Despite Mistakes, Air Force Remains Unbeaten, 31-10

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. —  It wasn’t a pretty victory, but in the midst of all the little mistakes that kept No. 7 Air Force from trouncing San Diego State, Coach Fisher DeBerry saw a lot of beauty in the determination of his unbeaten Falcons.

“I can’t say enough of the character of our football team. When we had to do it, they did it. They showed that they are champions,” DeBerry said after Air Force overcame a lackluster performance to down stubborn San Diego State, 31-10, in Western Athletic Conference football action Saturday.

The victory improved the Falcons’ record to 9-0 overall and 6-0 in the WAC.

It also was the 12th victory in a row for Air Force, tying the service academy with Bowling Green, which also won Saturday, for the nation’s longest winning streak.

But it was the Air Force defense, not the highly vaunted offense, which led the way.

“The defense was just amazing,” DeBerry said. “They gave up some yards out there today, but I’ll tell you what: they kept them out of the end zone. To me, that’s the classification of a great team. They (San Diego State) were averaging over 30 points a game, and our defense only gave them 10 points. I think that’s great.

“Our defense just did a great job of hanging in there as much as they had to play.”

Aztec Coach Doug Scovil, whose tea fell to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the WAC, noted that “Air Force doesn’t have any weak points. Defensively, I think they are better than some of the recent teams.”