards of total offense. The Falcons also forced four fumbles, and limited the Cowboys to only two successful third-down conversions.

On the other side of the ball, the Falcons offense ground 261 yards on 63 rushing attempts, and controlled the clock for more than 37 minutes.

The Falcons next play at Houston on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. (CDT).