UNLV dominated by Air Force in 45-17 loss

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 | 2:20 p.m.

Updated Saturday, Nov. 14, 2009 | 5:30 p.m.

Air Force wins 45-17

UNLV arrived in Colorado Springs to play Air Force with hopes of salvaging its season with a win and making a late chase at bowl eligibility.

The Rebels left disappointed after enduring a lopsided 45-17 defeat to Air Force.

Not much went UNLV’s way all day. Air Force jumped out to an early 14-0 lead and UNLV never got within two touchdowns from there.

UNLV allowed more than 500 yards of total offense to Air Force and couldn’t stop its rushing attack all day. Air Force’s Asher Clark rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns.

Despite igniting a couple of long drives, UNLV’s Omar Clayton went only 9-for-18 for 108 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

UNLV falls to 4-7 with the defeat and will officially not be bowl eligible. The Rebels have a bye week next, before facing San Diego State at home to close out the season.

Beginning of the fourth quarter, Air Force leads 38-10

It might be time to officially consider UNLV's season over.

After scoring a touchdown midway through the third quarter to cut Air Force's lead to two touchdowns, UNLV allowed Air Force to score twice more and pull away in Colorado Springs. Nathan Walker took the first touchdown in, while Asher Clark just pounded in another touchdown to make the score 38-10.

With a loss at Air Force, UNLV will fall to 4-7 and officially be eliminated from becoming bowl eligible. Air Force has really controlled the game all day. The Falcons have gained more than 300 yards on the ground and have only punted once.

7:32 remaining, third quarter, Air Force leads 24-10

They might face quite a challenge to come back and win this game at Air Force, but the Rebels haven't given up.

UNLV scored on a fourth-and-six play from the 30-yard line when Omar Clayton found Phillip Payne down the sideline. UNLV still trails 24-10.

But the Rebels deserve some credit for coming out and scoring first after halftime. Problem is, that's not going to make the defensive troubles go away.

The Falcons have run all over the Rebels today and unless major halftime adjustments have taken place, there's no reason to believe that will stop now. UNLV has just more than 20 minutes remaining in this game to fight for its season and possible bowl eligibility.

Halftime, Air Force leads 24-3

UNLV's offense came alive just in time for a catastrophic mistake.

After not moving the football all day, the Rebels drove the ball down to the Air Force 11-yard line with a methodical seven minute drive. Then, the disaster happened.

Omar Clayton fired toward the end zone. The ball was caught, but not by UNLV. Air Force's Chris Thomas snagged the interception with 3:30 remaining until halftime to keep the score 17-3 and further demoralize a UNLV team that seemingly nothing is going right for.

Clayton is 3-for-8 for 38 yards and none of the Rebel running backs have rushed for more than seven yards.

After the interception, Air Force was not content to go into halftime with a 14-point lead. The Falcons took the ball 80 yards and Savier Stevens took a sweep 10 yards for a touchdown. Air Force goes into the locker room with a 24-3 advantage.

8:58 remaining, second quarter, Air Force leads 14-3

Air Force gave UNLV a golden opportunity to get its first points of the day.

Although the Rebel offense stalled, kicker Kyle Watson was able to add a 37-yard field goal to make the score 14-3. The field goal came after a UNLV punt bounced off of the back of an Air Force blocker. Deante Purvis jumped on the loose ball to give UNLV its first takeaway of the game.

The Rebels might look back on that turnover with regret for not getting more points. It sure looks like they could use it. The Air Force offense has been unstoppable so far.

Asher Clark has nine rushes for 64 yards and a touchdown for the Falcons. Jared Tew has eight carries for 41 yards and a touchdown.

13:33 remaining, second quarter, Air Force leads 14-0

If Asher Clark got the first touchdown, it had to be Jared Tew on the second one.

Tew just took a dive play two yards up the middle for a touchdown, giving both of Air Force's biggest offensive weapons a touchdown before halftime. Air Force leads UNLV 14-0 in Colorado Springs.

While Air Force has moved the ball with ease, UNLV has gotten nothing going on offense. Omar Clayton is 1-for-4 for five yards and the running game has accounted for nine yards on five carries.

Air Force just booted the kickoff into the end zone, so UNLV will start its next offensive drive at the 20-yard line heading into the wind.

First quarter, 5:53 remaining, Air Force leads 7-0

Air Force's first offensive drive went well for UNLV. The Rebels stopped the Falcons on a fourth-and-one for a turnover on downs.

The second one didn't go so smoothly. Air Force took the ball 95 yards down the field before Asher Clark topped it off with a 24-yard touchdown run. Air Force leads 7-0.

UNLV's offense didn't move the ball much on its first attempt. Omar Clayton did rush for one first down, but it was three-and-out after that.

Air Force is now lining up to kick the ball back to UNLV. The Rebels will look to score quickly to prevent themselves from falling in to another large, early deficit on the road.

Pre-game

A lot of factors point toward Air Force having no problem with UNLV in the team's match-up at 3 in Colorado Springs this afternoon.

Going by the statistics, Air Force (6-4) enters the game fourth in the nation in rushing offense and first in the nation in passing defense. UNLV has hardly found success stopping the run and has allowed 211 rushing yards per game, ranking 111th in the nation. Meanwhile, the Rebels have been proficient passing the ball, ranking 48th in the nation, throughout the season. Something has to give.

The weather won't favor the Rebels, either. It's currently 35 degrees with both rain and snow — something that won't bother Air Force, but can't be a plus for UNLV.

Air Force's rushing tandem of Jared Tew, Asher Clark and Savier Stevens has combined to average more than 150 yards per game. It will be interesting to see how the Rebels deal with these three from the beginning.

There is, of course, reason to believe UNLV could pull off a strong performance and continue its improbable march to bowl eligibility. The Rebels almost knocked off the Falcons last year before falling to a late 29-28 defeat. It was only three years ago when UNLV beat Air Force, 42-39.

But it should be pointed out that both of those games were at Sam Boyd Stadium. UNLV has only won in Colorado Springs once, and that was in 2001. If the Rebels want to notch their second win there today, they will need the defense to play its best game of the season. An improved rushing attack wouldn't hurt keeping in mind the conditions.

As for a prediction, let's go Air Force 28, UNLV 21. UNLV could easily stay in this game, but too much favors Air Force to call for the upset. What do you think?

Stay tuned and lasvegassun.com will keep you updated throughout the game.