Cowboys lasso Falcons, 25-17 Published Nov. 12, 2011 By David Edwards Academy Spirit staff wrtier FALCON STADIUM, Colo. -- Propelled by fourth-quarter heroics, the visiting Wyoming Cowboys spoiled the celebration of former Falcon coach Fisher DeBerry's upcoming induction into the College Football Hall of Fame and beat Air Force, 25-17, Nov. 12. The Falcons were done in by turnovers as they tried to overcome a one-point deficit late in the game. With the loss, Air Force fell to 1-4 in the Mountain West Conference. More importantly, the Falcons will have to win their final two games of the season in order to become bowl-eligible. Head Coach Troy Calhoun commented on the fatal miscues afterward. "We had more than you can have, especially against a good team," Calhoun said. "I thought the first three drives of the second half we had chances to score more points than we did, and I think early in the game, too. Those are the things that are magnified, especially at the end of the game." Independence Bowl representatives were at Falcon Stadium to see two of the teams that were in the mix for a trip to Shreveport, La. The Cowboys' victory all but guarantees they will ace out the Academy. Falcons' senior starting quarterback Tim Jefferson did not return after the first series and was replaced by Connor Dietz. Their counterpart for Wyoming, true freshman Brett Smith, accounted for all three touchdowns the Cowboy offense scored, including the crucial go-ahead one with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter. Air Force won the coin toss and deferred. On its opening drive, Wyoming methodically marched down the field. Smith capped the 14-play, 80-yard drive with a quarterback draw around left end that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run. But the extra point was pushed wide right by the strong wind, which blew all game at more than 30 mph and wreaked havoc with both teams' kicking games. The Falcons were set up to respond when Wes Cobb burst up the middle for 44 yards. But Jefferson was stuffed on fourth-and-goal from the Wyoming 1-yard-line. The Air Force defense held, however, and forced Wyoming to punt from its own end zone. Starting their next drive in Cowboy territory, the Falcons took advantage quickly. Fullback Mike DeWitt tied the game with a run from 9 yards out, and Parker Herrington's extra point gave Air Force a 7-6 lead. From there, neither team was able to sustain a drive until the end of the half. After David Baska's 12-yard punt gave the Cowboys a short field, Smith connected with receiver Chris McNeill on a 6-yard touchdown strike. McNeill's feet were in the end zone, but the ball appeared to be short of goal line. The officials reviewed the play and let the touchdown stand. With the Falcons trailing 12-7 at halftime, the Academy honored DeBerry, its longtime coach and leader in both wins and winning percentage. His accomplishments over a 23-year career will culminate with his induction in New York in December. The Falcons inched closer on the opening drive of the second half. Just 8 yards from pay dirt, Dietz's pitch on a second-down play went out of bounds, making it third and 14. The Falcons lost a yard on the next play and had to settle for Parker Herrington's 35-yard field goal, which pulled them to within two at 12-10. Air Force was given a huge gift later in the third quarter. Dietz had led the Falcons deep into Wyoming territory, but he fumbled on the 10-yard-line. The Cowboys promptly returned the favor two plays later. Given a second chance, Air Force wasted no time in converting. Asher Clark rumbled 21 yards down to the 4-yard-line. DeWitt punched it in from a yard out and put the Falcons back ahead, 17-12. Wyoming missed an opportunity to retake the lead near the end of the third quarter. A drive that began on the Cowboys' own 40-yard-line ended at the Air Force 14-yard-line when the Falcons' Daniel Vinson recovered a costly fumble. But the Falcons couldn't capitalize. Nevertheless, Baska uncorked a 58-yard punt that went out of bounds at the Wyoming 21-yard-line. Facing a long field, the Cowboys pushed to midfield but then shot themselves in the foot with a personal foul, making it second down and 20. The next play, Wyoming threw a screen pass near the Air Force sideline, and a downfield receiver made contact from behind on a Falcon defender. The entire Falcon coaching staff immediately began clamoring for a penalty, but the play was not flagged and resulted in 12 yards for Wyoming. The Cowboys converted on third down and kept the drive going. Then Smith came up big once more for the Cowboys. On fourth-and-10 from the Falcon 30, he threw a strike to Mazi Obgonna on a crossing route, giving Wyoming 16 yards and a first down. Three plays later, he scampered into the end zone. The extra point gave Wyoming an 18-17 lead with 7:40 remaining. Air Force seemed poised to regain the lead thanks to a drive that consumed nearly 6 minutes. But DeWitt coughed up the ball at the Wyoming 24 with just 1:47 remaining. "We felt like we definitely had to be inside the 25 (for a field goal)," Calhoun said. "He's got a pretty good leg, but there was some breeze. We wanted to get it down to the 22 or 20, but our preference would be to ... score a touchdown." The Falcons still had a chance to win after forcing a punt by Wyoming. They got the ball back at their own 41 with 1:21 on the clock. They got as far as the Wyoming 34 before Dietz was flagged for intentional grounding. Facing a fourth-and-22, the Falcons tried to pull off a hook-and-lateral, but the second lateral was fumbled and recovered by Wyoming's Marqueston Huff, who went to the house and all but sealed the win for the Cowboys. Huff also intercepted Dietz's desperation heave with 19 seconds remaining. With that, the celebration was on for the Cowboys and their fans. Air Force hosts UNLV at home next week at 4 p.m. and finishes the season with a road game against Colorado State.