RAMSEY: Air Force's Clark takes no-nonsense route to end zone

Asher Clark was running free, his eyes on the end zone, with UNLV’s Will Chandler as his only obstacle.

No problem. Clark specializes in the most subtle of moves. Many running backs make a big show of their elusiveness, but that’s not Clark’s style.

Clark, smoothly and effortlessly, changed direction, and all Chandler could do was wave at him in a superb imitation of a matador. And just like that, Clark was gone, on his way to a 67-yard touchdown and another big play in his breakout senior season, and Air Force was on its way to a 45-17 rout of the hapless Rebels.

“That was a huge play,” Troy Calhoun said.

Yes, it was.

The run, with 2:34 left in the first half, announced Air Force had finally awoken. The Falcons had struggled to a 14-10 lead over the stumbling, bumbling Rebels from Sin City. Remember, Vegas lost last week to New Mexico in the Battle of the Basement in the Mountain West.

No doubt, the Rebels rank among the worst college teams in the country, and the Falcons were barely hovering above them. Clark’s run changed the complexion of the game, transforming a tight game into a rout.

Clark is reluctant to talk about anything, but his least-favorite subject might be himself. But the move he put on Chandler did bring a smile to his usually stoic face. He’s quick to say his offensive line gave him the chance to meet Chandler in the open field.

But at that point, it was a one-on-one battle. And Clark sprinted away as the victor.

“It feels great to know you put a move on somebody because that’s something you did,” Clark said. “It was good to get the move.”

This has been a disappointing season for the Falcons, who were expected to climb into the nation’s Top 25 but instead got bombarded by TCU and Notre Dame and found ways to lose to San Diego State and Wyoming.

The Falcons have been wildly inconsistent, but Clark has risen above the tough times for his finest season. He was solid during his first three seasons, but seldom spectacular.

Clark played quarterback in high school, and it’s taken time to get comfortable at his new position. At times he’s lacked imagination.

But that was yesterday. This season he’s playing with more confidence, running with more power and battling for extra yards with a new passion. And at times he’s been dazzling. The move Clark put on Shawn Lynch in Annapolis will haunt Navy fans for, oh, the next decade or so.

Clark has, in his own steady, quiet way, crafted one of the premier careers in Air Force football history. He torched Vegas for 169 yards, moving him within 15 yards of his second straight 1,000-yard season, and he needs only 144 yards to pass Dee Dowis atop the Falcons’ all-time rushing list.

The final 40 yards of Clark’s sprint to the end zone were among the sweetest of his career. In his freshman year, he ripped through TCU’s defense for a 54-yard run, but was caught from behind by three Horned Frogs. His teammates have been teasing him ever since. A halfback is never supposed to be run down in the open field.

No one was going to catch Clark on Saturday. He was running free, with Chandler in his rear-view mirror.

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