AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. \u2014 Air Force shifted its tailback to fullback. The Falcons quarterback played more like a battering ram near the goal line. Their receiver threw with the accuracy of a QB.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sound confusing? Trying being Fresno State’s defense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quarterback Karson Roberts rushed for four touchdowns and caught another on a trick play, helping Air Force overcome a sluggish start to beat the Bulldogs 42-14 on Saturday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Worked out well for us,” said Roberts, whose five total touchdowns ties for the second-most in school history, one behind the mark set by QB Dee Dowis in 1989.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Indeed, it did. The Falcons (4-3, 3-1 Mountain West) had to improvise a little bit to earn their 10th straight home win. With their top fullbacks sidelined by injuries, coach Troy Calhoun moved 195-pound tailback Jacobi Owens to the all-important spot in the option offense. In goal-line situations, Roberts stuck his helmet into the middle of piles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As for receiver Jalen Robinette, well, he keeps showcasing his arm. He spun out of a tackle on a reverse and threw his second TD pass of the season \u2014 a 20-yard strike to a wide-open Roberts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“It’s always great to win. But when we get to do a little bit of trickery and stuff like that, that’s a blast, too,” said Robinette, who also had three catches for 79 yards. “This whole day was just fun.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Especially for Roberts. His big afternoon included three TDs from the 1-yard line and another on a 6-yard scamper. He’s the first Falcons quarterback to rush for four TDs in a game since Shaun Carney in 2005. Roberts finished with 92 yards rushing and another 108 through the air.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fresno State (2-6, 1-4) jumped out to a 14-0 lead on long runs by Marteze Waller and Dustin Garrison, only to have the Falcons respond with 42 unanswered points.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“They changed some things up on defense,” Fresno State freshman quarterback Kilton Anderson said. “We might have got a little complacent with the two scores.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bryan Driskell finished with 144 yards rushing for Air Force and Owens added 137, along with a score. Even without injured fullbacks Shayne Davern (knee) and D.J. Johnson (ankle), the Falcons still rushed for 458 yards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Just don’t refer to Owens as a fullback. He prefers hybrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I did actually (enjoy it),” Owens said of the position switch. “Make one cut and you’re gone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The play that woke up Air Force’s sleepy offense was a 54-yard run by Driskell late in the first quarter. Until then, Air Force struggled to get on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“When he broke that run, it did something for the offense,” Owens said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roberts felt the same way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“From there, we (stuck) it in and got us going a little bit,” Roberts said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After some early trouble, the Falcons defense settled into a groove, allowing 77 yards and just five first downs after the first quarter. They sacked Anderson twice and intercepted him once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“Something changed. They felt it, too,” linebacker Claude Alexander III said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Bulldogs led by two touchdowns early when Waller raced 64 yards for a score and Garrison soon followed with a 60-yard TD burst. It marked the first time this season Air Force has trailed at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stampeded for 234 yards in the first quarter, Air Force’s defense clamped down and held the Bulldogs for minus-9 yards in the second quarter. Defensive back Roland Ladipo stepped in front of a receiver deep in Bulldog territory and picked off an Anderson pass to set up Roberts’ game-tying quarterback sneak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Roberts gave the Falcons the lead for good when he trotted in from 6 yards with 5:58 remaining before halftime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This was a homecoming of sorts for Fresno State coach by Tim DeRuyter, who graduated from the Air ForceAcademy in 1985. He served as the defensive coordinator under Calhoun from 2007-09.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“I respect what those guys do, it’s my alma mater,” DeRuyter said. “But it doesn’t matter, I hate losing.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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