By Kevin Lonnquist
Publisher
In Fort Worth, Air Force scored twice in the third quarter to blow open a close game and beat Baylor, 30-15, at Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Thursday at Amon Carter Stadium.
A year after finishing 12-2 and No. 5 in the country and beginning 2022 as preseason Big 12 favorites, the Bears (6-7) closed on a 4-game losing streak.
Baylor scored right before the end of the first half on a Blake Shapen 8-yard touchdown pass to Hal Presley to cut it to 9-7 at the Break.
However, the Falcons scored on the opening possession of the third quarter finalized on quarterback Haaziq Daniels’ 2-yard TD run to open it up to 16-7.
The Bears had a golden opportunity to cut into it after Air Force shanked a punt that landed on its own 44. However, the Bears were foiled. Shapen was stopped on fourth down at the Falcons’ 36 to end the possession.
Air Force (10-3) seized the momentum and scored on the ensuing possession when Daniels found tight end Caleb Rillos on a 15-yard touchdown pass to extend it to 23-7. The Falcons later put it out of reach early in the fourth quarter on a Brad Roberts 1-yard run. Roberts finished with 116 yards.
This game played to form. The Falcons, who lead the nation in time of possession at 36:13 per game, finished at 40:03. Baylor’s defense actually did a respectable job against the option to 276 yards and 4.1 yards per carry.
However, the Bears offense collapsed. They finished with 230 total yards – 85 of which came on a scoring drive that cut it 30-15 late in the game – and just 42 rushing yards. Baylor was also 0-11 on third down.
If there were any positives, the Bears did not commit any turnovers. Shapen also snapped his streak where he had committed 12 in the last eight. However, he was just 11-23 for 188 yards.
There will be a lot of questions for this team to resolve in the offseason that will resume when the spring semester begins in mid-January. The first question is addressing quarterback. Currently, Shapen is the only one on scholarship for that position.
Publisher
In Fort Worth, Air Force scored twice in the third quarter to blow open a close game and beat Baylor, 30-15, at Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl Thursday at Amon Carter Stadium.
A year after finishing 12-2 and No. 5 in the country and beginning 2022 as preseason Big 12 favorites, the Bears (6-7) closed on a 4-game losing streak.
Baylor scored right before the end of the first half on a Blake Shapen 8-yard touchdown pass to Hal Presley to cut it to 9-7 at the Break.
However, the Falcons scored on the opening possession of the third quarter finalized on quarterback Haaziq Daniels’ 2-yard TD run to open it up to 16-7.
The Bears had a golden opportunity to cut into it after Air Force shanked a punt that landed on its own 44. However, the Bears were foiled. Shapen was stopped on fourth down at the Falcons’ 36 to end the possession.
Air Force (10-3) seized the momentum and scored on the ensuing possession when Daniels found tight end Caleb Rillos on a 15-yard touchdown pass to extend it to 23-7. The Falcons later put it out of reach early in the fourth quarter on a Brad Roberts 1-yard run. Roberts finished with 116 yards.
This game played to form. The Falcons, who lead the nation in time of possession at 36:13 per game, finished at 40:03. Baylor’s defense actually did a respectable job against the option to 276 yards and 4.1 yards per carry.
However, the Bears offense collapsed. They finished with 230 total yards – 85 of which came on a scoring drive that cut it 30-15 late in the game – and just 42 rushing yards. Baylor was also 0-11 on third down.
If there were any positives, the Bears did not commit any turnovers. Shapen also snapped his streak where he had committed 12 in the last eight. However, he was just 11-23 for 188 yards.
There will be a lot of questions for this team to resolve in the offseason that will resume when the spring semester begins in mid-January. The first question is addressing quarterback. Currently, Shapen is the only one on scholarship for that position.
