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Air Force's Jefferson comes up with clutch plays in final game
WASHINGTON – Had Air Force gotten just a few more feet on its final 2-point conversion, the aftermath of the Military Bowl might have focused on Falcons quarterback Tim Jefferson, and his fantastic drive to put his team in position for that conversion.
Jefferson took over for what would be the final drive of his college career with 4:55 remaining and the Falcons trailing by seven points at their 22-yard line. He marched the Falcons right down field for the score.
He hit Zack Kauth for a 13-yard gain on third and 11. He completed an 8-yard pass to Warzeka on fourth down and 5. Then Air Force dialed up a deep pass on fourth and 3, and Jefferson hit Kauth for a 33-yard touchdown.
“That was just me being me,” Jefferson said. “You’ve seen me for a while, and I’m always cool, calm and collected when I’m in the game making drives, going down the field.”
When Jefferson threw the deep pass for the touchdown to Kauth, he strayed from his cool and collected act to let out some excitement, only to see the Falcons fail to convert a fake extra point that would have given them the lead.
“I was happy, we were on the verge of tying the game,” Jefferson said about the Kauth touchdown. “When I saw we fumbled the 2-point conversion, I just went down. But who wouldn’t go down in that type of situation?”
Jefferson, Air Force’s all-time leader in wins for a starting quarterback and the first service academy quarterback to start four bowl games, played well in his final game. He ran for 61 yards and a touchdown, and completed 13-of-22 passes for 159 yards and a pair of touchdowns, both long scores on fourth down. He had an interception, but it was a pass that went through receiver Mikel Hunter’s hands.
When the Falcons trailed with less than 5 minutes left, they had confidence in Jefferson leading them, no matter how dire it looked at times on the drive.
“We have a lot of confidence in him,” guard A.J. Wallerstein said. “And he’s proven time and time again that he deserves the confidence we have in him.”
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