Colorado State University Athletics
Colorado State
6-3 , 4-1
Air Force
4-4 , 3-2
Rams lose to Falcons 45-28
10/28/2017 5:36:00 PM | Football
CSU falls in Mountain West play for first time this season
Photo Gallery
by Grant Larson
Athletics Communications
FORT COLLINS, Colo.—The Colorado State Rams (6-3, 4-1 Mountain West) suffered their first loss in Mountain West play this season, falling 45-28 to the Air Force Falcons (4-4, 3-2 Mountain West) Saturday in Fort Collins. The loss snapped the Rams' four-game winning streak and was CSU's first loss in the new on-campus stadium.
The Rams' defense was unable to stop Air Force's triple-option-style offense, as the Falcons rushed for 413 yards and did not punt until their final possession of the game. Air Force attempted just four passes, completing two of those for 64 yards and a touchdown with one interception.
CSU senior quarterback Nick Stevens completed 17-of-31 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions. Those marked the first interceptions that Stevens has thrown in conference play and snapped a streak of 18 consecutive quarters and 145 pass attempts without a turnover committed by the quarterback. Stevens' two touchdowns brought his season total to a career-high 22 and his career total to 63, one behind all-time CSU leader Garrett Grayson.
Wide receiver Michael Gallup entered the game as the nation's leading receiver and added to that mark with seven catches for 161 yards and a touchdown. True freshman Warren Jackson recorded a career-high 50 receiving yards on three catches and sophomore fullback Adam Prentice caught his first career touchdown.
Eclipsing the 100-yard mark for the fourth time in the last five games, senior running back Dalyn Dawkins paced the Rams on the ground with 141 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. His 76-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was the longest run of his career and the longest by a Ram since Dee Hart's 76-yard run against New Mexico on Nov. 22, 2014.
Junior linebacker Josh Watson recorded a career-high 17 tackles and a quarterback hurry. Sophomore cornerback Anthony Hawkins logged his second interception of the season.
The Rams will look to bounce back next week as they take on the Wyoming Cowboys in Laramie, Wyo., on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT. Continue to check CSURams.com and follow @CSUFootball on Twitter for exclusive content from the Rams' 2017 season.
Stat of the Game:
The Falcons rushed for 413 yards and the Rams did not record a tackle for loss.
In Their Words...
Head Coach Mike Bobo:
On his team's performance
"It was a disappointing game. We could not stop them defensively; they did whatever they wanted. Offensively, we turned it over three times and you cannot do that against an option football team. We did not maximize our possessions, but the difference in the game was the three turnovers on only 54 plays. We felt like we could score as many points as they could, but you can't execute that when you turn the ball over."
Senior quarterback Nick Stevens:
On the team's ability to bounce back
"We still control our own destiny. As long as we keep playing well and winning games, our goals are still ahead of us. I think this team has the ability to bounce back from something like this and that's definitely going to be a motivating factor for us."
On the upcoming week
"We've got to come out next week and have to have a great week preparation. Obviously we have to learn from this game, leave it behind and come out ready to execute better next game."
Team Stats
AF 7, CSU 0
AF - BIRDOW, Taven 3 yd run (STREBEL, Luke kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 5:47
AF 7, CSU 7
CSU - DAWKINS, D. 76 yd run (BRYAN, W. kick), 4 plays, 96 yards, TOP 0:53
AF 7, CSU 14
CSU - GALLUP, M. 55 yd pass from STEVENS, N. (BRYAN, W. kick) 1 plays, 55 yards, TOP 0:09
AF 14, CSU 14
AF - BIRDOW, Taven 4 yd run (STREBEL, Luke kick), 13 plays, 75 yards, TOP 6:34
AF 14, CSU 21
CSU - PRENTICE, A. 1 yd pass from STEVENS, N. (BRYAN, W. kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:20
AF 21, CSU 21
AF - STAFFORD, Jacob 53 yd run (STREBEL, Luke kick), 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:26
AF 28, CSU 21
AF - VEREEN, S. 30 yd interception (STREBEL, Luke kick)
AF 28, CSU 28
CSU - MATTHEWS, I. 9 yd run (BRYAN, W. kick), 9 plays, 63 yards, TOP 4:06
AF 31, CSU 28
AF - STREBEL, Luke 20 yd field goal 17 plays, 72 yards, TOP 9:59
AF 38, CSU 28
AF - REFFITT, Ryan 56 yd pass from WORTHMAN, Arion (STREBEL, Luke kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:52
AF 45, CSU 28
AF - WORTHMAN, Arion 7 yd run (STREBEL, Luke kick), 13 plays, 98 yards, TOP 7:09
