LAS VEGAS -- For the Air Force Falcons, winning their first outright Western Athletic Conference championship was thrilling.
The fact they beat BYU to do it made it even sweeter."They've had their turn. BYU's been there on the platform before," said Air Force quarterback-hero Blane Morgan. "It's our turn now. Today's our day. We're going to savor this one."
Morgan, still trying to recover from a sprained ankle suffered two weeks ago, came off the bench in relief of starter Cale Bonds and guided the Falcons to a dramatic 20-13 win over longtime rival BYU.
"We couldn't have asked for it any other way," Morgan said.
"It was great to have these two prominent teams in the WAC play for the championship."
"It was a great way to finish this conference out, with the two winningest coaches in the league," said senior free safety Jason Sanderson. "It was a great game. It had to be a fun one to watch."
The Cougars have frequently posed as stumbling blocks for Air Force in the Falcons' quest for conference championships over the years. But on Saturday, Air Force would not be denied.
"It's been a dream, a goal for us to win the championship," said Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, who has now defeated BYU two straight times after losing 11 consecutive to the Cougars. "We've always wanted to go to the Holiday Bowl, though it's not going to be possible this year."
No, the Falcons won't be tripping to San Diego, but as they look forward to playing in a bowl on Christmas Day, they don't care too much.
"It was so important for these guys to have their own (championship) ring," DeBerry said. "It's something they'll treasure their whole lives."
Still, beating BYU was not an easy task for the Falcons. From the beginning, they knew they were in for a war.
"BYU's the best team we've played all year, bar none," Sanderson said. "That is a great football team. We had some doubts late in the game if we could win it."
Sanderson is the only current Air Force player who owns a WAC Championship ring. That was from 1995, when the Falcons shared the crown with BYU, Colorado State and Utah.
This time, the title belongs to Air Force alone. So forgive the Flyboys for feeling a little selfish.
"It's a football team of real destiny," DeBerry said. "Coming into the season, we had the fewest number of returning starters of anyone in the 16-team conference. Nobody deserves it more than these guys to be champions of the WAC as it closes out this era."
The Falcons, known for their running game, also found it a little ironic that the winning touchdown came on a pass, when Morgan threw a screen to junior receiver Matt Farmer, who raced 59 yards, untouched, for the TD late in the fourth quarter that gave Air Force its first lead of the game. It also put the Falcons up for good.
"We tried to run that play a couple series earlier, but I got hit and got my head buried in the turf," Morgan recalled, referring to a sack levied by BYU defensive lineman Byron Frisch. "On the sidelines after that, Farmer told me, 'I was wide open.' So the next time I knew I was throwing to Farmer and he was off to the races."
DeBerry praised his senior QB for the gutty effort. "He's a winner and a warrior," DeBerry said.
Morgan, the Pacific Division offensive player of the year, reinjured his ankle not long after entering the game. But he wasn't going to let it keep him out of action.
"I tweaked it a little bit but I walked it off," Morgan said. "I think God touched me and healed it."
BYU linebacker Derik Stevenson, who turned in a super-human performance, was devastated that the Cougar defense, which had played the Air Force run attack so well, allowed the Falcons to win on a long pass play.
"We let up a bit," he said. "They're a good team and they took advantage of that. They deserved to win."
BYU coach LaVell Edwards said he didn't see anything unexpected from the Falcons. "They didn't surprise me," he said. "That's how they've been playing all year long."
On the other side, DeBerry was impressed with BYU running back Ronney Jenkins, who rushed for 91 yards. "Jenkins is a tremendous player," the coach said. "If we had a back like that we'd probably give it to him 40 times a game. We'd probably change our offense."
Morgan, meanwhile, hopes that now his team has vanquished BYU, it will now receive the credit he feels the Falcons deserve.
"We're just looking for respect from the entire nation," he said. "We're the least-publicized ranked team in the country."
Asked about his ankle, Morgan smiled. "It's going to be sore," he said, "but it sure feels good."