• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Cal hopes to salvage winning season vs. Air Force

Dec 31, 2007 - 12:10 PM California (6-6) vs. Air Force (9-3) 12:30 pm EST Armed Forces Bowl December 31

FORT WORTH, Texas (Ticker) -- After a staggering second-half collapse, all California has left is trying to salvage a winning season.

The Golden Bears will look to snap a three-game losing streak when they face Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl on New Year's Eve.

After posting a 31-24 victory at then-No. 11 Oregon on September 29, California climbed to No. 2 and seemed poised to make a run at the national championship.

Those hopes ended the following week in a 31-28 loss to Oregon State. The Golden Bears had a chance to force overtime but time ran out before they could get the field goal unit on the field to attempt what would have been a 30-yard kick.

California never recovered from that defeat, dropping six of its last seven games to turn a 5-0 start into a 6-6 finish. The only win during that stretch was a 20-17 victory against Washington State.

One of eight teams from the Pac-10 to receive bowl bids, California's regular season ended with a 20-13 loss to arch-rival Stanford. That loss snapped the Golden Bears' five-game winning streak against the Cardinal.

Despite the second-half struggles, running back Justin Forsett finished second in the Pac-10 in rushing with 1,406 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, quarterback Nate Longshore struggled down the stretch, throwing 11 interceptions in Cal's last six games.

Unlike Cal, Air Force comes into the game riding high, having won three straight and six of its last seven games. The Falcons scored 96 points in their last two contests, beating Notre Dame and San Diego State.

In a 55-23 victory over San Diego State, Air Force gained a season-high 569 yards as Jim Ollis, Ty Paffett and Chad Hall each rushed for more than 100 yards.

The Falcons posted the best turnaround in the country this season under first-year coach Troy Calhoun, who was nominated as one of eight finalists for Coach of the Year honors in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Air Force improved by five games after posting a 4-8 record in 2006.

The Golden Bears and Falcons are meeting for the eighth time. Cal leads the series 5-2, including a 56-14 victory in the last meeting in 2004.