US AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., Aug. 30 ? Cody Stone capped a seven-play, 80-yard drive with a 31-yard pass to Nick Miller in the end zone for Southern Utah's first score of the 2008 season but that was all the scoring SUU would do Saturday as Air Force claimed to a 41-7 win over the Thunderbirds in the season-opener for both teams.
Air Force stifled Southern Utah's offense in the first half, limiting the Thunderbirds to just 36 total yards but the SUU defense kept the Thunderbirds in the game, limiting the Falcons' high-powered option offense to two touchdowns in the stanza. Air Force led at the break, 21-0, however, after scoring on a pair of safeties and a field goal.
Redshirt freshman safety Blake Fenn led the T-Bird defensive effort with 16 tackles, 11 solo, in his first collegiate game. Junior linebacker Rob Takeno, last year's leading tackler, chipped in 15 stops, two for losses, while fellow ?backer D.J. Senter had a dozen tackles.
A defensive highlight for the Thunderbirds was a goal line stand on Air Force's opening possession. SUU kept the Falcons out of the end zone after Air Force had a first-and-goal from the three yard line. After Kyle Lumpkin ran two yards to give USAFA second-and-goal from the one, Austin Curtis and Takeno sacked Falcon quarterback Shea Smith for a one-yard loss, then Curtis and Colin Pretlow tackled Lumpkin at the one again. On fourth down Lumpkin got the call again but Takeno met him at the line of scrimmage, ending the drive.
“The goal line stand showed our players that they can play with anyone,” SUU's first-year head coach, Ed Lamb, said after the game. “Our defense stepped up in some tough. Air Force's defense did too, unfortunately.”
The Falcons opened the scoring when Brandon Reeves tackled SUU running back Kennie Apilli in the end zone at the 8:08 mark of the first period, following SUU's goal-line stand. The first touchdown came five minutes later when Smith leaned one yard into the end zone on a push up the middle. The Falcons added a sack of Stone in the end zone, a one-yard pass from Smith to tight end Keith Madsen and a 30-yard Ryan Harrison field goal to take the 21-point lead at the break.
Air Force opened the third period with a five-play, 74 yard touchdown drive to take a 28-0 advantage, then capitalized on a pair of SUU fumbles, scoring on two more Harrison field goals before Miller's scoring catch brought SUU within 34-7 with 5:01 to play in the third quarter. Air Force added a late touchdown on a 14-yard Jonathan Warzeka run around the left end.
“We left a lot out on the field today ... but there's still a lot of football to be played this year,” Lamb said. “A loss to Air Force on opening weekend isn't going to keep us from winning our conference championship and it's not going to keep us out of the playoffs. We learned a lot today, as coaches and as players.
“There were a lot of mistakes made out there today,” Lamb went on to say. “Mistakes were made by players but most of them were made by coaches. I have to take responsibility for a lot of the mistakes we made today.”
Stone completed 15-of-25 passes for 123 yards, with Tysson Poots catching nine balls for 73 yards. Apilli was the Thunderbirds' leading rusher with 18 yards on just six carries.
SUU punter Trevor Ward was very effective, punting eight times for 426 yards, a 53.2 yard average, and pinning the Falcons inside the 20-yard line twice.
Miller's return attempts were limited, as most of Harrison's kickoffs sailed through the end zone, but he did have two returns for 47 yards, including a 38-yarder.
Smith, who was originally expected to split time with Eric Herbort at quarterback, wound up playing the majority of the game as Herbort had just one play, an 11-yard run. Smith completed 8-of-12 passes for 75 yards. He also led all rushers with 16 carries for 95 more yards as the Falcons finished with 433 yards on the ground. Thirteen Falcons logged rushing attempts, with Kyle Halderman carrying six times for 87 yards and a score and Lumpkin carrying 19 times for 78 yards.
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