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WYO |
AF |
Air Force downs Wyoming 20-6 behind Hammond
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) On a cold, blustery day when defense figured prominently for both Wyoming and Air Force, free safety Jeremy Fejedelem helped swing the game in favor of the Falcons.
Fejedelem led a strong defensive effort with his first two interceptions of the season, Donald Hammond III ran for one touchdown and threw for another, and Air Force rolled to its seventh straight win by beating Wyoming 20-6 on Saturday amid gusting winds and near freezing temperatures.
''It's always good when you can make a big play like that for the team,'' said Fejedelem, who made both interceptions after the ball was deflected. ''But I really didn't have to do much. My teammates tipped them up for me.''
The turnovers thwarted Wyoming drives and produced time-consuming drives ending in two field goals by Jake Koehnke.
''When we get 3-and-outs, that doesn't help our defense, and our defense was spectacular today,'' said Hammond, who was 5 of 6 for 121 yards passing, including a 75-yard touchdown pass to Ben Waters in the closing minutes. ''Granted we didn't do what we needed to do on every possession but the long drives helped us out at the end of the day.''
Hammond also ran 15 times for 35 yards, including a short touchdown run for Air Force (10-2, 7-1 Mountain West). The Falcons' win streak is their longest in a single season since Air Force won eight in a row in 1998, which is also the last time the Falcons finished with 10 or more wins in the regular season.
Levi Williams and Tyler Vander Waal split time at quarterback for Wyoming (7-4, 4-4) with Williams finishing 6 of 11 for 84 yards and Vander Waal going 4 of 7 for 27 yards. Each had an interception in Wyoming's first loss to Air Force in the last four meetings between the teams.
''I thought their defensive front did a great job of being disruptive,'' Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said. ''We popped a couple of plays into the red zone. We just couldn't come up with enough movement to stick a couple plays in the end zone.''
Ahead by a touchdown at halftime, the Falcons moved in front 10-0 on a 31-yard field goal by Koehnke with 5:50 left in the third quarter. The Falcons began the drive near midfield after Fejedelem intercepted a pass by Vander Waal that was tipped by linebacker Grant Theil. Air Force got to the Wyoming 13-yard line before Hammond was stopped short of the first down on a third-down run.
Wyoming got on the scoreboard with a 26-yard field goal by Cooper Rothe with 13:08 left to play and minutes later, Wyoming was poised for another scoring chance when they started a drive at the Air Force 47 following a shanked punt by Charlie Scott that traveled only 13 yards. But Fejedelem came up with his second interception after it was tipped by linebacker Jake Ksiazek, leading to another field goal by Koehnke, a 27-yarder with 5:31 remaining.
Wyoming answered with a drive that reached the Air Force 6, where the Falcons stopped Williams' third-down scramble short of the first down, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a 23-yard field goal by Rothe to pull Wyoming to 13-6 with 2:23 left.
That was as close as the Cowboys would get as the Falcons pulled off the most explosive offensive play in a game dominated on both sides by defense.
With Wyoming defenders bunched up near the line of scrimmage, gearing up to stop a run in hopes of getting the ball back with time dwindling, Hammond hit a wide-open Waters over the middle and he outran the defensive pursuit to the end zone to complete the 75-yard score.
Air Force led 7-0 at halftime behind Hammond's 1-yard dive into the end zone.
AIR FORCE MILESTONE
The win was the 400th in the history of the Air Force Academy, which is 400-329-13 in 64 seasons.
STRONG AT HOME
The Falcons finished the season 6-0 at home, the sixth time in the school's history the Falcons had swept their home schedule and the fourth time in Troy Calhoun's 13 seasons as head coach.
MAKING A POINT
Place-kicker Cooper Rothe accounted for the Cowboys' points with a pair of field goals. The senior is Wyoming's all-time scoring leader with 334 points.
THE TAKEAWAY
Wyoming: The Cowboys struggled to establish a balanced offensive attack that had been their hallmark in recent games. Running back Xazavian Valladay was held to 38 yards rushing after gaining at least 100 in the previous five games. Neither quarterback was effective against the Falcons' sustained pressure.
Air Force: The Falcons' opportunistic defense kept the Cowboys out the end zone and forced key turnovers, leading to a pair of field goals. Their offense persevered against a determined Wyoming defense that proved vulnerable only at the end when it was focused on trying to hem in the Falcons' running game in a bid to get the ball back for one last offensive possession.
UP NEXT
Both Air Force and Wyoming are bowl eligible.
Copyright 2019 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.
