RENO, Nev. (AP) — Timothy McVey led three Air Force rushers with 100-plus yards and Luke Strebel kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to help Air Force beat Nevada 45-42 on Friday night. McVey rushed for 139 yards,
RENO, Nev. (AP) — Timothy McVey led three Air Force rushers with 100-plus yards and Luke Strebel kicked a 30-yard field goal as time expired to help Air Force beat Nevada 45-42 on Friday night.
McVey rushed for 139 yards, Ronald Cleveland had 118 yards on eight carries and Taven Birdow added 100 yards for Air Force (3-4, 2-2 Mountain West). Each player scored a rushing touchdown and Arion Worthman added 92 yards and two TDs. The Falcons gained 550 yards on 91 carries.
“We were moving the ball and if it came down to a last second score, (we knew) it was going to be us, and we weren’t going to let them score,” Cleveland said.
Air Force’s dominant rushing game helped hold the ball for 41 minutes, 20 seconds, including a 20-play drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes in the second half.
“For us, being able to move the sticks helps us stay on the field,” Air Force coach Troy Calhoun said. “We got to execute better. We had a number of balls on the ground and our perimeter execution has to be better. But we found a way.”
Ty Gangi went 17 of 33 for 239 passing yards and Kelton Moore rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown for Nevada (1-7, 1-3). Gangi has totaled 925 yards in his last three games.
“They executed well,” Nevada coach Jay Norvell said. “It’s a very unique style of offense that you don’t play very often. They did a great job of executing it without throwing the ball very much.”
THE TAKEAWAY
Nevada hasn’t surrendered more than 500 rushing yards in a game in two decades.
UP NEXT
Air Force plays at Colorado State next Saturday for its fourth road match in five games. The Falcons play three of their last four games at home.
Following a bye week, Nevada plays at Boise State on Nov. 4. Since beating then-No. 3 Boise State in 2010, Nevada has lost four straight against the Broncos.
