Air Force knocks off Merrimack in season opener

US AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (KRDO) -- It wasn't the prettiest of games, but Air Force did enough to win. The Falcons fought off a scrappy Merrimack team, earning a season-opening 21-6 win.

The Falcons managed just 237 total yards, but held the Warriors to only 217, and forced 3 turnovers.

"You know, just we have a young team, so when we have players that never played, we got to build our chemistry up in practice, keep our heads up and move on to the next game," said quarterback John Busha after the game. "I mean, everyone seems pretty happy, you know? A win is a win. So we just got to move on to the next week."

Busha completed 6/14 passes for 71 yards, and rushed for 37 more. He shined late in the second quarter when Air Force put together a touchdown drive in the final 2 minutes to increase their lead to 14-0.

Cade Harris scored each of the first two touchdowns for Air Force, while Aiden Calvert added the final score.

Former Air Force defensive lineman Jordan Jackson was in attendance. Jackson made his first NFL roster earlier in the week when the Broncos chose him as part of the 53-man roster.

"It's as moving as it gets," said head coach Troy Calhoun after the game. "To see the big guy... we come in after warming up and he's in there in our locker room, right outside the hallway here. And some of the players saw him, and how fired up they were. Just the class, that decency, the character, the maturity, the leadership of Jordan Jackson is unbelievable. And a guy that's a darn good football player, too."

"I knew him since freshman year," said defensive back Jamari Bellamy. "I always used to joke with him like, 'Hey, one day I'm gonna be out there with you.' And it's kind of it's kind of fun seeing him on the sideline and him being like, Oh, like you said he was going to do it, and you're here now. So I mean, always been a role model to me, the way he practices. So I just love having him around. He brings that confidence to the team as well."

"Seeing his transformation, and like now being on the roster at Denver, it's pretty cool," said Payton Zdroik. "He's a great guy to have around and have talked to us and mentor us."

Air Force will host San Jose State in week 2.