Team Stats | ||
---|---|---|
1st Downs | 12 | 18 |
Rushing | 6 | 12 |
Passing | 6 | 5 |
Penalty | 0 | 1 |
3rd Down Conv | 4-12 | 7-13 |
4th Down Conv | 1-2 | 0-1 |
Total Net Yards | 221 | 305 |
Total Plays | 51 | 63 |
Avg Gain | 4.3 | 4.8 |
Net Yards Rushing | 114 | 162 |
Rush Attempts | 33 | 56 |
Avg Rush Yards | 3.5 | 2.9 |
Yards Passing | 111 | 143 |
Comp. - Att. | 10-18 | 6-7 |
Yards Per Pass | 5.9 | 20.4 |
Penalties - Yards | 4-28 | 2-15 |
Touchdowns | 0 | 2 |
Rushing TDs | 0 | 1 |
Passing TDs | 0 | 1 |
Other | 0 | 0 |
Turnovers | 3 | 1 |
Fumbles - Lost | 1-1 | 1-1 |
Int. Thrown | 2 | 0 |
Punts - Avg | 1-36.0 | 3-29.3 |
Return Yards | 103 | 18 |
Punts - Returns | 1-11 | 0-0 |
Kickoffs - Returns | 3-92 | 0-0 |
Int. - Returns | 0-0 | 2-18 |
Safeties | 0 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
L. Williams
15 QB
|
L. Williams | 6/11 | 84 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Vander Waal
18 QB
|
T. Vander Waal | 4/7 | 27 | 0 | 1 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
L. Williams
15 QB
|
L. Williams | 15 | 79 | 0 | 38 | ||||||||||||||||||||
X. Valladay
6 RB
|
X. Valladay | 14 | 38 | 0 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Burroughs
34 FB
|
J. Burroughs | 3 | 8 | 0 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Vander Waal
18 QB
|
T. Vander Waal | 1 | -11 | 0 | -11 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
R. Ismail Jr.
17 WR
|
R. Ismail Jr. | 4 | 3 | 41 | 0 | 16 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Harshman
33 TE
|
J. Harshman | 1 | 1 | 30 | 0 | 30 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A. Conway
25 WR
|
A. Conway | 3 | 2 | 22 | 0 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
B. Brenton
24 RB
|
B. Brenton | 2 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
A. Eberhardt
19 WR
|
A. Eberhardt | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Okwoli
13 WR
|
J. Okwoli | 3 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Welch
81 TE
|
T. Welch | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
X. Valladay
6 RB
|
X. Valladay | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Vander Waal
18 QB
|
T. Vander Waal | 1 | 1 | -5 | 0 | -5 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
C. Rothe
40 K
|
C. Rothe | 2/2 | 26 | 0/0 | 6 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
R. Galovich
41 K
|
R. Galovich | 1 | 36.0 | 0 | 36 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
T. Hall
9 CB
|
T. Hall | 2 | 39.5 | 58 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
X. Valladay
6 RB
|
X. Valladay | 1 | 13.0 | 13 | 0 |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
A. Conway 25 WR
|
A. Conway | 1 | 11.0 | 11 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT |
D. Hammond III
5 QB
|
D. Hammond III | 5/6 | 121 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Stevenson
2 RB
|
C. Stevenson | 1/1 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG |
K. Remsberg
24 RB
|
K. Remsberg | 14 | 63 | 0 | 11 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Birdow
33 FB
|
T. Birdow | 13 | 47 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Hammond III
5 QB
|
D. Hammond III | 15 | 35 | 1 | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Mallard
25 RB
|
C. Mallard | 8 | 21 | 0 | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Murla
32 FB
|
M. Murla | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG |
B. Waters
20 WR
|
B. Waters | 3 | 3 | 100 | 1 | 75 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
G. Sanders
7 WR
|
G. Sanders | 1 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 23 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Hammond III
5 QB
|
D. Hammond III | 1 | 1 | 22 | 0 | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Dalger
81 WR
|
L. Dalger | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Remsberg
24 RB
|
K. Remsberg | 1 | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT |
