Air Force routs Nicholls State in season opener

Air Force’s opener had the feel of a slam dunk contest.

On an 8-foot hoop.

The Falcons did just about anything they wanted whenever they wanted, pounding Nicholls State of the Football Championship Subdivision 72-0 in front of an announced crowd of 42,205 at Falcon Stadium. Air Force set a program record for margin of victory, as the Colonels were unable to compete even against the Falcons’ third team.

Air Force led 45-0 at the half, but the game was over midway through the first quarter. And some might claim it was over when it was scheduled.

“I think the only positive we got out of today was that we didn’t get anybody seriously hurt,” Nicholls State coach Jay Thomas said.

Air Force rolled up 576 yards and limited the Colonels to 151. But with Nicholls State fumbling five times (losing four), committing 10 penalties for 67 yards and having trouble with elements of football as rudimentary as the center-quarterback exchange, it was difficult to tell how good Air Force looked.

That won’t be the case next weekend when the Falcons visit Minnesota of the Big Ten at the Gophers’ new stadium.

“In size, movement and arena, it will be a different atmosphere,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said.

Nicholls State provided a lone moment of drama early. After Air Force forced a three-and-out and then drove 63 yards in eight plays for a 7-0 lead, Nicholls State was backed up on its second possession. Facing a fourth-and-14 from the 4-yard line, the Colonels faked a punt, snapping the ball directly to fullback Marlin Meeks, who raced 28 yards for a first down.

On the next play, however, quarterback LaQuintin Caston fumbled the snap from center, and senior inside linebacker Justin Moore recovered. And that was that.

Take away the fake punt and Nicholls State picked up only one first down and 31 yards on 29 offensive plays in the first half.

The Falcons’ first-team offense, meanwhile, looked sharp. Sophomore quarterback Tim Jefferson completed 5-of-7 passes for 102 yards and a touchdown — a 57-yard play to junior Kevin Fogler — and ran for 22 yards and two scores before heading to the bench late in the first half. Sophomore tailback Asher Clark gained 66 yards on six carries, and junior fullback Jared Tew had 57 yards and three touchdowns on nine carries.

More valuable than the victory was the game experience gained by the reserves. Approximately 80 Falcons played in the game, as nearly all the starters spent the second half on the sideline, and 14 players carried the ball. Sophomore reserve quarterback Connor Dietz played about a half and rushed for 83 yards on seven carries.

“There’s some guys out there that played today that, getting more snaps as a backup today, is going to help them down the road,” Calhoun said.

The road next goes to Minneapolis, and it will be far bumpier than it was today.

“It definitely is a big jump,” in competition,” Tew said. “But we’re pretty prepared. We need to fix up some mistakes we had today, but I think we’re ready for that jump, and we’ll see what happens.”