Rebels fall short in Colorado Springs

November 16, 2009 by Sean Jaramillo 

UNLV’s loss puts them out of postseason once again

The Air Force Academy kept the ball on the ground but still managed to shoot UNLV’s dreams of becoming bowl eligible out of the sky, beating the Rebels 45-17.

Air Force’s rushing offense, which ranks fourth in the country, ran for 431 yards against the 111th-ranked rush defense in the country.

The win moved USAFA’s record to 7-4 overall and 5-2 in the Mountain West Conference. The Falcons can still move as high as second place in the MWC.

For UNLV (4-7, 2-5 MWC), this game guaranteed their ninth consecutive losing season. The Rebels have only managed one winning season in the last 15 years.

The Rebels’ offense started off as cold as the 33-degree field they played on, going down 24-3 after one half of play. UNLV failed to score on five of their six first half possessions and punted away their first three.

One of the problems for the Rebels was that their running game never got started. Quarterbacks Mike Clausen and Omar Clayton led the team in rushing with 60 and 56 yards respectively.

By contrast, Air Force had three people rush for more than 60 yards. Asher Clark led the way with 164 yards and three touchdowns.

The passing games for both teams were about equal, as UNLV won the yard battle 135-126.

Clayton completed nine of his 18 attempted passes for 108 yards. He also threw one touchdown and one interception.

Tim Jefferson of Air Force completed eight of 13 for 126 yards.

Although the Falcons ran most of the game, they dominated the time of possession battle. USAFA held the ball only six seconds longer than the Rebels did over the course of the game.

UNLV’s scoring drives in the second half were both touchdowns. Phillip Payne caught a 30-yard touchdown pass from Clayton in the third quarter and Clausen ran for a six-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

The Rebels now get a week off to prepare for San Diego State in the season finale. The game will be on Nov. 28 at 6 p.m.