J. Ksiazek
48 DE
|
J. Ksiazek | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Herrera
49 DT
|
C. Herrera | 0-1 | 0.5 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Fejedelem
2 S
|
J. Fejedelem | 0-0 | 0.0 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Fifita
99 DL
|
M. Fifita | 0-1 | 0.5 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
J. Koehnke
92 K
|
J. Koehnke | 2/2 | 31 | 2/2 | 8 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
C. Scott
15 P
|
C. Scott | 3 | 29.3 | 0 | 38 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
1st | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
11:25 | WYO 24 | 2:35 | 5 | 13 | Punt |
2nd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
14:56 | WYO 25 | 3:35 | 7 | 27 | Punt |
8:37 | AF 46 | 4:18 | 8 | 25 | Downs |
0:40 | WYO 24 | 0:00 | 1 | 3 | Halftime |
3rd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
15:00 | WYO 18 | 1:40 | 4 | 29 | INT |
5:50 | WYO 25 | 5:13 | 16 | 66 | FG |
4th | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
11:07 | AF 47 | 1:19 | 3 | -13 | INT |
5:31 | AF 41 | 3:04 | 5 | 35 | FG |
2:04 | WYO 29 | 0:39 | 5 | 51 | Downs |
0:30 | WYO 25 | 0:24 | 2 | 0 | Game |
1st | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
15:00 | AF 25 | 3:22 | 6 | 13 | Punt |
8:38 | AF 27 | 8:29 | 17 | 73 | TD |
2nd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
11:10 | AF 29 | 2:28 | 6 | 17 | Fumble |
4:10 | AF 21 | 3:20 | 7 | 29 | Punt |
3rd | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
13:00 | AF 47 | 7:05 | 12 | 41 | FG |
4th | POSS | PLAYS | YDS | RESULT | |
13:08 | AF 25 | 1:54 | 3 | 9 | Punt |
9:41 | AF 40 | 4:05 | 8 | 51 | FG |
2:23 | AF 25 | 0:19 | 2 | 75 | TD |
1:17 | WYO 20 | 0:45 | 4 | -5 | Downs |
- Punt (6 plays, 13 yards, 3:22 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
Kickoff | (15:00 - 1st) 40-C.Rothe kicks 65 yards from WYO 35 to AF End Zone. touchback. |
+3 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 25 (15:00 - 1st) 33-T.Birdow to AF 28 for 3 yards. |
+6 YD | 2 & 7 - AF 28 (14:26 - 1st) 24-K.Remsberg to AF 34 for 6 yards. |
+3 YD | 3 & 1 - AF 34 (13:53 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond to AF 37 for 3 yards. |
+1 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 37 (13:20 - 1st) 25-C.Mallard to AF 38 for 1 yard. |
+2 YD | 2 & 9 - AF 38 (12:45 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond to AF 40 for 2 yards. |
-2 YD | 3 & 7 - AF 40 (12:10 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond complete to 24-K.Remsberg. 24-K.Remsberg to AF 38 for -2 yards. |
Punt | 4 & 9 - AF 38 (11:38 - 1st) 15-C.Scott punts 38 yards from AF 38 Downed at the WYO 24. |
- Punt (5 plays, 13 yards, 2:35 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
+3 YD | 1 & 10 - WYO 24 (11:25 - 1st) 6-X.Valladay to WYO 27 for 3 yards. |
+9 YD | 2 & 7 - WYO 27 (10:48 - 1st) 6-X.Valladay to WYO 36 for 9 yards. |
+6 YD | 1 & 10 - WYO 36 (10:11 - 1st) 18-T.Vander Waal complete to 13-J.Okwoli. 13-J.Okwoli to WYO 42 for 6 yards. |
No Gain | 2 & 4 - WYO 42 (9:34 - 1st) 18-T.Vander Waal incomplete. Intended for 13-J.Okwoli. |
-5 YD | 3 & 4 - WYO 42 (9:29 - 1st) 18-T.Vander Waal complete to 18-T.Vander Waal. 18-T.Vander Waal to WYO 37 for -5 yards. |
Punt | 4 & 9 - WYO 37 (8:50 - 1st) 41-R.Galovich punts 36 yards from WYO 37 Downed at the AF 27. |
- TD (17 plays, 73 yards, 8:29 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 27 (8:38 - 1st) 33-T.Birdow to AF 31 for 4 yards. |
+5 YD | 2 & 6 - AF 31 (8:02 - 1st) 33-T.Birdow to AF 36 for 5 yards. |
+2 YD | 3 & 1 - AF 36 (7:27 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond to AF 38 for 2 yards. |
+3 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 38 (6:57 - 1st) 25-C.Mallard to AF 41 for 3 yards. |
+4 YD | 2 & 7 - AF 41 (6:26 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond to AF 45 for 4 yards. |
