The Cougars came out against the Falcons flat. They didn't have any energy. The game was over in the first three minutes as the Falcons tore the Cougars apart on both ends of the court. Air Force, which had been losing rebounding wars by 5.1 a game, played the Cougars even at 20 apiece.

Air Force coach Joe Scott is one confident guy. He believes his team should win every game. He thought so even when they were getting drilled around the MWC.

But this squad sees the light. They are very confident. They are fearless shooters and have a scheme they have mastered to near perfection.

Said Scott on the Utes: "We've got the real bad bear in here Monday. I have a great respect for coach Rick Majerus. He gets his guys ready to play. They are mentally tough and very physical. They will come at us and they are tough and compete.

"We need a carryover from this win. The 6,300 that were here today need to come back on Monday."

A year ago, with all those close losses by Air Force across the Rocky Mountains, this Falcon team didn't make shots. Now, they're making shots.

"We couldn't hit the side of a barn last year," Scott said. "We scored a combined 75 points against BYU last year."

Well, the 74 they got against the Cougars on Saturday sounds a very loud gong in these parts; either about the Falcons or the Cougars.

After seeing the Falcons on Saturday, even with the BYU road stumble factor, I'd say they're real as a Force could be.

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E-mail: dharmon@desnews.com