Air Force Snaps Losing Skid, Dominates UNLV

Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney ran for four touchdowns and totaled 157 yards of offense in 42-7 victory.

UNLV linebacker Omega Faga, left, pulls Air Force halfback Chad Hall (23) to the ground during the first half at Falcon Stadium. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
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Oct. 15, 2005

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - Air Force quarterback Shaun Carney ran for four touchdowns and totaled 157 yards of offense Saturday to help the Falcons snap a four-game losing streak with a 42-7 victory over UNLV.

Carney went 6-for-7 for 74 yards and ran for 83 more to help the Falcons (3-4, 2-3, Mountain West) overcome three turnovers and some sloppy play early.

UNLV's only score came on a touchdown pass from one wide receiver to another. Tremayne Kirkland took a lateral from Jackson and hit Casey Flair for a 58-yard score after Flair had slipped behind the fooled defender. That trimmed the Air Force lead to 14-7.

One possession earlier, Carney lost the ball trying to hand off on the triple option. But nobody on the UNLV defense could get into the backfield, so Carney simply picked the ball up and ran right for an 8-yard score to make it 14-0.

It wasn't quite the way coach Fisher DeBerry drew it up for the Falcons, but then again, nothing really has gone to plan at Air Force this year.

After winning its first two games, Air Force lost four straight. The first three dropped the Falcons out of contention for a conference title. Last week's loss to Navy, in which the Falcons blew a 10-point lead over the final 16 minutes, made them ineligible to win back the Commander In Chief's Trophy.

Air Force has to win three of its last four to avoid the first back-to-back losing seasons in DeBerry's 22 seasons at the Academy.

If Carney keeps playing this way, the Falcons will have a chance.

The sophomore set a career record with his four touchdown runs. His first was an 11-yard score that came after he appeared to be wrapped up, but spun out of a tackle, lost himself among a cadre of Falcons linemen, then followed them into the end zone.

In the third quarter, Carney scored another 11-yard TD and got in again in the fourth on an option play from the UNLV 5.

It was part of a 316-yard effort on the ground for Air Force, which came in averaging 241 yards rushing but was getting overpowered by opposing offenses. The seven points and 217 yards Air Force allowed in this one, though, were both season bests.