Hayes accounts for 3 TDs to help Air Force beat Fresno State 36-28, snap 7-game skid

Nov 10, 2024, 01:16 am

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- — Quentin Hayes ran for 91 yards and two second-half touchdowns on 25 carries, Dylan Carson had 120 yards rushing and a TD and Air Force beat Fresno State 36-28 on Saturday night to snap a seven-game losing streak.

Air Force (2-7, 1-4) won for the first time since it beat Merrimack 21-6 in the season opener on Aug. 31.

Hayes finished 2-of-6 passing for 14 yards, including a 3-yard touchdown to Cade Harris.

Fresno State (5-5, 3-3 Mountain West), which lost 21-20 to Hawaii on a last-second touchdown pass from Brayden Schager to Nick Cenacle, has dropped back-to-back games for the second time this season.

Mikey Keene hit Mac Dalena at the 50, where he broke a tackle and then raced to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown, Air Force was stopped for no gain on a fourth-and-1 from its own 34 and, three plays later, Keene hit Jalen Moss for a 19-yard touchdown that gave Fresno State a 21-14 lead with 1:37 to go in the first half.

Matthew Dapore kicked a 35-yard field goal as time in the first half expired and added a 37-yarder to cap a nine-play, 56-yard drive to open the third quarter and trim the deficit to a point. Two plays from scrimmage later, Blake Fletcher picked off a pass from Keene.

Hayes ran for a 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1 and then ran it in on fourth-and-goal from the 2 and, after an unsuccessful 2-point try, Air Force led 26-21 with 2:30 left in the third quarter. After the Bulldogs failed to convert a fourth-and-5 from the Falcons 38, Hayes led a 12-play, 64-yard drive that took more than 6 1/2 minutes off the clock and made it a two-possession game with 8:51 left.

Dapore added a 36-yard field goal with about 2 minutes to play.

Dalena capped the scoring when he caught a 6-yard TD pass from Keene with 38 seconds remaining.

Keene was 23-of-26 passing for 289 yards and three touchdowns with an interception for Fresno State.

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