Western Athletic Conference Roundup : Dowis, Air Force Too Much for Colorado State

Colorado State concentrated its defense on slowing Dee Dowis, but it did little to stop the Air Force quarterback.

Dowis rushed for 147 yards, including touchdown runs of 38 and 41 yards, to lead the 24th-ranked Falcons to a 46-21 victory over Western Athletic Conference rival Colorado State Saturday at Fort Collins, Colo.

“You’ve got to give all the credit to their quarterback,” Colorado State Coach Earle Bruce said. “When you set your defense, you’ve got to set it to stop the quarterback, and he averaged 14 yards a carry.”

The Falcons’ big-play offense had 15 plays of 10 yards or more in rolling up 505 yards on the ground and 543 total yards. It was the most yards rushing ever allowed by a Colorado State team. Air Force came into the game as the No. 1 rushing team in the country, averaging 473.5 yards per game.

“Our offense really established its superiority on the ground, giving us a comfortable lead,” Air Force Coach Fisher DeBerry said. “We got some timely turnovers, too.”

Colorado State suffered a costly fumble near midfield early in the second quarter, setting up Air Force’s second score. Late in the third quarter, Eric Faison intercepted a pass at the Air Force 22-yard line.

Dowis, who entered the game as the nation’s leading individual rusher with an average of 145.5 yards a game, gained all but three yards of his total in the first half, helping stake the Falcons to a 24-13 halftime lead.

The Falcons raised their record to 5-0 overall, 4-0 in the conference. Colorado State fell to 1-3-1 and 0-1.

Dowis, who rushed for 144 yards in just nine carries in the first half, had one carry in the second half and left the game early in the final quarter.

Brigham Young 37, Utah St. 10--Ty Detmer passed for 335 yards and three touchdowns for the Cougars at Logan, Utah.

Brigham Young (3-1) had 629 yards of total offense, including 281 yards rushing, while holding the Aggies to only 206.