AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. » The name "Air Force" emblazoned on the front of their uniforms was a great misnomer on a Friday night when the academy football team beat Hawaii with one hand essentially tied behind its back.
That would be the right, passing hand of Falcons quarterback Connor Dietz, who only raised his arm in victory — and a couple of pump fakes.
Dietz never so much as put the ball in the 30-degree Rocky Mountain air and, still, the Falcons, daring the Warriors to stop them, were able to cooly come away with a 21-7 victory built around their relentless infantry and unyielding defense.
Sixty-eight offensive plays by Air Force, 68 runs and the Falcons (6-5) became bowl eligible and earned a trip to the Bell Helicopter Bowl.
"Oh, is that what happened," deadpanned Air Force head coach Troy Calhoun afterward.
Yes it is, which tells you a little about how bad it has gotten for the Warriors, who lost their eighth consecutive game and, 10 games into this painful 1-9 season, still haven’t beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent, while falling to 0-7 in the Mountain West Conference.
It was the first time since 1992 the Falcons have gone without authoring a pass, and the first time UH has been beaten in the modern era (since leather helmets) by a foe that declined to take to the air.
The previous low passing yards was 4 by Ohio in 21-10 victory over UH in 1996.
"Hey, whatever it takes," Dietz said, cradling the game ball and then raising it to almost shoulder level as if he were finally going to launch one, before playfully pulling it back. "They wanted to take that (the pass) away. But we were able to run pretty well and gash ’em with it."
Indeed, the Falcons averaged 5 yards a carry and piled up 338 overall. Tailback Cody Getz got 125 of them and a touchdown on 21 carries.
"Didn’t mind at all (not passing)," Getz said. "Not at all."
The Falcons’ ability to run consistently with nary the threat of a passing game added insult to the loss for UH which, try as it might, managed a measly 37 yards (including four quarterback sacks) on 31 attempts and went without a first down in the second half with the predicability of Joey Iosefa, their only threat.
All eight times in the second half the Warriors encountered a third-down situation — and twice on fourth-down attempts — they came up empty.
It did not help that the Warriors’ quickest running back, Will Gregory, was left home in the aftermath of an ejection from the Boise State game for throwing punches.
"Snake-bitten" UH coach Norm Chow would lament afterward on a night when even the long-awaited change of quarterbacks — Jeremy Higgins went the first three-plus quarters before giving way to Sean Schroeder in the fourth — couldn’t ignite an offensive charge.
The Warriors’ highlight of the longest 2-hour, 55-minute game they’ll play came on their first series, when they ended the long first-possession futility. After failing to score in the first series of their previous nine games, Higgins smoothly guided the Warriors 61 yards in 10 plays, and his 26-yard touchdown pass to Clark Evans ended the drought.
But the Warriors couldn’t do anything with their next 12 series, punting eight times, getting stopped on downs twice, missing a prayer-shot 60-yard field goal and fumbling.
Iosefa’s fumble at the Falcons 10-yard line in the third quarter prevented the Warriors from tying the game at 14, and they mounted few threats thereafter.
"Hey, we’ll take a victory any way we can get it," Dietz said.
Even with one hand tied behind their backs.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@staradvertiser.com or 529-4820.
