FORT COLLINS, Colorado (Ticker) -- Quarterback Bradlee Van Pelt accounted for all three touchdowns in a 23-point second quarter as Colorado State defeated Air Force, 30-20, in a Mountain West Conference contest.
Van Pelt rushed for touchdowns of 13 and three yards, then tossed a five-yard TD strike to David Anderson with 1:01 to go in the second quarter to give the Rams a 23-14 halftime lead.
Colorado State (5-3, 2-1) kept alive hopes of a third Mountain West Conference title in four years, pulling within one-half game of first-place Air Force, which suffered its first conference loss.
The Rams, who also got a 48-yard field goal by Jeff Babcock in the second period, have won three in a row following back-to-back losses to Miami of Ohio and Utah.
Van Pelt accounted for 383 of Colorado State's 564 total yards. He rushed for 125 yards on 17 carries and completed 14-of-22 passes for 258 yards. David Anderson caught nine passes for 199 yards.
Colorado State made it 30-14 on Marcus Houston's 12-yard TD run with 3:29 left in the third period before the Falcons closed the margin on Chance Harridge's two-yard keeper with 12:25 left in the contest.
Houston chipped in with 86 yards on 19 carries for the Rams, who wore down the Falcons (6-2, 3-1) with a bruising running game, rushing for 306 yards on 53 carries.
Harridge rushed for 136 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries for Air Force, but he completed only 3-of-12 passes for 85 yards with two interceptions.
The Falcons tied the contest , 7-7, on Harridge's one-yard TD run just 89 seconds after Van Pelt's first score, then grabbed a 14-10 lead on wide receiver Joe Schieffer's 69-yard TD strike to Alec Messeral with 7:45 left in the half.
But Colorado took the lead for good, 14-10, on Van Pelt's three-yard scamper.
Air Force has dropped two of its last three games following a 5-0 start.
