Bryson Daily rushed for 170 yards and two touchdowns to lead visiting Army to a 23-3 upset victory against No. 25 Air Force on Saturday afternoon in Denver.
Air Force (8-1) had won 13 straight games dating to last season and was off to its best start since 1985.
Daily started at quarterback for the first time in three weeks and carried the ball 36 times. He attempted just nine passes, completing four for 40 yards.
Army (3-6) limited the Falcons to 259 total yards, forced six turnovers and stopped them on downs three other times in its first win against an AP-ranked team since 1972.
Air Force quarterback Zac Larrier completed 9 of 22 passes for 93 yards, with two interceptions and two lost fumbles for his first turnovers of the season.
Daily faked a handoff on the opening drive of the game and sprinted untouched through the middle of the defense for a 62-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead.
Air Force went for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 34 on its first drive and was stopped short, leading to a 45-yard field goal by Quinn Maretzki to extend the lead to 10-0.
Larrier then committed his first turnover when he fumbled while preparing to throw and the ball was recovered by the Black Knights at the Air Force 45.
Army then used 11 plays to work its way down the field, and Daily capped the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to extend the lead to 17-0 with 1:53 still left in the opening quarter.
The mistakes continued for the Falcons as they lost another fumble on the second play of the ensuing drive and Army recovered at the Air Force 40.
That led to a 40-yard field goal by Maretzki for a 20-0 lead with 13:14 left in the first half, Army’s first 20-point lead against an AP-ranked opponent since 1958.
The Falcons finally put together a lengthy drive but had to settle for a 30-yard field goal by Matthew Dapore that cut the lead to 20-3 with 2:31 left in the half.
Larrier was intercepted late in the first half for the team’s third turnover and Maretzki followed with his third field goal, a 38-yarder as time expired to extend the lead to 23-3.
Air Force drove to the Army 5 late in the third quarter, but Dapore missed a 32-yard field goal.
–Field Level Media