+4 YD | 3 & 3 - AF 45 (5:47 - 1st) 24-K.Remsberg to AF 49 for 4 yards. |
+12 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 49 (5:12 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond complete to 20-B.Waters. 20-B.Waters to WYO 39 for 12 yards. |
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - WYO 39 (4:38 - 1st) 33-T.Birdow to WYO 35 for 4 yards. |
+9 YD | 2 & 6 - WYO 35 (3:57 - 1st) 24-K.Remsberg to WYO 26 for 9 yards. |
+7 YD | 1 & 10 - WYO 26 (3:28 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond to WYO 19 for 7 yards. |
+3 YD | 2 & 3 - WYO 19 (2:48 - 1st) 24-K.Remsberg to WYO 16 for 3 yards. |
+3 YD | 1 & 10 - WYO 16 (2:12 - 1st) 25-C.Mallard to WYO 13 for 3 yards. |
+7 YD | 2 & 7 - WYO 13 (1:35 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond to WYO 6 for 7 yards. |
-4 YD | 1 & 6 - WYO 6 (0:56 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond to WYO 10 for -4 yards. |
Penalty | 2 & 10 - WYO 10 (0:13 - 1st) 5-D.Hammond incomplete. Intended for 7-G.Sanders. Penalty on WYO 20-A.Hearn Pass interference 8 yards enforced at WYO 10. No Play. |
+1 YD | 1 & 2 - WYO 2 (0:09 - 1st) 33-T.Birdow to WYO 1 for 1 yard. |
+1 YD | 2 & 1 - WYO 1 (15:00 - 2nd) 5-D.Hammond runs 1 yard for a touchdown. |
PAT Good | (14:56 - 2nd) 92-J.Koehnke extra point is good. |
- Punt (7 plays, 27 yards, 3:35 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
Kickoff | (14:56 - 2nd) 92-J.Koehnke kicks 65 yards from AF 35 to WYO End Zone. touchback. |
+4 YD | 1 & 10 - WYO 25 (14:56 - 2nd) 6-X.Valladay to WYO 29 for 4 yards. |
+5 YD | 2 & 6 - WYO 29 (14:27 - 2nd) 15-L.Williams to WYO 34 for 5 yards. |
+3 YD | 3 & 1 - WYO 34 (13:51 - 2nd) 6-X.Valladay to WYO 37 for 3 yards. |
+16 YD | 1 & 10 - WYO 37 (13:14 - 2nd) 18-T.Vander Waal complete to 17-R.Ismail. 17-R.Ismail to AF 47 for 16 yards. |
-1 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 47 (12:45 - 2nd) 6-X.Valladay to AF 48 for -1 yard. |
No Gain | 2 & 11 - AF 48 (12:12 - 2nd) 34-J.Burroughs to AF 48 for no gain. |
No Gain | 3 & 11 - AF 48 (11:28 - 2nd) 18-T.Vander Waal incomplete. Intended for 24-B.Brenton. |
Punt | 4 & 11 - AF 48 (11:21 - 2nd) 41-R.Galovich punts 19 yards from AF 48 blocked by 41-P.Morgan. Downed at the AF 29. |
- Fumble (6 plays, 17 yards, 2:28 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
+8 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 29 (11:10 - 2nd) 5-D.Hammond to AF 37 for 8 yards. |
+7 YD | 2 & 2 - AF 37 (10:30 - 2nd) 24-K.Remsberg to AF 44 for 7 yards. |
+1 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 44 (9:50 - 2nd) 25-C.Mallard to AF 45 for 1 yard. |
+13 YD | 2 & 9 - AF 45 (9:21 - 2nd) 5-D.Hammond complete to 20-B.Waters. 20-B.Waters to WYO 42 for 13 yards. |
Penalty | 1 & 10 - WYO 42 (9:00 - 2nd) 5-D.Hammond incomplete. Intended for 20-B.Waters. Penalty on AF 68-C.Mitchell Holding 10 yards enforced at WYO 42. No Play. |
-2 YD | 1 & 20 - WYO 48 (8:42 - 2nd) to AF 46 FUMBLES. 5-E.Gandy to AF 46 for no gain. |
- Downs (8 plays, 25 yards, 4:18 poss)
Result | Play |
---|---|
+1 YD | 1 & 10 - AF 46 (8:37 - 2nd) 6-X.Valladay to AF 45 for 1 yard. |
No Gain | 2 & 9 - AF 45 (8:02 - 2nd) 6-X.Valladay to AF 45 for no gain. |
+15 YD | 3 & 9 - AF 45 (7:26 - 2nd) 15-L.Williams complete to 17-R.Ismail. 17-R.Ismail to AF 30 for 15 yards. |
No Gain | 1 & 10 - AF 30 (6:50 - 2nd) 15-L.Williams to AF 30 for no gain. |
+1 YD | 2 & 10 - AF 30 (6:07 - 2nd) 6-X.Valladay to AF 29 for 1 yard. |
Penalty | 3 & 9 - AF 29 (5:29 - 2nd) 15-L.Williams complete to 81-T.Welch. 81-T.Welch to AF 11 for 18 yards. Penalty on WYO 78-A.Velazquez Holding 10 yards enforced at AF 29. No Play. |
+11 YD | 3 & 19 - AF 39 (5:04 - 2nd) 15-L.Williams complete to 24-B.Brenton. 24-B.Brenton to AF 28 for 11 yards. |
+7 YD | 4 & 8 - WYO 28 (4:19 - 2nd) 15-L.Williams to AF 21 FUMBLES (48-J.Ksiazek). 22-G.Kauppila to AF 21 for no gain. |