Air Force loses yet another shootout, this time in final minute 51-48 at UNLV
LAS VEGAS – Even while playing out a script that’s growing frustratingly familiar, this ending found a way to be more dramatic and painful for Air Force.
The Falcons put up more than 600 yards of offense, took the lead four times in the second half and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 1:13 remaining.
They still lost.
UNLV scored on a 19-yard run from quarterback Anthony Colandrea with 37 seconds remaining, then Air Force sophomore kicker Jacob Medina missed wide right from 40-yards as the clock expired and the Rebels stayed unbeaten with a 51-48 victory at Allegiant Stadium on Saturday.
The game saw the teams combine for 1,200 yards of offense.
“I hate it. I hate it for our guys, players and coaches,” Air Force fullback Owen Allen said after running for 192 yards and two touchdowns. “Just, being within those walls of the practice facility and the locker room you know how much guys care and how much it means to them and how hard they work.
“And then week after week seeing the outcome that obviously we’re not hoping for makes me feel for our guys.”
Air Force (1-5, 0-4 Mountain West) has lost five in a row despite averaging 36.4 points in those games as opponents have averaged 45.4.
“We know the offense is doing what they’ve got to do to win games,” said Falcons linebacker Blake Fletcher, who had a team-high 10 tackles. “We know that we have to step up our game. At the end of the day, we’ve just got to produce.”
After a slow start that saw neither team score on its first two possessions, the offenses produced with abandon.
Air Force raced ahead 21-10, then UNLV (6-0, 2-0) scored 16 straight points. Then the lead changed hands 11 times like it was a basketball game. The fourth quarter alone saw six lead changes.
Falcons quarterback Liam Szarka scored with 1:13 remaining to move the Falcons in front 48-44.
“I was hoping they’d score,” Colandrea said, stressing the confidence that his team would be able to respond.
Colandrea threw for 361 yards on 20-of-32 passing with a touchdown and ran for 62 yards and two touchdowns. He’s a strong candidate to become the fifth consecutive Air Force opponent to be named his conference’s offensive player of the week.
Sure enough, Colandrea and the Rebels needed only six plays and 37 seconds to produce what turned out to be the winning touchdown.
Much of the final drive, including the last touchdown, came with three freshmen – cornerback Ehimen Oyamendan, safety Max Mustell and nickel Alexander Perez – in the defensive secondary for Air Force. The other two defensive backs were sophomores.
“We’re going to play the guys that we think have the best chance to help us win,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “Does that change throughout a game? It might. So that’s who we went with.
“What an amazing experience for all of these guys. For those three freshmen on the last drive to be out there, where else can you get that? Where else can you replicate it? You need that.”
The Falcons took possession with 37 seconds remaining and drove 52 yards to set up the 40-yard kick that would have forced overtime.
Medina’s miss made him 2-of-5 this season.
“And they’re makeable kicks,” Calhoun said. “We’ve got to knock that thing right through the middle of the sticks.”
The Falcons ran for a season-high 428 yards. Szarka passed for 175 yards and a touchdown and ran for 136 and two scores.
“Give (Szarka) credit and their receivers credit,” UNLV coach Dan Mullen said. “They made a lot of good, contested plays. There was not one time where they had a guy just running uncovered down the middle of the field, which you see a lot on film.”
Cade Harris added 91 yards of offense (46 receiving, 45 rushing) with a pair of touchdowns.
The 603 yards of total offense were the most for Air Force in a Mountain West game in four years.
“I think we should put up 700 yards and get a win,” said tight end Bruin Fleischmann, whose two catches included an 18-yard touchdown pass over a defender.
UNLV put up 15 plays of 15 or more yards and came up with the game’s lone turnover after the Falcons fumbled a handoff on the first play of the second half.
The Rebels scored on the first play after the turnover, the first of their 38 second-half points.
“I think obviously it’s unfortunate,” said Air Force linebacker Dallas Daley, who had seven stops and swatted away a fourth-down pass in the second quarter – the only time the Falcons kept the Rebels off the scoreboard on their final 10 drives. “We’re going to think about it for a little bit and we’re just going to move on and look at Wyoming for next week.”
