Air Force defense struggles after strong start

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Air Force coach Troy Calhoun offered a simple explanation for Navy’s 18-point rally in the fourth quarter. The rally turned a game that had been comfortable for the Falcons into a tense thriller.

“There was no question we ran out of gas,” Calhoun said. “We just got to get where we don’t run out of gas and that’s on me as a coach. That’s on me as a coach all the way.”

The Falcons' inability to stop the Midshipmen in the final quarter nearly led to a crushing defeat. Quarterback Kriss Proctor directed Navy to 130 yards rushing and 12 first downs in the quarter. His 27-yard scramble out of the pocket on the final drive of regulation summarized the quarter.

No one on the Falcons could tackle him. He evaded at least five tacklers with clear shots.

Linebacker Alex Means was one of Air Force’s many heroes after blocking an extra point in overtime.

But he knows how close he and his teammates came to losing. At halftime, the Midshipmen had only managed three points, leading to overconfidence by the Falcons' defense.

“We got a little too excited there after the first half,” Means said, “and then we were looking down the road to after the game.”

Part of the problem for the Falcons was the lack of a pass rush. After twice falling behind by 18 points, the usually run-obsessed Midshipmen were forced to the air.

Proctor passed 24 times, but seldom felt pressure. He was often able to scan the field for several seconds.

“He did have a lot of time,” defensive back Anthony Wright Jr. said, “but we have to stop them anyway and we didn’t always do that.”