SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 28, 2014
Air Force 27, No. 21 Colorado State 24: Will Conant kicked a 39-yard field goal as time expired to lift the host Falcons and end the Rams' bid for a Mountain West title.
Backup quarterback Nate Romine, Shayne Davern and D.J. Johnson recorded rushing touchdowns for Air Force (9-3, 5-3 MWC), which finished the regular season 6-0 at Falcon Stadium and avenged a 58-13 loss to Colorado State last season. The Falcons, who blew a 24-10 lead in the third quarter, outrushed the Rams 242-106.
Rashard Higgins, a Biletnikoff Award finalist as the nation's top receiver, made a career-high 12 receptions for 193 yards - one shy of a career best - and two touchdowns for Colorado State (10-2, 6-2), which had its nine-game winning streak snapped while dropping out of Mountain Division title contention. Garrett Grayson was 23-of-46 for 366 yards and three touchdowns with one interception, while Xavier Williams caught a TD pass and Dee Hart rushed for 115 yards.
The Falcons halted Colorado State's momentum when Weston Steelhammer recorded an interception for the third straight game - and sixth of the season - and Air Force stopped Hart on fourth-and-2 from the Air Force 42 with 38 seconds left. Romine's 26-yard pass to Garrett Brown on third-and-4 put the Falcons in field goal range, and Conant split the uprights to give Air Force its eighth victory in the last nine meetings.
The Falcons took a 24-10 lead on Romine's 1-yard touchdown run with 3:09 left in the third quarter before Williams accepted a short pass from a scrambling Grayson, split a pair of defenders and outran the rest for a 76-yard TD to cut the deficit in half two minutes later. Colorado State tied it with 10:58 to play when Higgins made a diving catch while keeping a foot in the end zone on Grayson's 2-yard fade pass for his nation-best 17th TD.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Romine replaced Kale Pearson, who left late in Air Force's 30-14 loss at San Diego State on Nov. 21 with an ankle injury. ... Colorado State has lost six straight at Falcon Stadium. ... The teams combined for three penalties for 29 yards with the first accepted one occurring with 5:08 left in the third quarter.