Army Hands AFA Another Disappointment

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Posted 8:00PM on Saturday, November 5, 2005

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AP) -- Carlton Jones ran for 146 yards and a touchdown, and Army stayed in contention for the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy with a 27-24 victory over Air Force on Saturday. It was Jones' third 100-yard game this season for Navy, which ended an eight-game losing streak against the Falcons and beat Air Force at the academy for the first time in 28 years. Scott Wesley ran for two second-half touchdowns for Army (2-6), which is tied with Navy for the Trophy with one win each over Air Force. Army plays Navy on Dec. 4. The game was another disappointment for the Falcons, whose season has been marred by a controversy that began when coach Fisher DeBerry made statements about black athletes and recruiting. In discussing a 48-10 loss to TCU earlier this season, DeBerry said it was clear TCU "had a lot more Afro-American players than we did and they ran a lot faster than we did." DeBerry was reprimanded by the school for the comments. It also was only the fourth time Air Force (3-7) was swept by Army and Navy since the competition for the Trophy began in 1972. The last time was in 1996. Shaun Carney came off the bench to run for two touchdowns and throw for a third for the Falcons. Carney, who had a cut on his left hand, took over for starter Adam Fitch after two possessions and had 16 carries for 104 yards and was 16-for-21 passing for 194 yards. Army took a 3-0 lead on Justin Koenig's 39-yard field goal after Michael Herndon blocked a punt by Chris Carp on Air Force's first possession. The Black Knights failed to capitalize on a second turnover, which led to Air Force's first score. The Falcons stopped Army on downs, then drove 60 yards on seven plays to position Carney for a 1-yard TD sneak to lead 7-3 in the first quarter. The lead changed twice in the second quarter, with Jones running for a 22-yard touchdown for Army. Carney came right back with a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jason Brown, putting the Falcons ahead 14-10. Army pull within one point on Koenig's 22-yard field goal, but he missed a 28-yard attempt that would have given it the lead. Army took a 20-14 lead in the third quarter when Wesley broke a tackle at the 5 and ran into the end zone on fourth down. Air Force then was penalized three times after reaching the Army 1 and had to settle for a 25-yard field goal by Scott Eberle. Wesley's 1-yard TD run capped an 11-play, 75-yard drive to put Army ahead 27-17, then Carney scored on a 7-yard run with 5:33 remaining to make it 27-24. Air Force forced a punt and drove to the Army 48 in the final minute. But Chad Hall fumbled the ball, and Army defensive end Brandon Thompson recovered with 55 seconds left to preserve the win. 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.