Nov. 13, 1999
Game Stats
By JOHN MOSSMAN
AP Sports Writer
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - Backup quarterback Mike Thiessen led Air Force to four touchdowns on five possessions midway through the game, and the Falcons manhandled UNLV 35-16 Saturday.
Air Force (6-3, 2-3 Mountain West) kept its bowl hopes alive by rolling up 418 yards rushing and 504 total yards.
The Falcons built a 35-3 lead in the third quarter before UNLV quarterback Matt Ray, one of five freshmen to start on offense for the Rebels, engineered two late scoring drives.
UNLV (3-6, 1-4) finished with 325 total yards.
Thiessen rushed for 94 yards on 20 carries and completed four of five passes for 84 yards, including a 29-yard TD pass to tight end Ken Chandler early in the third quarter.
After two ineffective series to open the game under starting quarterback Cale Bonds, the Falcons switched to Thiessen, who promptly led them 91 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown with 1:45 left in the opening period. Thiessen's delayed pitch in traffic to halfback Scotty McKay went for 40 yards and a score.
Jeremi Rudolph, who missed the Rebels' last game with a groin injury, had runs of 16, 16 and 24 yards as UNLV drove to the Air Force 24. But Ray, seeing his first collegiate action in place of the injured Jason Vaughan, was sacked on third down by safety Wes Glisson, and the Rebels were forced to punt.
Moments later, Ray completed 15- and 21-yard passes, and Tim O'Reilly kicked a 37-yard field goal, the first of the season for UNLV.
Air Force responded with an 80-yard, nine-play touchdown drive, capped by Nathan Beard's 1-yard run. Thiessen passed 24 yards to Tom Heier on the drive, and Chris Wade went 19 yards with a pitchout.
Linebacker Jamie Arthur's third-down sack of Ray thwarted a subsequent UNLV drive, and the Falcons went 80 yards in 12 plays for another score just before the half. Three plays after Thiessen's 17-yard run, Scott Becker plunged 1 yard on fourth down for a 21-3 halftime lead.
Thiessen's TD pass to Chandler made it 28-3 less than four minutes into the third quarter, and Bonds returned to lead the Falcons on a 57-yard scoring drive, capped by freshman Leotis Palmer's 28-yard run.
Ray threw a 20-yard TD pass to Nate Turner late in the third period. After Ray's 48-yard pass to Len Ware, the Rebels scored again on James Wofford's 10-yard run early in the fourth period.
Ray, whose great uncle is former San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, was 10-of-18 for 187 yards.
