Air Force Academy, Colo.
— On Saturday night, the Air Force Falcons achieved a significant victory against Fresno State, ending their seven-game losing streak with a 36-28 triumph. Quentin Hayes was a standout performer, rushing for 91 yards and scoring two touchdowns in the second half, while Dylan Carson contributed 120 rushing yards and one touchdown. With this win, Air Force improved to 2-7 for the season, marking their first victory since they opened the season with a 21-6 win over Merrimack on August 31.
In the passing game, Hayes completed 2 of 6 attempts for 14 yards, which included a 3-yard touchdown pass to Cade Harris. On the other hand, Fresno State dropped to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in Mountain West play. The Bulldogs faced a recent setback after losing 21-20 to Hawaii, where the game ended with a last-second touchdown pass from Brayden Schager to Nick Cenacle. This defeat marked Fresno State’s second consecutive loss this season.
In a pivotal moment, Mikey Keene connected with Mac Dalena at midfield, where Dalena evaded a defender and sprinted for a 73-yard touchdown, giving Fresno State a brief 21-14 lead just before halftime. However, Air Force struggled to convert on a crucial fourth-and-1 situation from their own 34-yard line, allowing Fresno to capitalize just three plays later, resulting in Keene’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Moss.
As the first half concluded, Matthew Dapore managed to score a 35-yard field goal, adding a 37-yarder at the onset of the third quarter to narrow the gap. Shortly thereafter, Blake Fletcher intercepted a pass from Keene, giving Air Force a chance to regain momentum.
Hayes executed a key 2-yard run on fourth-and-1, followed by a touchdown run on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line, putting Air Force ahead 26-21 with 2:30 left in the third quarter after a failed two-point conversion attempt. The Bulldogs attempted a fourth-and-5 from the Air Force 38 but were unsuccessful, allowing Hayes to lead a 12-play, 64-yard drive that consumed over six and a half minutes of game time, extending the Falcon’s lead to two possessions at 8:51 remaining.
Dapore then extended Air Force’s lead with a 36-yard field goal just two minutes before the end of the game. Fresno State’s Dalena provided a finale to the scoring when he caught a 6-yard touchdown pass from Keene with only 38 seconds left in the game. Despite this, Keene had a strong performance for Fresno State, completing 23 of 26 passes for 289 yards along with three touchdowns and one interception.