Air Force beats Utah State 27-20 in Mountain West opener


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LOGAN, Utah (AP) — Jacobi Owens scored on a 1-yard TD run with 5:06 left in the fourth quarter and Air Force opened the Mountain West Conference season with a 27-20 win over Utah State on Saturday night.

Air Force's Haji Dunn Jr. set up Owens' score when he sacked Kent Myers, forced the fumble and recovered it at the Utah State 14. Owens capped the short drive by breaking a tackle and spinning into the end zone to make it 24-13.

The Falcons (3-0, 1-0) then forced a four-and-out to quickly take the ball back and made it a 14-point lead on Luke Strebel's field goal with 2:57 left.

The Aggies (2-2, 0-1) cut the deficit back to one score with 33 seconds left after a 12-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. But Ryan Reffitt recovered the onside pooch kick to secure the win.

Utah State tried a fake field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 18 but on the first play of the fourth quarter but came up 6 yards short of the end zone.

THE TAKEAWAY

Air Force: The Falcons entered the game nation's leading rushing offense at 432.5 yards per game. They finished with 213 yards on the ground against the Aggies.

Utah State: The Aggies lost their first Mountain West opener in their fourth season since joining the conference. Ron'Quavion Tarver's nine catches and 143 yards receiving were both career highs.

UP NEXT

Air Force: The Falcons host undefeated Navy next Saturday for the first service academy showdown of 2016. Air Force's Weston Steelhammer was disqualified for a targeting call in the third quarter and will miss the first half on the Navy game next Saturday.

Utah State: The Aggies visit Boise State Saturday night. The Broncos should be in a strong position to crack the Top 25 next week after back-to-back victories over Pac 12 opponents.

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