Soderberg field goal just in time
Air Force kicker Erik Soderberg didn’t have time to think. He barely had enough time to sprint on the field, jump into position and boot a field goal before the clock expired in the first half Thursday in the Armed Forces Bowl.
The Falcons were out of timeouts when Tim Jefferson fell on a bootleg on third-and-goal at the Houston 2 for an 8-yard loss with 12 seconds left. Soderberg got off the kick with 2 seconds remaining – a 27-yarder that gave Air Force a 24-6 halftime lead over Houston.
Soderberg said he hopped behind holder Brandon Geyer “about as quick as I could, about the spot where it would be. It was a pretty solid kick.”
It’s a fake!
A perfectly executed fake punt in the third quarter – Ben Cochran tossed a pitch to Jon Davis, who scrambled 6 yards for a first down on fourth-and-3 at the Air Force 46 – kept alive a drive that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by Jefferson for a 41-20 lead.
“The kid made a heck of a play,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said of Davis. “We had three really good blocks on the perimeter.”
Etc.
Tailback Savier Stephens didn’t play because of a groin injury. … Air Force changed its helmets to pay tribute to military, with a blue and tan camouflage stripe down the middle; camouflage in the lightning bolts on the sides and the numbers on the back; and emblems featuring “freedom” spelled on the front and “service” on the back. … The Armed Forces Bowl sold a record 41,414 tickets – Air Force used more than 6,000 tickets.
