All-too-familiar plot twist: Air Force succumbs

SALT LAKE CITY • Only the Saw franchise spits out more sequels than the Air Force Falcons have this season.
But while Saw specializes in gory horror films, the Falcons produce tear-jerking dramas.

Saturday was Heartbreak Part IV: Utah 23, Air Force 16, in overtime.

Utah running back Eddie Wide scored from a yard out on the first possession of overtime, and then the Utes’ defense stuffed Air Force quarterback Connor Dietz on a fourth-and-2 play from the 7-yard line on the Falcons’ possession to allow the 19th-ranked team in the country to escape an upset in front of an announced crowd of 45,129.

Air Force, which fell to 4-4 and 3-2 in the Mountain West Conference, has lost its four games by a combined 20 points. Saturday’s loss was the second of the season to come in overtime, and the other two weren’t decided until the final moments of regulation.

“They’re tough,” said Air Force coach Troy Calhoun, who has lost seven of 11 games dating back to last season. “They’re hard pills to swallow.”

Saturday’s loss will be particularly difficult to digest considering Air Force had the better of the action for most of the game.

The Falcons gained 318 yards while limiting Utah to 267, picked up 20 first downs to the Utes’ eight, won the turnover battle, 2-1, and had a 17-minute, 54-second advantage in time of possession.

But Utah, which improved to 6-1 and 3-0, made enough big plays to stay in the game.

On the first possession of the game, Utes quarterback Terrance Cain lost the ball as he was tackled, but it bounced directly to Wide, who scooped it up and raced 44 yards for a touchdown. Then, on Utah’s first possession of the second half, Cain hit receiver David Reed on a post pattern, two Falcons missed tackles and Reed raced 90 yards for a score.

Air Force’s Reggie Rembert lost a fumble on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Utah’s only other regulation score.

“It’s just one of those games where you start looking back at the woulda, coulda, shouldas,” senior inside linebacker John Falgout said. “And for us there were way too many.”

After Wide’s fumble recovery for a touchdown, Air Force dominated the first half. The defense limited Utah to just three more first downs, while the offense rolled up 162 yards, including 154 on the ground, led by Dietz, who made his third career start.

Still, the Falcons led just 10-6 at the half, and after Reed’s score and the field goal set up by Rembert’s fumble, they trailed, 16-10, with 7:15 left in the third quarter.

But Air Force’s defense limited the Utes to just 22 yards and no first downs the rest of regulation, and Erik Soderberg kicked a 22-yard field goal with 14 seconds left in the third quarter and then a game-tying 48-yard field goal with 6:29 left in the game.

Air Force nearly got a huge turnover when Utah’s Luke Matthews fumbled a punt with just more than a minute to play inside Utah territory. But Matthews recovered it, leaving the teams to settle the game in overtime.

Where the Falcons had their hearts broken yet again.

“They just keep getting harder and harder to take,” Dietz said. “Hopefully we won’t have to take any more.”