Houston wide receiver James Cleveland gets hit by Air Force defensive back Chris Thomas, right, during the second half of the Armed Forces Bowl. Air Force defeated Houston 47-20. (AP Photo/Tom Pennington)
Here’s the AP game story on the Falcons’ 47-20 win over Houston, and below are a few of my final thoughts on the game:
- What a performance by Air Force’s defense. From the first quarter to the final whistle, they made life miserable for Houston’s high-octane offense. Cougar QB Case Keenum had by far his worst game of the year, throwing six interceptions and having his lowest yardage output (222 yards) to date. Air Force surrendered only one offensive touchdown.
- Air Force rushed for staggering total of 400 yards. This allowed the Falcons to control the clock for 41 minutes and keep Houston’s from ever getting into a rhythm. Leading the charge were Jared Tew and Asher Clark, who both broke 100 yards and scored two TDs apiece.
- Senior safety Chris Thomas is an absolute beast. Besides his two interceptions, he had 11 tackles, including a bone-jarring hit on wide receiver James Cleveland that knocked Thomas’ helmet off (above). Thomas demonstrated why he was an honorable mention All-Mountain West selection and why he’s been picked to play in the East-West Shrine Game in January.
- Air Force’s win is their first bowl victory since 2000, and the first overall for coach Troy Calhoun.
- I mentioned earlier that I couldn’t remember ever seeing back-to-back kickoff returns for touchdown. Well, a co-worker reminded me of Super Bowl XXXV, where Ron Dixon ran back a kickoff for the Giants and then Baltimore’s Jermaine Lewis took the following kickoff back for a TD.
- Navy’s bowl game with Missouri has started. Who are you rooting for?
