Northwestern University Athletics
Northwestern
Air Force
Northwestern Falls To Air Force In Season Opener
8/31/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 31, 2002
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.- Northwestern never found its rhythm on Saturday and lost its season-opening game 52-3 to Air Force.
Air Force totaled 523 yards of offense, including 476 on the ground, and tied a school record for largest margin of victory on opening day. The Falcons scored on their first five possessions and held a 38-0 lead by halftime.
Northwestern started three freshmen and five sophomores on defense, and the young Wildcats never got a handle on Air Force's triple option. The defensive struggles were compounded when seniors Pat Durr and Raheem Covington left the game with injuries in the first quarter. Durr, a team co-captain and the leader of the defense, left on the Falcons' first series with a sprained knee. He could miss several weeks before returning to the lineup.
Covington left the game with a concussion. His status for next week is unknown.
"Losing those guys didn't help matters one bit," said Head Coach Randy Walker. "But we still didn't do what we needed to do, and that's come off our blocks and make tackles.
"I was most disappointed with our tentativeness in all aspects of the game. We talked all preseason about playing decisive and with confidence. We didn't do that today."
With the Wildcats' defense struggling, the Falcons' took advantage quickly.
Air Force moved 74 yards in nine plays on their first drive, capped by Chance Harridge's 3-yard touchdown run on an option right.
Harridge scored again with 4:45 left in the first, this time on a 4-yard option left after Marchello Graddy recovered a fumble at Northwestern's 48-yard line.
Adam Strecker caught a 12-yard pass from Harridge 39 seconds into the second quarter, making it 21-0.
Joey Ashcroft hit a 35-yard field goal with just under nine minutes left, then Nate Allen made it 31-0 when he blocked Brian Huffman's punt and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.
Air Force has blocked a nation-leading 76 kicks since 1990 and has at least one block in 13 straight seasons.
Dan Shaffer's 1-yard touchdown dive with 25 seconds left ending Air Force's first-half scoring. The Falcons finished with 285 yards in the half.
Harridge had 94 yards on 16 carries, and hit 5 of 7 passes for 47 yards before Bryan Blew replaced him midway through the third quarter.
Northwestern also had its struggles on offense.
The Wildcats' first drive ended in a fumble after center Austin King appeared to snap the ball off his own foot. Northwestern managed 37 yards and three first downs in the first half.
Northwestern did not score until David Wasielewski hit a career-long 51-yard field goal with 17 seconds left in the third quarter, and finished with 221 total yards.
In his first game as a starter, quarterback Tony Stauss completed 5 of 10 passes for 22 yards.
Brett Basanez, who replaced Stauss on Northwestern's final drive of the first half, was 14 of 26 for 158 yards.
Shaffer added a 14-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to put Air Force up 52-0.
Northwestern is now 68-43-4 in season-opening games.
The Associated Press contributed to this story
