Air Force Football Handles Navy

Falcons overcome penalties to roll to 27-13 victory.

Nate Beard ran for 45 yards and two scores in Air Force's 27-13 victory over Navy.
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Oct. 7, 2000

Box Score

By AARON J. LOPEZ
AP Sports Writer

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) - If he wasn't wearing football pads and a helmet, Air Force fullback Scott Becker would have been bordering on insubordination.

With the Falcons holding a four-point lead over Navy early in the fourth quarter, Becker approached Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry with some unsolicited advice.

"I looked at him, and I said, `Hey, give Nate and I the ball and we'll win this game,"' Becker said. "He just looked at me and said, `All right.' I don't think he believed that I actually said that to him. I don't believe that I said it, either."

Becker's indirect order proved prophetic as Nate Beard ran for 45 yards and two touchdowns, and Air Force forced two fourth-quarter turnovers in a 27-13 victory over Navy on Saturday.

Air Force (4-1) committed a season-high 12 penalties and was held 172 yards below its rushing average but made big plays defensively to get a leg up in the race for the Commander in Chief's Trophy.

The trophy travels between Air Force, Army and Navy, depending on which school beats its two service academy rivals. Air Force has won the trophy nine of the last 11 years.

"It's a pride issue," Falcons quarterback Mike Thiessen said. "We're playing for all the people in our service who are maybe on the other side of the world and got up at 2 in the morning to turn the TV on. It's real special for those guys."

Navy (0-5), off to its worst start since 1994, got as close as 17-13 on a 45-yard field goal by David Hills late in the third quarter but could not overcome two debilitating fumbles in the game's final 13 minutes.

"We didn't execute at all in the second half," Navy coach Charlie Weatherbie said. "We didn't take care of the ball. Our fumble midway through the fourth quarter was the turning point. It was a costly mistake."

Navy's self-destruction began after Air Force took a 20-13 lead on a 40-yard field goal by David Adams 2:38 into the fourth.

The Midshipmen lost the ball on a botched handoff 37 seconds later, and Beard scored on a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:21 left. He carried nine times for 22 yards on the eight-play, 36-yard drive.

Navy, which has lost 17 of 19 to Air Force, drove to the Falcons' 38 before the threat ended when quarterback Ed Malinowski was forced into an errant pitch recovered by C.J. Zanotti with 5:21 remaining.

"It was kind of like we had them on the ropes and they found a way to get out of it," Malinowski said. "The guys were trying their hearts out. Sometimes they try too hard."

Malinowski, who took over for ineffective starter Brian Broadwater in the second quarter, completed 8 of 16 passes for 81 yards, and Cee Harris scored Navy's only touchdown.

The Midshipmen were sacked seven times and have scored just 39 points in five games.

"It's going to get frustrating if you keep thinking about a loss," Navy defensive end Michael Wagoner said. "You're going to get frustrated and start asking questions. That's not our job."

Beard's 3-yard TD run helped Air Force to an early 7-3 lead, but the Falcons committed two costly penalties that sparked Navy during a 17-play scoring drive in the second quarter.

Air Force received a personal foul when Chad Rogers was called for roughing the punter on fourth-and-21, and a defensive holding penalty gave Navy another first down after an incomplete pass on third-and-15.

"I don't mind aggressive penalties," DeBerry said. "I don't like when you don't line up right or jump offsides because you have control of that. That makes me an old man - an older old man."

The Midshipmen took advantage as Harris scored on a 5-yard run with 7:36 left before halftime. It was Navy's fourth touchdown of the season and first in eight quarters.

Air Force responded on the ensuing drive, thanks in part to a tipped pass that turned into a 61-yard catch by Ryan Fleming. Thiessen scored from the 1 on the next play.

The Falcons took a 17-10 lead into the half after Adams kicked a 38-yard field goal set up by a blocked punt, Air Force's fifth blocked kick in three games.