Air Force Wins on the Ground
Air Force beat UConn 35-26 on Saturday at Falcon Stadium by keeping the ball away from the Huskies. The Falcons held possession for 41:49, leaving UConn just 18:06 to work with.
Kemper Hodges ran for 4 touchdowns, and Air Force did not need its passing game. The Falcons threw 3 times, completed none, and still won on 74 carries.
How It Happened
Hodges opened the scoring with a 7-yard run at 8:43 of the first quarter. He added a 62-yard touchdown run at 1:27, and Air Force led 14-0 after one.
UConn answered early in the second quarter when Trey Cornist scored from 1 yard out. Hodges restored the 14-point cushion with a 3-yard run at 5:53. Kalieb Osborne then found Ryder Treadway for a 2-yard touchdown at 1:56, cutting the halftime deficit to 21-14.
Gage LaDue pushed the Falcons' lead back to 14 with a 4-yard run at 2:34 of the third. UConn struck back at 2:04 on a 55-yard pass from Osborne to Alex Godavitarne, but Jack O'Connor's extra point failed.
That miss mattered. Kenji Christian broke a 46-yard touchdown run at 14:46 of the fourth quarter, and UConn went for 2 to tie it. The pass failed, leaving the Huskies 2 points behind.
UConn never scored again. Hodges sealed it with a 1-yard run at 3:09.
Key Performers
Kemper Hodges, Air Force: 4 rushing TD – 7, 62, 3 and 1 YDS
Kalieb Osborne, UConn: 2 passing TD – 2 YDS to Ryder Treadway, 55 YDS to Alex Godavitarne
Kenji Christian, UConn: 46-yard rushing TD
Air Force rushing: 74 ATT, 366 YDS, 4.9 per carry
UConn passing: 17-33, 263 YDS, 8.0 per attempt
The numbers say UConn was the more explosive team. The Huskies actually outgained Air Force in total yards and averaged 8 yards per pass. They averaged slightly more per carry than the Falcons did, too, but ran only 21 times.
The difference was volume, and the volume came from fourth down. Air Force converted 5 of 6 fourth-down tries, extending drives that kept UConn's offense on the sideline. UConn went 0 for 2 on fourth down and 4 for 10 on third.
Neither team turned the ball over, so there was no short field to swing the result. Air Force simply got more snaps and more chances, then cashed in with 5 rushing touchdowns.
What It Means
Air Force improves to 6-2, including 4-1 at home. The Falcons have shown they can win a game in which the opponent creates more big plays, as long as the run game controls the clock.
UConn falls to 4-4. The Huskies played a clean game with no turnovers and moved the ball efficiently, but the failed extra point and two-point try cost them a chance to tie late. Against an offense that holds the ball this long, those lost points are hard to recover.