Connor Dietz will make certain Air Force doesn’t miss a beat when the Falcons travel to the bright lights of Las Vegas to play the UNLV Rebels on Thursday, November 18.  Game time is 10:00 PM ET.

The Falcons routed the Rebels last November 45-17.

The latest college football odds have Air Force as 19-point favorites over UNLV.

The cadets of Air Force are fresh off a 48-23 win against New Mexico. There were some question marks in the game as starting QB Tim Jefferson went down with an injury after only a handful of passes. Backup Dietz finished it out in his place and filled in well, completing the game with 67 yards and a touchdown while running for another.

Asher Clark continued his solid season, contributing 19 carries for 95 yards and two touchdowns while fellow RB Nathan Walker chipped in 95 yards of his own and scored a touchdown.

The Falcons defense held Lobos QB Stump Godfrey under 100 yards in the air and just a single TD.

The win made it two straight for Air Force, bringing the team record to 7-4, fifth in the Mountain West Conference. It was the fourth time the offense broke the 40-point mark; Tim Jefferson has spearheaded that offense with 1,231 yards and nine touchdowns for a QB rating of 145.75. As a team the passing ranks 117th in the nation with 120 per game.

The Falcons rely heavily on Clark to lead a second-ranked rushing attack, which provides 315.6 yards per game. Clark has five touchdowns and 919 yards. The Falcons put 32 points on the board (33rd) on average while the defense allows 22.5 (44th).

As for UNLV, they sit one game back of the Falcons after beating up on Wyoming last week, 42-16, ending a five-game losing streak.

Everyone got into the action as QB Omar Clayton completed 13 of 18 for 163 yards and three touchdowns, while Tim Cornett carried the ball 21 times for 70 yards and scored three times. Harrington and Sullivan combined for six receptions and 91 yards.

Alvester Alexander put a scare into the hearts of UNLV on the first play of the game, running for 72 yards as Wyoming scored 13 in the first quarter. The Cowboys fell silent after that, scoring three for the rest of the game on their way to their ninth loss of the season.

The win was only the second of the season for the Rebels, who have gone 2-8 for a sixth place standing in the MWC. The team has had problems on defense all year, surrendering 37.4 a game to rank 112th. Meanwhile, the offense does little to keep the Rebs in the game, providing only 18.4 points per game (107th). The team has been held to 10 points or less six times. Clayton has passed for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns, but the team ranks 103rd with under 163 passing yards a game.

Matt’s Free Prediction: Air Force -19

This game is a near lock for Air Force. The offense has fallen into place as of late, scoring 40-plus points in consecutive games while UNLV is quite adept at making opposing offenses look good. Expect the Falcons to run all over the Rebels.

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